Screen Printing

Screen printing is probably what you think of when you think about t-shirt printing. It's the traditional t-shirt printing method in which each color in a design is separated out and burned to individual fine-mesh screens. Ink is then transferred to the shirt through the screen. Teams, organizations, and businesses usually opt for screen printing because it’s cost-effective for printing large custom apparel orders.

How does it work?

First we separate each color in your  design using graphic software. A screen is then created for each color in the design (keep that in mind when ordering screen prints because each color adds to the cost). To create the stencil, we begin by coating the fine mesh screen with an emulsion. Once dried, we "burn" the artwork into the screen by exposing it to a bright light. We now have a screen for each color in the design which are then used as stencils for printing onto the product.

Now that we have our screens we need our ink. Ink is mixed for each color in the design.  Ink is placed on its appropriate screen and then we squeegee ink through the mesh screen onto the shirt. The colors are layered on top of one another to create the final design. The final step involves running your shirt through a large dryer to "cure" the ink and prevent it from washing out.

Digital Printing

Small Runs, Full Color Photos, Quick Turnaround

Digital printing involves printing a digital image directly onto the shirt or product.  Special CMYK inks are mixed to create the colors in your design. of this, there is no limitation to the number of colors in your design. This makes digital printing a great option for printing photographs and other intricate artwork. 

The cost per print is higher than traditional screen printing. However, by avoiding the high setup costs of screen printing, digital printing is much more cost effective for smaller orders (or even a single shirt).

How does it work?

The t-shirt is loaded into an oversized "inkjet" printer. A combination of white and CMYK inks are laid onto the shirt to create the design. Once the print has finished, the shirt is cured using heat to prevent the design from washing out. 

Digital printing is perfect for smaller quantities, higher detail, and quick turnaround times.

Embroidery

Embroidery is the process of sewing a design or logo onto a product with thread. It is typically used to add logos or designs to polos, jackets and hats.

How does it work?

Embroidery is an age-old process of weaving a design onto fabric using a thread and needle. Today, instead of someone actually sewing a design by hand, a digital file is created that tells a machine how and where to put each stitch. Embroidery works best with simple, low color count logos or artwork. Photographs and artwork with fine detail or small lettering usually can not be emboirdered. We'll be sure to contact you if this is the case and recommened ways we can alter your design or suggest other alternatives.

After we receive your order and review your artwork, the first step in the process is to "digitize" your design. This just means we are creating a digital file that contains instructions on how to stich your artwork. Once digitized, the file is send to the embroidery machine and the design will be sewn out onto the product. Embroidered logos generally use between 5,000 - 10,000 stiches to create your design. Very intricate indeed!
Dititizing your logo is a time consuming process so embroidery is more economical for larger orders.

File Specifications:

- Flatten all Objects/Gradients/Swatches/Symbols/Special Effects/Transparencies

- Outline all text

-  Flattened PDF (Single Page) or JPEG file types only

- Remove all crop marks/bleed otherwise they will be printed

- File must be the same exact size as what is ordered (exception is Gallery wrap Fold Edge and Products with templates)

-  CMYK only (we do not print Pantone/5th/Spot/RGB)

-  150 dpi

- If using a template, the file uploaded to our site should match the exact "template size" (different than "graphic size").

- Do not scale template files, just flatten them and save at 150 dpi

- Files over 200" can be scaled

- Under 300 mb for upload

***Remove EVERYTHING from your file that you do not want printed on the final product  - especially hidden layers and template guidelines.

- Make sure all objects are embedded and flattened (we do not print Non-Native Art).

- If the file is made in Indesign, please flatten the file in Illustrator or Photoshop and export to a JPEG ONLY as we don't recommend using Indesign at our facility.

- If using Compound Paths to create transparencies/shapes, please completely rasterize or flatten them into the file or they may print incorrectly.

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- We do not have specific measurements for Panel jobs. If you are printing in Panels, please make sure you are providing a minimum of 1" overlay in your files.

Template set up (general directions):

- Design on a layer on top of our template

- Once the design is made, delete the entire layer that includes the blue space/text/guidelines we provide or else they will be printed

- Flatten all objects/transparencies/gradients/swatches and outline all text

- Save the file as a flattened PDF or JPEG full size at 150 dpi

- The size of the file uploaded to the website should be exactly the same size as the template was provided, including the artboard (white) space in the file

- Our template is used as a guide or reference to show general placement of logos/graphic elements

- We print on white material, if you leave an area blank it will print white

- For Advertising Flags, leave a safety margin of at least 2" from all edges to prevent text from being cut off/hemmed over.

We have a minimum of 24 units per design (only 1 color design).

Our typical turnaround time is 10 -20 business days, beginning upon receipt of your final artwork files, garment order,. We understand that deadlines can creep up on you fast, so please keep our turnaround time in mind when ordering.

WE DO OFFER RUSH SERVICE IF YOU NEED ORDER SOONER

Yes, we offer rush turnaround for an additional fee. Please email for pricing.

No, we do not have a published price list. But please feel free to contact us for a quote!

Our popular brands include Next Level Apparel, Bella+Canvas, Gildan, Alstyle Apparel & Activewear (AAA), Yupoong/Flexfit, and many more

We offer a variety of printing techniques such as: DTG, plastisol, water based, and discharge inks. We also offer other modern printing techniques such as foils, metallics, and much more.

Yes, cost varies depending on the type of ink. Plastisol printing is the industry standard and usually the most economical.

Yes, but with a minimum of 12 units per color change.  Each color change is an additional $15

Acceptable File Types:

- Adobe Illustrator (.ai)

- Adobe Photoshop (.psd)

- Vector (.eps)

- Portable Document Format (.pdf)

- Tagged Image File Format (.tiff)

We require all files to be in Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop files must be at least 300 dpi, must contain the layers, and must be sized up to the final print. If artwork is done in Adobe Illustrator, please make sure text is converted to outlines.

We will not proceed with the order if artwork is of poor quality.

You can simply email it to us at spaceageprinting@gmail.com

The standard print locations are:

- Full front

- Full back

- Left chest

- Upper back

- Sleeve(s) – each sleeve is considered as separate locations

- Inside tags – 36 unit minimum

If there is a particular location you’d like to print, and don’t see above, please contact usand we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

Yes, however we require 2-4 extra units for print lacatoin acurcy before full production as we do not replace customer provided garments for any reason.

We work with several wholesale distributors to source garments at their best available price, therefore it is advantageous and cost effective to let us provide your garments. However, you are more than welcome to provide your own.

No. Screens are property of SPACE AGE PRINTING. The customer pays for setup and the preparation of screens.

Yes, we can ship your order anywhere in the US via  UPS / FED EX / USPS 

With Digital Printing, your design is printed directly onto the garment using water-based CMYK inks. Like ink jet printers, this technique allows you to print millions of colors making it a perfect choice for full-color photographs. Plus, digital printing allows us to offer custom tees with no minimum order requirement, unlike screen printing, which has a 24-piece minimum because of its extensive prep time.

Screen printing is a more traditional t-shirt customization method in which each color in a design is separated and burned to individual fine-mesh screens. Ink is then transferred to the shirt through the screen. Teams, organizations and businesses usually opt for screen printing because it’s more cost-effective for printing large custom apparel orders.

Both printing methods guarantee excellent durability and wash-fastness over time.