# Noob Help: how detailed can screen printing get



## nap (Nov 26, 2006)

hello

i was wondering how detailed screen printing can get. At first i was thinking about screen printing because it seemed very cheap since we have a very low budget, durable, and lasting. We want to Print on 100% cotton white tshirts
in black

the problem comes where our artisit (bboy Sketch) draws very detailed with shadowing and i dont think the pencil and shawdowing effect will work with screen printing.

I did some research and found EZ printing or something like that where you use light exposure to make the screen for you. But i dont think it will make it as detailed still.

Should i do heat transfer instead or can screen printing show enough detail to do this

heres a sample picture we want to put on the tshirt
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c371/Triga_/img042.jpg

i appreciate those who read this and all replys
please be as detailed and simple as possible because im very new too this and dont know any jargon on this subject

thanks a lot


----------



## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

*Re: Noob Help*



nap said:


> i was wondering how detailed screen printing can get.


Very.



nap said:


> I did some research and found EZ printing or something like that where you use light exposure to make the screen for you.


Pretty much all screenprinting is done that way.



nap said:


> Should i do heat transfer instead or can screen printing show enough detail to do this


 If you plan on cleaning up the artwork screenprinting should be fine. If you want to retain the look of a pencil sketch, then DTG (Direct To Garment) printing may be a better choice.


----------



## nap (Nov 26, 2006)

*Re: Noob Help*

yah i want to retain the sketch look.

How would it look without the sketch look? take out all the shadowns and pencil marks and only draw definitive solid lines?


I looked up DTG and it looks like a giant printer that prints straight onto the tshirt. Is there anyway to do this without buying a machine because we have a very limited budget (about 50 less if possible).

what would you suggest we do since we have such a small budget. We will be making about 12 different tshirts on 100% cotton white (front and back picture) and whenever someone wants one we will make it for them type of deal.

thanks


----------



## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

*Re: Noob Help*



nap said:


> How would it look without the sketch look? take out all the shadowns and pencil marks and only draw definitive solid lines?


Pretty much. If you do that, you will have more options for printing.

If you post a sample of the art it will be easier for us to help you.


----------



## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

*Re: Noob Help*



nap said:


> yah i want to retain the sketch look.
> 
> How would it look without the sketch look? take out all the shadowns and pencil marks and only draw definitive solid lines?




Sort of. It doesn't need to be just a solid outline or anything, you could make it look handdrawn by the use of different line weight, etc. - but everything would be one shade, and normally you'd remove some of the stray lines. I guess ultimately if you did it that way it would look more like pen and ink than pencil.
 


nap said:


> I looked up DTG and it looks like a giant printer that prints straight onto the tshirt.




Yup.

One of the members here actually printed a pencil illustration straight onto the shirt with one, much like you're thinking of doing. Worked well.




nap said:


> Is there anyway to do this without buying a machine because we have a very limited budget (about 50 less if possible).


Most people aren't in a position to spend $15k on a t-shirt printer when first starting out, so to be honest I assumed you'd be the same. You can outsource the printing to someone else though.



nap said:


> what would you suggest we do since we have such a small budget.




I think outsourcing to a DTG printer makes sense. You could invest in a heat press, but if you meant your budget is $50 obviously you can't afford any equipment. If you're outsourcing anyway you might as well go with DTG over digital transfer, as it should give you better results for what you're doing.

(DTG printers have problems with a lot of things, but dark ink on white shirts is something they shouldn't have any problems with)




nap said:


> We will be making about 12 different tshirts on 100% cotton white (front and back picture) and whenever someone wants one we will make it for them type of deal.


Obviously print on demand is going to be a challenge if you don't own your own equipment. You might have to order a dozen at a time to get a better price and so that you don't have to drive down to the printer every time someone orders a shirt.


----------



## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

*Re: Noob Help*



Jasonda said:


> If you post a sample of the art it will be easier for us to help you.


Like this one, or...?


----------



## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

*Re: Noob Help*



Solmu said:


> One of the members here actually printed a pencil illustration straight onto the shirt with one, much like you're thinking of doing. Worked well.


Here you go.


----------



## nap (Nov 26, 2006)

*Re: Noob Help*

WoW solmu thats a lot of help

the example you gave me of the DTG is exactly what I'm looking for!!

Do you know any way i can find a place that has that machine so i can go and print it myself?
sort of like a kinkos? because i have specific t-shirts i want to use that almost all the companies ive seen dont carry

or if i have to order it how much would it cost and whats a cheap company
the problem is i have to use these specific shirts i want

also my school has a digital design shop that does stuff like this would their equipment suffice i dont think they have a DTG though im going to check them out soon

i live in the Long Beach (LA county area) USA so is there like a yellow book for this?


----------



## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

*Re: Noob Help*



nap said:


> Do you know any way i can find a place that has that machine so i can go and print it myself?


It doesn't appear to be as easy as it should be. There are a few members here who have them, so once you have 15 posts you could post a service request in the classifieds area of the forums. Other than that, in the past people have suggested contacting a DTG manufacturer (T-Jet for example) and asking them who might be able to serve your needs in your area.

There must be a better way though.


----------



## nap (Nov 26, 2006)

*Re: Noob Help*

o i c =/

i guess i can try contacting t-jet
...

my friend also said he can clean up his art work if we need to for the silk screening if we cant get our hands on a DTG


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Some DTG printers will also let you send the shirts to them so they can print on your shirts.


----------



## nap (Nov 26, 2006)

thats a great idea but i dont think we have the budget to buy ship pay for services and then pay for shipping back
... for now we will just use transfer paper; since times running out and we want to give some out for free to some kids who will b attending a holiday project gift giveaway thingy we're volunteering at for the red cross
we might try the DTG again later tys a lot guys
im posting in the transferpaper section for help now =)
lol

appreciate it
BboyPROstiTUT


----------



## Virgram (Nov 6, 2013)

Many heat transfers are originally screen printed. Pencil drawings have always been an issue with screen printing. It's not because there isn't enough detail, it's translating that detail from a continuous medium like pencil or photography to a medium that is made up of dots and lines. There are methods of converting the image to a dot pattern which is a must for screen printing. Before the computer came to the industry it was not as easy. I would insist that any drawing that I had done would need to be submitted as pen and ink. Anything that can be drawn with ink can be reproduced accurately with screen printing.


----------

