Screen Printing Articles Archives

Printed Balloons, Standing Out From the Crowd!

Screen Printing
Dolina Munro asked:

Screen printing is a printing process that makes use of a woven mesh to hold an ink-blocking stencil. The attached stencil outlines the open areas of the mesh that transfer ink in the form of a sharp-edged image on the surface that is to be printed and this surface is called substrate. On the screen stencil, a squeegee or roller moves and pumps the ink on the open areas that are to be printed with that particular color.

Screen Printing Process

Screen printing is a printing process that makes use of a woven mesh to hold an ink-blocking stencil. The attached stencil outlines the open areas of the mesh that transfer ink in the form of a sharp-edged image on the surface that is to be printed and this surface is called substrate. On the screen stencil, a squeegee or roller moves and pumps the ink on the open areas that are to be printed with that particular color.

Process Of Screen Printing

Screen printing is one of the initial methods used in printing process. In this process, the ink or any other printing medium is passed through a screen or 'mesh' that has been fixed on a frame, and a stencil has been applied to it. The image that needs to be imprinted is determined from the stencil openings. For the different colors, different screens are prepared and the process is repeated.

Awareness about corporate gifts is much lesser than that of personal gifts, which are given to friends and families by individuals. Corporate gifts are quite different from gifts to near and dear ones as they are a gesture of thankfulness given to employees or clientele.

Screen Printing

Screen printing is one of the initial methods used in printing process. In this process, the ink or any other printing medium is passed through a screen or 'mesh' that has been fixed on a frame, and a stencil has been applied to it. The image that needs to be imprinted is determined from the stencil openings. For the different colors, different screens are prepared and the process is repeated.

Digital Banner Printing

Screen Printing
Allen Dingwall asked:


Digitally printed banners are perfect options for creating the desired impact during business events or to convey your message to the general audience. Banners are an effective medium to project the positive ideas of a company or their products through professionally designed images and logos. Digitally printed banners are available in stunning designs, elegant colours and are quality checked. These banners can be used for indoor events, outdoor promos, business events, and road shows and help in securing the required attention from the viewers. To make the streamers attractive, most of the digital banner printing companies use simple and short messages that can be conveyed quickly.

Digital banner printing uses high definition printing machines that provide excellent printing quality. A number of printing techniques are used depending upon the quality, volume of production, graphics and complexity of designs. Advanced digital printing machines print composite images and graphics on different kinds of materials including vinyl and PVC fabrics.  Traditional printing process uses dye sublimation or screen printing which provides poor quality printing and the inks are washed away when exposed to water. Modern advanced printing techniques guarantee durability and quality for the finished products. Previously, colors had to be transferred one at a time but newer processes use the inkjet printing process which uses pigmented inks that are transferred in a single go. The inks used in digital banner printing are eco solvent and do not emit harmful volatile organic compounds. Digital banners are used:

•    At carnivals, fairs

•    For road shows

•    At business events

•    In advertising: sales, retail and promotional efforts

•    In sporting: tournaments and sponsorship      

Used for on demand and short run colour printing, digital banner printing employs a number of different techniques. Here computer generated designs are transferred to certain materials where the printed information is encoded in discrete digital dots at various resolutions, thus providing more versatility and enabling scanning storage and manipulation of data. The main advantage of digital banner printing is that it does not require any intermediate medium such as negatives or colour plates. Mostly, digital banner printing companies promise fast turnaround time, low production cost and customization options.



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Making Your Own 4th of July Poster Print

Screen Printing
Jay asked:


The Fourth of July is also known as the Independence Day here in the United States. It is a federal holiday that we celebrate to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence which was happened on July 4, 1776. The Fourth of July is really an exciting event since most of the people hold concerts, programs, ceremonies, special events, games, parades, parties, and carnivals. Since it is a national holiday, there will be a lot of people going outdoors. It is said that families often celebrate the holiday by hosting picnics or barbecues to maximize their free time. They spend time in making clothing, balloons, streamers and posters bearing the colors red, white and blue, the three colors of the American flag.

If you're going to host a barbecue party, you should print posters or vinyl banners to decorate your place. The posters should be eye-catching and should express sense of American nationalism and patriotism. If you are into a low-cost yet effective advertising to promote the event that you are hosting, you could use vinyl banners as one of your tools. It is said that most of vinyl banners are digitally printed on a large format in full color, so it could be useful in attracting more people.

Vinyl banners are made from heavy weight Polyvinyl chloride or PVC, however, Grommets can also be added to facilitate the hanging of the banner. Grommets are metal, plastic or rubber rings used to reinforce the hole or to shield something from the sharp edges. The different types of vinyl banners are as follows:

Digitally printed banners - the ones that are printed with aqueous or water-based, semi-solvent and solvent based inks for better resistance to the weather. Vinyl lettered banners - made through the application of individual elements cut by a computer-driven vinyl cutter. Screen-printed vinyl - produced through the use of screen printing, a printing technique that utilizes a woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil. Stencil is a template that helps us to draw or paint in an identical pattern. Painted Vinyl Banners - hand-painted graphics and lettering, however, this kind of vinyl banner is not commonly used.

Vinyl banners are very common since it can be applied both for indoor and outdoor use. They could also be used for sporting event, trade show, retail advertising, special events and etc. Some of vinyl banners printing services or companies offer a grometted heavy duty material or full color grometted indoor material, with sizes ranging from 8 x 8" to 61 x 100".

So if you are planning to host barbecue party to celebrate our Independence Day, and is aiming to decorate the place for better ambience and to attract more people, make use of the said promotional materials. Seek for a reliable printing company which could give you quality posters and vinyl banners. Some of the printing services use digital press paper stocks which are gloss coated at the mill, so you do not have to worry on the coating of your banners and poster prints.



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Making Blockbuster Promotions with Flyer Printing and Poster Printing

Screen Printing
adityasnv asked:


 

Flyers are one of the most perfect and cost efficient ways of doing offline advertisements in this world where marketing  has become one of the key functions. Spending money on the color flyer printing is definitely there is no question of lavishness and the money spent on these flyers is definitely one of the finest ways to boost your business up in this fast and competitive era by advertising and marketing your products in the form of the print medium. However it is important to note the fact that the flyer printing has not lost its versatility because of its usefulness, high quality and above all the cheap and economic pricing. Even now it is important to know that there are many companies depend on the flyer printing company.

While you are in the process of getting the flyers it is important to note the fact that you need to keep in mind the following points.

Product planning: It is very much important to note the fact that the flyer printing is one of the creative task so it is important to note the task that you need plan about the flyer well in advance, just keep in mind that the flyers are designed not only with the aim of establishing a creative buzz, but do ensure the fact that these flyers should be designed in such a way that they can lead your business to the next upper level. It is always important to remember the fact that the business deserves just not only anything but it always deserves the best.

Once you are done with designing the flyers it is important to note the fact that you go in for quality testing for your products. It is important to note the fact that whichever company you have decided to go in for printing, first and foremost it is important that you test the water that used for printing along with the core customers. Incase if it is possible to prepare two different ads with your graphic designer then it will serve the needful. You can get the print out of both the ads it is important to assess the fact that you can survey with your consumers which of the ads is preferred by them. These are few of the things that can really raise the response rates while you will be in the process of giving away the final flyer prints in the market.

Flyer printing is an affordable mode of advertising that costs less for printing more flyers. It is easy to get your message across to the public using flyer printing and gives you and your business the exposure it needs. It is important to plan out and design a flyer carefully so that people will read it and will make an impact on your business. The idea is to make a flyer to increase your sales, make people want to visit your store or try out your product. If middle aged or older people are your target audience you would think about using fewer colours with sober designs and fonts. If children and teenagers are your target audience then lots of colours, exciting fonts and designs should be incorporated into your flyer. Provide reasons and create a desire for them to buy your product or service within your flyer. Flyer printing is easy and economical for any business looking to make an impact on the public with their product or service. With the advent of this new technology, make sure you ask your sign or banner company if they're able to print with full color or if they're using plotted vinyl, which is an older technology. Plotted vinyl banners are made with actual vinyl that is cut and affixed to the banner material. This can greatly limit the color combinations and quality another benefit I'd like to mention with our full-color printing technology is that we use eco-friendly solvent inks that are durable yet easy to work with. I've worked with true solvent inks before, and it can be really nasty stuff. But with the eco-friendly inks, it's easy to work with and does not throw-off vapors that make working with the equipment not so fun. These colorful banners and signs are very much effective in marketing and this has made many marketing professionals around the planet to rely on these best marketing tools. Though the vinyl banners and signs can be used for any type of marketing campaign, vinyl banners is that they can be reused after a certain period of time which is never possible with the traditional banners. The Custom vinyl banners are mainly focused on long term and repeating advertising campaigns. These vinyl banners could be used every year for event promotion. Reuse of vinyl banners depends upon the customization done by the vinyl banner supplier. Proper storage of vinyl banners makes it available for use for a lifetime.

Wide format printers are used to print banners, posters and general signage and in some cases may be more economical than short-run methods such as screen-printing. Wide format printers generally use a roll of print material rather than individual sheets and may incorporate hot-air dryers to prevent prints from sticking to themselves as they are produced.

Create Spontaneity in Your Poster Printing

Whether selling or marketing your business, in addition to creativity, your marketing efforts in your poster printing should also have a dose of spontaneity. Being able to jump in even prematurely and having the initiative to do things at a snap can help your poster print to achieve success.

Often, most business owners are afraid to be spontaneous because of the risks involved. Most of the time, the consequences of being impulsive are many that most marketers would hesitate and revert to their usual methods of poster printing. Nevertheless, the risks are worth taking especially when the end result outweighs more than the challenges it presented.

 



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The Top 10 Most Extreme Leaflet Printing Ideas

Screen Printing
Bella Harris asked:


Our modern lifestyle means that the advertising and marketing campaigns that most businesses launch are highly competitive; consequently, each time these campaigns are more attractive and go over the edge, creating a new level of expectation and awe. On the other hand, there are collectors that take a particular interest in popular advertising and marketing campaigns, such as the Christmas season advertising campaign that a popular brand of soda launches every year.

As a result, most companies seek to make their advertisements as attractive as possible so that they will not only accomplish their goal - position their products and company high in the preference ranking of the target market - but also to be attractive enough to become popular and be collected. A collectible can reach a high amount when sold on auction sites and similar places, even after just a little time after the ad has been launched to the target market.

Therefore, both advertising and marketing businesses, as well as the businesses and companies that are requesting the ads, are interested in making the campaign ads as popular as possible, enticing and tempting ad collectors to add these to their personal collections. In this manner, the same advertising that has worked for a special campaign season will work to raise the presence of the company higher and more permanently than it could by the mere use of an advertising and marketing strategy.

Consequently, they will seek to make sure that the technique that is used to print the ad is the most advanced and attractive as possible. Even so, at the same time, it is desired that the ads that are printed are also manageable and that can be easily stored. This will work on two different levels - on one side, the leaflet that is to be handed out will be kept due to the beauty and attention catching elements and on the other side it will make its information known to several people, not just the one that is receiving it; this will enhance the performance of the leaflet.

Such techniques are frequently used for the printing of movie ads and consumables such as sodas and junk food. Some of the most popular printing techniques for extreme Leaflet Printing are:

? Lithography and plastic polymer. This technique allows the marketing business to charge a reasonable fee for the lithographic printing however, the glossy coat of the plastic polymer will make the leaflet captivating yet more expensive than what it might seem.

? Relief printing. As its name indicates, this printing is done in the relief portions that are to be enhanced; commonly used in business cards, it is a popular printing style for leaflets.

? Serigraphy. It provides a relief contour to a special area of the leaflet, making it noticeably attractive.

? Flexographic. While it is time consuming and efficient, it leaves little room to enhancement and experimentation.

? Gravure. This process is the most popular when applying made to order colours to a leaflet, because they can be added one layer at a time.

? Screen printing. Usually this method is used for low-cost leaflets, still it can make great advertisements.

? Electrophtographic. This method prevents bleeding processes in the printing of leaflets and the quality is almost as good as lithography.

? Microcapsule. This is the choice of printing for small sized prints with few exemplars and a great quality.

? Thermal sublimation. Usually this method is used alongside with wax printing.

? Wax printing. This is one of the most expensive methods and is not recommended for small printing quantities.

However, there is no written law that any leaflet should be only printed with one technique or that different techniques cannot be mixed together.



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Textile Printing in India – Traditional Approach

Screen Printing
Fibre2fashion asked:


India is a country of diversities. It is rich in various embroidery techniques and printing techniques. Indian tradition is even rich in paintings and we can see that from the paintings of Ajanta murals and miniature paintings. In ancient times, the art of weaving and dyeing on cotton had been well developed, but it developed on silk later. In the fifth century, floral and geometric designs were popular in India and we can find that from the trade between India and Egypt. India is the first one who introduced the art of dyeing and printing with fast natural colors for the first time. For foreign travelers, indigo dyeing was a mysterious process because when the fabric is dipped in indigo bath, there is no color observed. Only when the fabric gets exposure to open air, the colors develop.

The purpose of printing is for the adornment of the textile. Correct co-ordination between human skills and printing machinery is required. Many kind of printing techniques are there, among which screen printing is important one.

Earlier, screen printing was known as silk printing. In that, silk gauge was being used as a screen for printing, so it was known as the silk printing. The design was engraved on the silk gauge and then the color was spread on that. The main benefit of screen printing is that it is cost-effective and large-scale production is possible with it. Screen printing is more advantageous than dye sublimation and inkjet printing. It is normally used for banners and flags. The pioneer of screen printing is Guy Mc Roy.

Printing groups

Hand-block printing is a reputed art and it has been handed down through generations. Ahmedabad in Gujarat is a very important centre for trade of this kind of printed textiles. The South region also has several centers which are well known for prints on cotton. Printing and dyeing were earlier developed in Rajasthan. In Gujarat, wooden block printing was more common. Block printing is rich in vibrant colors, so it became more popular. The processes of creating colors were very simple. A very surprising thing is that the same motif can be used in different forms. Madhya Pradesh also has a different style of printing, which reflects its culture.

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T-shirt Printing- Evolving Over the Years

Screen Printing
Clint Jhonson asked:


In 1959, a more stretchable and durable ink, called plastisol was invented, which allowed more styles and variety in T-shirt designs and T-shirt printing. During the 1960s, screen-printing and tie-dyeing on basic Tshirts caught on and became a huge success. The commonest form of decorating commercial Tshirts is screen-printing. Screen-printing involves separating a design into individual colors. Plastisol or other water-based inks are then applied to the Tshirt through special screens, which limit the area where the ink is applied and deposited. In all commercial T-shirt printing, specific colors in the design to be printed are used. Few companies continue to use the water-based inks on the printed Tshirts that they supply. Most companies manufacturing Tshirts and providing Tshirt printing facilities prefer using plastisol because it can be used on varying colors without needing to make color adjustments at the art level.

T-shirt printing companies keep up with the trends, fashion, and demands and use Specialty inks, which include puff, shimmer, discharge, and chino, based inks. Metallic foils too can be stamped and heat pressed on plastisol ink. When this is combined with the specialty shimmer ink, the metallics provide a mirror effect wherever the screen-printed plastisol ink had been applied. As these specialty inks are quiet expensive they are used more on garments available in boutiques. Some other methods of decoration, which is used in Tshirt printing include airbrush, embroidery, applique, embossing or impressing, and ironing on of flock lettering and heat transfers.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, Tshirts with logos of prominent designers became popular, especially with teens and young adults. With these Tshirts, consumers could flaunt their liking for particular designer brands in a very inexpensive way. Some designer Tshirt brands include Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, FUBU,  and The Gap. Major consumer product companies like Coca-cola have used printed Tshirts and Tshirt printing for product advertising since the 70s. Since 1990s, companies of all sizes prefer Tshirts with their corporate logo and message as a part of their advertising campaign.

By the end of the last century, designing of custom T-shirts on a Tshirt companies website became very popular. Many Tshirt companies with websites started using digital printing such as DTG printing or Direct to Garment printing, allowing customers to design Tshirts online without the compulsion of having to place a minimum order for T-shirt printing. Customers can place an order for even one custom design. Customers can even select branded Tshirts and get their custom design printed on the Tshirt. They can not only select the brand, style, color, and size, but also the printing method with features like Foil, Metallic, Glitter, and Vinyl. Some companies even provide free graphic designing for orders of 50+ t-shirts, making it a win-win situation for even a small company.



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Bulk Orders of a Silk Screen T-shirt are the Cheapest

Screen Printing
Clint Jhonson asked:


When you are buying cool t-shirts that are customized as per your tastes, you would like to get the best possible deal. The most excellent way to find the cheapest t shirt printing is to get quotes from various sellers from your locality as well as on the Net. A silk screen t-shirt purchased in bulk could be the cheapest option if you are looking for a huge order of the same design. So don’t settle for the first local printing shop that you come across. You would do well to do some research before you make a decision; it could help you save quite a bit.

If you employ the services of one of the online companies you will find that you will get quite a cheap rate for printing your cool t-shirts. These companies normally provide you with quotes that cover the cost of the t-shirts, design as well as the printing. Make a comparison of the quotes to ascertain which one will be the best bargain for you. Do bear in mind that the price per silk screen t-shirt will vary depending on your total order quantity. The price keeps coming down as the order quantity goes up.

In case of the silk screen t-shirt, you will find that the price normally goes up if you have more colors in your logo or design. But if you choose digital t-shirt printing, it doesn’t matter how many colors your design has at all. Also different t shirt printing companies will have different rates since each of them might use blank t shirts from different companies to print their cool t-shirts.

Also each t shirt printing company might have its own kind of machinery which can also have an impact on their printing charges. Even the cheapest t shirt printing company will have a set price so it would be best to compare them all before you place your order for cool t-shirts. For bulk orders you should opt for the silk screen t-shirt, it will really work out to be dirt cheap, the higher your order quantity is. And there will certainly be no compromise in the printing quality.

Instead of looking at the advances in digital t-shirt printing as a threat, screen printers should welcome it as an opportunity to serve customers in areas where they could not in the olden days. When a teenager walks in with a picture of his favorite rock band to be printed on a t-shirt, he would be refused in the past. But today, they can provide him cool t-shirts by using digital printing and if they have extra sophisticated machinery, even on a black t-shirt since it is not worthwhile to make a silk screen t-shirt for a single order.

So instead of being afraid that the advances in digital technology may put them out of the screen printing business, they should take advantage of what the new digital technologies have to offer them where expanding their business is concerned letting them serve their customers better with newer kinds of products in cool t-shirts. It will be a very long time before we find that a digital prints on a bulk order of t-shirts will end up cheaper and more durable as compared to a silk screen t-shirt.



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Rules of Color in Print Design

Screen Printing
Kaye Z. Marks asked:


Color can make or break an advertisement, whether in a newspaper ad, postcard, or other form of printed marketing tools. However, too much color tends to overwhelm your message, while too little will not be able to capture enough attention. Choosing the wrong color scheme can hide or disrupt the flow of your message and style. Another thing that must be remembered is that a certain color on a computer screen may appear differently than if it is printed on a commercial printer.

You can avoid these common color flaws by following the rules below.

The Right Amount

Many designs have two or four color schemes. Smaller layouts such as for business card or postcard printing need to use only two colors while larger designs such as brochures can allow for four colors. Make sure to use white space so as not to overdo your color scheme. In addition, you have to organize the shades. For instance, use a white background, black fonts, a red header box background, and a blue tips box background.

The Right Shade

having to choose between two or four colors and deciding what color combination to use can be quite challenging. The perfect combination of colors should help you to guide your readers to the most important aspects of your layout first. Among all the other colors, black and red capture the most attention, effortlessly. On the other hand, blue and yellow are more subtle colors. Each of these colors may produce different results when combined with other shades.

Play around with the palette of your project until the most important information stands out the most. Additionally, keep in mind that your message and style needs to be coordinated with the right colors. Use the following right colors - orange for fun, green for growth, and yellow for happiness. Make sure that you take consideration of these things. Remember that every color has a meaning in psychological terms. Know what kind of impact each color brings to the people. Know which color would draw more attention according to your target market's point of view.

The Right Appearance

The default color scheme on a computer is RGB because these colors (red, green, and blue) are the primary colours of light. Since a computer screen operates with light, colors appear more vivid on the monitor with RGB. The problem occurs in the printing – the transfer of it from computer screen to paper, which is why color printing companies tend to use CMYK rather than RGB scheme. Cyan, magenta, and yellow (with black thrown in for a darker black) are the primary colors of ink; therefore, printed images appear more vivid and smooth. Your design program should have the option to choose colors from the CMYK scheme. Just remember that your proof printed on paper will appear differently than on the screen.

So with these tips in mind, you can get to work and create that perfect print out and use color to make your print design stand out from the rest and capture the most attention from your target markets.



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T-shirt Printing Process

Screen Printing
T-Shirt Magazine asked:


When it comes to getting your designs printed on your shirts, you always want to make sure that the quality of your designs on your t-shirts turn out the way you wanted. Do you want a print quality where you can feel the ink on the shirt or do you want the print smooth and soaked deep into the shirt fabric? Are you printing bright colors or dull colors? When thinking about this, you gotta have an understanding of the different t-shirt printing processes to see which one suits the feel that you're going for. Know the technical aspects of printing. Here's some of the most common t-shirt print processes available to you.

Screen Printing

A screen is made of a piece of finely woven fabric (or in other words a t-shirt) stretched over a frame of aluminum or wood. Some areas of the screen are covered with a non-permeable material to form a stencil, which is a negative of the image to be operator meaning that the open spaces are where the ink will actually show up. The operator begins with the fill bar at the end of the screen and behind a reservoir of ink. The printer then lifts the screen to prevent contact with the shirt and then using a slight amount of downward force pulls the fill bar to the front of the screen. This effectively fills the mesh openings with ink and moves the ink reservoir to the front of the screen. The operator then uses a squeegee to move the mesh down to the t-shirt and pushes the squeegee to the rear of the screen. The ink that is in the mesh opening is transferred by capillary action to the t-shirt in a controlled way. As the squeegee moves toward the rear of the screen the tension of the mesh pulls the mesh up away from the t-shirt leaving the ink upon the t-shirt's surface.

Direct to Garment Printing (DTG)

DTG is a fabric printing method that prints an image directly onto the t-shirt through a modified version of a traditional inkjet printer. Basically,instead of using a screen and a stencil to apply ink to the shirt, the ink is printed directly onto the garment. DTG offeres more flexibility than screen printing in terms of color variation and turn around time.

Heat Transfer Printing

With the heat transfer process, ink is transfered on a carrier paper to the t-shirt. When heat and pressure is applied to the carrier paper, the ink is transfered onto the t-shirt. A common way that this is done is by applying an iron to the carrier paper for a period of time until the ink appears on the shirt.

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How to Find Cheap Custom T Shirt Printing Services

Screen Printing
Ken Wilson asked:


Customized screen printed shirts are currently among the most popular and widely patronized promotional and marketing materials. Businesses, companies and organizations are designing and printing their own shirts to be distributed to clients and would-be clients. If you need to produce such items, you need to find and secure cheap custom t shirt printing services. If not, you can always opt to design your own shirt and print it, too.

If you are aiming to find cheap custom t shirt printing services, you should start your search right away. There is no need to delay the initiatives or procrastinate to do the activity later or some other day. The market is expanding and there are more and more businesses and enterprises offering cheap custom t shirt printing services. The intense competition could work to your advantage. The number of such businesses is an assurance in itself that there will be a healthy number of businesses offering cheap custom t shirt printing.

Otherwise, you could opt to design your own shirt. Placing orders for cheap custom t shirt printing items is still costlier when compared to the initiative to design your own shirt. When you opt for the later, of course, expect that you could generate a significant amount of savings. However, be warned that when you design your own shirt, the activity could be tedious and could require a lot of effort, time and expertise in using screen printers.

To find the cheapest providers of custom shirt printing services, you can ask for referrals or recommendations from your peers and friends. If you could check out the local Craigslist or classified ads in your community, the initiative can also be implemented easier. Do a comparison shop by getting quotes for cheap custom t shirt printing from different companies. You can easily compare prices when you do so. When you find the cheapest, you can still compare and consider whether an effort to design your own shirt will result to greater savings.

Whether you design your own shirt or find for cheap custom t shirt printing services, you should always remember that the initiative should produce good and quality items without sacrificing savings. Being budget conscious is one of the most important virtues especially for businesses these days.



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Custom Printed T-Shirts

Screen Printing
David Black asked:


There are many companies out there offering custom printed t-shirts, and it can be difficult to know where to start if you're looking for a good deal. This article shows you how to avoid getting ripped off.

Vinyl printing is a very cost effective method which uses modern technology to produce outstanding results. The print does not come off, crack or fade in the wash, as it is a type of plastic which is melted into the fabric of the garment by heat press (like a large iron). The setup costs for each print run are relatively small compared so other methods such as screen printing or embroidery, and this is where you can make great savings if you only need a small quantity of t-shirt printed (for example, between 1 and 100 garments).

The best advice if you're looking for cheap (yet high quality) printed t-shirts is to approach a t-shirt printing company direct rather than using one of those "design your own t-shirts online" type websites. That way you'll get a much more personal service and you'll avoid paying a premium for the "luxury" of using the expensive t-shirt design software.

If you can speak on the phone to a t-shirt printer, it's more likely that you can build a "rapport" with him/her. This means they won't see you as an anonymous customer, but a real living person - and you'll find it much easier to negotiate a better price than the one they originally quoted. This tip works with any type of business - give it a try and you'll see what I mean!



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Printing Processes for Art Prints

Screen Printing
Edwin Mah asked:


You’ve finally bought that art print you’ve been eyeing and are looking forward to showing it off to your visitors and friends, but before you start hanging it on the wall, you might want to spend a minute or two to consider how these prints were made. That piece of art that you bought is certainly not the original. It is a reproduced print made from the original art work. Art prints are created using different printing processes, and you may have come across these different terms as you were making enquiries and shopping for your print. Before making your purchase, it would be helpful to know the printing process by which your art print was made. Below is a brief description of some of the more common printing methods for art prints:

Giclee Print

pronounced as zhee-klay, it is a French word which means a spray or spurt of liquid. The name is descriptive of the way in which the print is created. A giclee is basically a digital printout of the original art work, created from digital scans of the original.

Once the scan is made and the image digitally archived, a sophisticated printer then makes a high resolution printout with high quality inks. The printer does this using a fine stream of ink, resulting in vivid, pure color with exceptional detail. A giclee can be printed in various sizes and onto various mediums like canvas and photo paper.

An advantage of giclee printing is the high level of accuracy and richness in color. Another advantage is that it enables artists to make easy reprints of their work to be sold, as and when required, or in bulk. It also avoids the heartache of selling off the original painting.

Lithograph

A lithograph works on the principle that water and oil do not mix. A hand-made lithograph is a print made by drawing with an oily substance such as crayons and pencils on porous stone or metal plates. An Oil-based ink is then applied to the moistened stone that adheres only to the lines drawn. The plates are then pressed onto a sheet of paper to produce the final print.

Serigraph

Serigraphy, or screenprinting, is a stencil printmaking process in which high quality paper is placed beneath a screen (or stencil). Ink is then applied over the screen using a squeegee. The screen has certain portions cut out so that the ink can be transferred onto the paper below. This process is then repeated for different screens and color until the final picture is complete. Screenprinting can be used on a variety of surfaces such as textiles, ceramics, metal, wood and paper and is commonly used in industries from clothing to product labeling.

Monoprint

A monoprint or monotype is a printing process whereby the artist paints a design onto a plate using a low drying ink. The image is then printed before the ink dries. One characteristic of monoprints, as the term “mono” implies, is that only one unique impression can be made using this process. That is, no two prints will ever be alike.

Canvas Transfer

A canvas transfer is a process of transferring an art work from a print onto a canvas. A special chemical is applied onto the art print, which when dried, can be separated from the paper and transferred onto a canvas. The canvas is then stretched across a frame and an artist will then apply brushstrokes to create the texture found on the original art work. The end result is artwork on the canvas that looks very much like the original.

Enjoy the art!

Copyright 2007 Edwin Mah



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Different Methods of Printing

Screen Printing
shijina asked:


Once your project is done with the content, you would like it to be printed well so that the matter would be conveyed well. There are many ways through which you can get your project’s hard copy printed in the most idealistic way. This article would help you to discover the different types of the printing methods like the digital printing, flexography, letter press, rotogravure, offset printing and screen printing. However I would be dealing with the most popular methods of digital printing and the flexography.

Digital printing: Transfer of a document through a device accepting text and graphic output is referred to as digital printing. With its growing popularity, this method of printing has almost replaced flexography. There has been a great change in the quality of the printing output and thus the printing industry has achieved higher standards in a much lesser time with the advent of digital printing.

Some of the merits derived from the usage of digital printing are as follows:

• When you are printing with other methods and incase you are intending to print the several impressions of the same thing on the paper, then the same impressions would be available on the paper. But with the digital printing each impression appearing on the paper is different from the other impression.

• There is not much absorption of the printing ink in the paper, thus facilitating good quality production of output.

• The setting up of the paper in the printer takes much lesser time and even in the set up of the chemicals.

Some of the widely used printing technologies used in digital printing are:

• Line printing: In this form of printing the preformatted characters are printed on to the paper in lines

• Daisy wheel: In this form each letter is endorsed independently.

• Dot matrix: A highly economical method that print the characters with the help of closely embedded dots

• Heat transfer: In this method, the printing fibers are printed with dyes, the design are embedded to the fabric by means of pre printed fabric paper through heat contact. This embedding through heat contact produces results of best quality and the images in particular produced through this method are crystal clear.

• Laser: This method produces the output by way of a toner which has polymer containing the pigments of different colors, hence deriving the printed result of great quality.

FLEXOGRAPHY

Flexography, another widely used method also known as Flexo, Flexo graphic printing and surface printing. Flexographic printing is widely used for the printing on packaging materials. A Flexographic print is derived from the creation of an image in a 3D model made out of rubber or polymer material. A substantial amount of ink is added to the printing plate. The printing surface revolves around the print substrate thus transferring the ink. This is a more preferable method than lithography as it offers better varieties in the colors of inks as well as the substrates on which it can be used. The flexography inks dry quickly because of their low viscosity. Quick production ensures cheaper cost of printing.



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Brochure Printing in the UK

Screen Printing
Jim Turner asked:


There are various promotional tools that businesses use in order to advertise their product or services and even the business itself, such as, informative leaflets, newspaper ads, brochures, TV and radio commercials etc. Depending on the size of the business and its marketing budget, some companies use one advertising method, whereas some use more than one at a time.

Brochures are one of the most commonly used promotional tools by all sizes of businesses in the UK. This is due to the fact that brochures convey a visual message without putting a strain on your pocket. The effectiveness of a brochure is only limited by its design and quality of prints. Therefore, brochure printing is a sensitive task that requires attention to produce quality work. Brochures are usually printed to be distributed to existing or potential customers of a company. Since it’s a matter of the image of the company in front of its customers, therefore producing good quality brochures and keeping the quality consistent should be of top priority.

 

Most UK companies decide to get professional brochure printing services when they require to design and print brochures for their products or services in bulk quantity. It is a recommended approach because printing companies know the latest trends and designs that produce best results. However, there are a huge number of printing companies in the UK to choose from, so how can you know who is right one for you? A hassle free approach to selecting the right brochure printing company in the UK is to use a UK based facilitating agency, such as Quote Bean, that specializes in hooking up clients with the right supplier according to the requirements of the clients. You should make sure that you get at least five brochure printing quotes from different online brochure printing companies in the UK.

 

When deciding to choose an online brochure printing company in the UK for your brochure printing job, you need to be careful. Some companies have expertise in particular printing techniques that might not be suitable for your type of printing job or it may cost you unnecessarily higher. Therefore, you should choose a company that has the capability to produce your desired quality of brochure printing at the lowest cost. There are various printing techniques used by the printing companies, such as, gravure printing, screen printing, lithography printing and flexography printing techniques. Therefore it will be wise to do your homework first as to what printing technique would be most useful and cost-effective for your particular printing job.

 





 



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Booklet (brochure, Magazine, Catalogue) Printing

Screen Printing
David He asked:


Full color printing

by Mitsubishi and Heidelberg 4-color printing machines with excellent performances, we can produce high-grade and gorgeous-effect products including: Booklet, Brochure, Magazine, Newsletter/Catalogue, Deluxe Bound Book, 3_Folded Brochure, Paper handbag, Large poster, Flyers/Leaflet, Folder, Postcard, Letterhead, Envelope, Plastic (PVC) Card, Business card printing etc.

Low printing prices guarantee!

90% of our full color printing prices are low! For big orders, You can get 85% off by chossing our printing service.Internet transmission file,Logistics delivery whether you anywhere in the world,you can easily enjoy our printing service throught Internet.

Full color Printing booklet, minimum charge US$270.....................................full color Booklet, Brochures etc, are printed mostly by gloss paper or matte paper; some special booklets are printed by special paper.

Full color printing Flyers, minimum charge US$140.......................................Normal flys adopts 157gsm gloss paper for print. High brightness and luster are guaranteed.

Full color printing 3-folded Brochures, minimum charge US$170........................................Full color 3-folded Brochures are mostly printed by gloss paper, matte paper and some special paper.

Full color printing handbags, minimum charge US$280.......................................Full color handbags are usually printed by high quality art board paper and kraft paper. Handbags include: ordinary packing bags and fine shopping bags.

Full color printing Packing box, minimum charge US$400........................................Paper packing boxes mainly apply relief printing (including flexographic printing), screen printing, flat offset printing and intaglio printing etc.

Ordinary envelop, minimum charge US$135.......................................Ordinary envelop are printed by white paper and kraft paper.

Shenzhen ZhenXiong Printing Co., Limited was founded in 1993, the registered capital of 9 million, 5,000 million in fixed assets, our factory covers over 12000 square meters and with over 400 employees.With brand-new folio, five-color, four-color,double-color, 1+1 color machine are six machine now, and disk plastic machine, Automatic pasting machine, beer machine, and other processing equipment. Our product include: catalogue, handbags, color box, books, brochures, posters, magazine, envelope, letterheads etc. we can supply clients with perfect service of design, edition, printing and binding. Since the establishment, Zhengxiong has been sticking to the enterprise conception of onestly, Professional, Excellent service. we continually innovate and improve our management, so as to develop and expand our business. Thanks to the attention and support from the customers, nowadays the company is developing very fast, enterprise culture and the quality of staffs have been developed a lot, printing equipments have been upgraded and perfected completely, sales volume and products output have been increased continually. Looking to the future, we will make more efforts to do well. There is no end, but to be better!

http://www.zx-printing.com/booklet



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Some Fun for All – Printed Frisbees

Screen Printing
ertheware asked:


Back in 1920, a young student from Yale discovered the fun of throwing pie tins and catching it. In 1948, Fred Morrison a carpenter from California made the first plastic disc that he threw across and it flew for a distance. Morrison finally joined a company and led to the mass production of Frisbee that we see around us these days. The name, Frisbee, legend says came from the name Frisbie Baking Company after the first pie tin thrown around for fun!

The history bit of Frisbee, is just as much ‘fun’ as the term Frisbee stands for. Today although the basics of Frisbee remains the same – the same aerodynamic principle used to make it fly in air and float curving a trajectory before it drops, the shape, look and feel of a Frisbee has come a long way. It is more popular than ever now – every park and playground and picnic will have people playing Frisbees. What we offer at Custom Frisbees is allowing your imaginations to go free and create some of the best, funkiest, most sophisticated, classiest or whatever your style is – but the best custom Frisbee that you will get in the market.

Wide array of color from the funky metallic red to the soothing sea blue, from craziest font to classiest Times New Roman, from the funkiest graphics to simple lines – you name it, you get it in our website to choose from. Once you have decided on the color, font and graphic design of the Frisbee, the website will also give you options to decide on the shape that you are looking for. Whether you want the classic flat disc Frisbee or is it the ring Frisbee that interests you – as I said, the choice is completely yours! Finally customize it like never before. Add your company’s name and logo on the Frisbee. Emboss it, screen print it, pad print it or get it stamp printed, the company’s name and logo on the Frisbee is there to stay for a long time thereby giving your business an exposure that comes cheap but takes the fun bit one notch up! Here you have the best possible way to get custom Frisbees, easily made and shipped wherever you want those to be sent from the comfort of your home or office.

The fun does not stop here. You can even get a custom message printed on your printed Frisbee and make it unique. Some anecdote, some joke, some company message or even the company slogan – the decision is yours and the production is our responsibility. A personal touch as this by imprinting a personal message on the Frisbees and using those as corporate gifts for your clients, business associates, partners or employees will speak volumes about your company, it’s style and it’s commitment.

We have for you a bouquet of gift ideas that have a perfect blend of fun and usefulness to meet the corporate standards. So just visit our website and explore the gifts ideas, you are sure you will find something suitable.



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Printing Packaging Solutions

Screen Printing
Alina asked:


All-Round Packaging Solutions is a packaging and printing supplier. We can provide a professional design and attractive packaging to suit your requirements.

There are many printing processes that can enhance your packaging such as:

Silk Screen printing which allows for solid images and vibrant colours, best shown through solid colour. However, tone work is possible.

Litho print process gives the ultimate in print image quality. Generally printing 4 colour process, high quality photographic and complicated designs can be achieved.



Gravure

Flexo

Foil.



Packaging can be printed to customer specification. We can print from your artwork or we have the facilities to supply artwork for your packaging.

Call us on +44 (0)1684 275222 to discuss your printing packaging project. We will be happy to advise you.

We can accept artwork for printing on CD, email or uploaded to our FTP site. Artwork is preferred in on of these formats:

Illustrator CS2

Quark Express 6.0.

If you are supplying artwork to us please ensure the following:

That all correct fonts are included with your artwork (or make sure that all fonts are created to outline) / together with any images / pictures if applicable.

At least 2mm bleed is to be allowed if the design runs off the edge of the packaging.

Please ensure that all text, addresses, phone numbers etc have been proof read.

We can supply a large range of packaging such as:



Cartons

Sleeves

Die cut & creased pieces

Drums

Tubes

Lids & Bases

Vac forms

Bags

Rigid Boxes



All of these are available in a variety of materials including



A-PET

G-PET

GAG- PET

UPVC

Polypropylene

Folding box board

Corrugated

HIPS

Flocked PS

Fabric

Soft PVC

Leather



All can be designed to suit your product.



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The Art of T-shirt Printing

Screen Printing
Roberta Groche asked:


T-shirt printing is an art which needs to be done tastefully. Shabbily printed ones would send out a negative image to onlookers. Gone are the days when people were satisfied with what is available in the stores. Now they want to be their own bosses and send out loud messages via their T-shirts.

The fashion mantra of these days is 'flaunt it if you have it'. A message of love inscribed on your T-shirt during a date with your beloved would definitely make him or her stand up and notice. Such inscriptions would send out loud messages on your character and tastes too.

It is a fact that it is difficult to find such fitting T-shirts in the market. The only solution is to get one designed by yourself. But the problem here is about how to get them designed and printed. But do not get disheartened. There are several businesses dealing with T-shirt printing. One option is to screen print the image on the shirts. Other viable options are embroidery, fabric printing, iron on etc.

For screen printing first thing you have to do is to purchase the shirts at an online bulk supply company and a simple screen printing press. A CD or book on screen printing is a must to understand the procedure. You can make your own custom T-shirts at a much reduced price than you get from a local screen printer. This would make a highly profitable business also.

If you think embroidery is the way to make custom T-shirts buy embroidery equipment and set it in your garage or even kitchen table. If you decide to pursue, it can turn out to be a real money making venture.

Fabric painting comes under the home made or crafting category. The kids can design T-shirts for grand parents; the family can make it for a get together so on and so forth. Iron on or transfers are the simplest of the four methods discussed. Here you have to get a pre-made iron on transfer for the shirts from any craft store. However, programs are there which allow you to make them on your computer also.

If you want to get it done from outside, look for people who would finish your order the same day itself, that also without charging exorbitant prices. Some of them can print any font styles, colors or sizes. You can select every aspect of your order through their internet sites itself. These sites would help you design your won T-shirts step by step. The end result would definitely boost your self confidence. It is better to go for the leaders in the business as they tend to be more reliable than others. Go for the one that offer free delivery on all orders, does not insist on bulk ordering, have the good heartedness to offer massive discounts on big volume orders, treat the customer like kings and most importantly, can do quality printing.



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How to Start a Home Printing Business

Screen Printing
David Gass asked:


Are you overwhelmed with the thought of starting a business, but don't have the slightest idea of how to go about it? If you have overlooked what a computer can do besides answering e-mails and endless surfing, you have not banked upon the opportunities available. With a minimum investment and a PC you can produce professional looking documents. Whether you are a high school student looking for some extra money, a homemaker, or a retiree, a wealth of opportunities are available just a click away. You can create a successful printing business by being a little creative and working upon a concrete plan. Services to be provided The type of service you provide has to be decided first. It is your prerogative to base your decision on the scale of the business and your managing ability. You can provide simple services like designing a resume, creating a newsletter, or typing jobs. If you are interested in graphic designing, you can even create logos and add designing to your list of services provided.

Printing Methods Commercial printing employs many different methods. The kind of printing method you choose should be based on requirement of your type of business. Flexography is a method that involves long printing. Printing newspapers involves a method known as gravure printing. Lithography is the cheapest method available. Printing on fabric is known as screen printing. Digital printing, not suitable for long printing, usually involves color printing jobs. There are various factors to be kept in mind while deciding upon the printing method. You must not only assess the material on which the printing has to be done but also how much printing is required. Time and price are important issues to be considered with this regard. You must evaluate the rate for the printing job along with the time it will take to complete it. Businesses have to complete the job within the given time or they shall suffer financial losses.

Advertising Your Home Printing Company You can advertise your business by placing the advertisement in the newspaper or by distributing fliers. Apart from this, you can take the inter-net route to advertising by creating websites, which provide information about your company and the services you provide. The advertisements should be able to convey the details in a simple and easy manner. It should hold only relevant information. The customer doesn't have much time to go through highly messy and unorganized data where he is not even able to find the contact information. You can even post boards and advertise in E-magazines, which allow free advertising

While working from home, if you can provide decent quality work on time at a reasonable rate, the customers may not only be satisfied but may also return to you with more work. The satisfied customers may also tell their friends about your firm and this might gradually increase the amount of work you get.

Incorporating Your Printing Company There are services and professional help available in the market to help aspiring entrepreneurs. One such service is incorporation. Listing all the benefits of incorporating would be an article on its own, but for more information you can look at Corporate Manager Software provided by Instructional Software Incorporated. Download a free trial version and see all the advantages of incorporating your home printing company.



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The Power of the Printed T-shirt

Screen Printing
Paul Baines asked:


I could be regarded as an 'Art Snob'. Indeed, until recently that is exactly how I would describe myself. My background, my training, my studies, have always focused on what was considered 'high-art' versus 'low-art'.

However I find the immediate impact and potential of seeing my art online and even on the street beats the gallery system anyday. I'm going to provide some starter tips for all those considering getting there own t-shirt art out there fast, and perhaps even make a half decent living from it!

Firstly buy a decent domain name! I originally hosted my t-shirts at OneManBrand.com, however I found the rankings irrelevant, I needed to capture a specific market for my specific product range. Now I don't know about you, but I find domain names packed with domain names a tad trite, gauche, downright awful really. I have my suspicions the public do to.

The greatest ranking t-shirt site on the net is TshirtHell.com. It only seems to contain a hundred or so designs, but its popularity is immense. This is as a professional setup as you can get. They obviously print and distribute everything inhouse. For now that isn't possible for me, I'd need new premises, a screen printing table and tools, etc. I had a scout around to see who could deal with that side of my new business, I was expecting to find a printers or a business partner who would come on board. However over the recent years, beginning with hwww.cafepress.com, and now joined by other services such as www.spreadshirt.com and www.zazzle.com. All are major companies offering very professional store setups.

I decided to go with the most established t-shirt marketplace service, Cafe Press. You may ask why, seeing as they charge for their premium accounts, something you won't need to do with many of the others. However apart from one bad experience where Spread Shirt practically ordered me to use 'thicker lines' in my designs (yuck!), there is only one reason why I went with Cafe Press, and that's the scripts available

to modify your cp store. I chose www.notonebit.com's CafeScript, a php script that can really rework your store templates and even include item description pages at your own separate domain. Best of all you can include meta information for every page and every item your site displays.

I have heard of another script called cpshop, you can read more about it at http://www.marty.net - it's a cgi script which is why I avoided it, however those who prefer cgi to php should check it out. It seems to have a little less capability but as the price is lower I'm sure some will find it useful.

So now, with CafeSCripts apart from the actual checkout page, I can direct all my marketing to my own domain site RetroGod.com. The main advantage of this is to gain better links and ranking from the engines. Sending all your traffic to a subdomain of someone else's website is never a good idea, you'll practically receive no credit from the search engines for all that hard work. More so it looks more professional! It's a great tool for advertising too, consider adding your new domain link to all your forum and blog signatures, even your articles, check the bottom of mine for an example.

Viral marketing is always the best way to go I'd say, the more real people who reccommend your site, the more likely you'll build a faithful following. Once you have visitors, consider adding a mailing list so you can keep those who took the time to visit you, totally updated, and do update! I on average add at least 3 designs a week, it doesn't sound much, but with the work involved in creating them, I'd say it was plenty. I've seen t-shirt sites with thousands of original designs, and all of them are awful. If you want to make an impact on your market, you have to stand out in the crowd. Hearts, flags and dogs are the most popular t-shirts for both buyers and sellers. You can imagine the competition, and the boredom of creating a - I (heart) city - t-shirt collection. Every city in the USA, or even the world, everyone the same design with a different location, doesn't sound inspiring work to me. If you can make a living that way and you enjoy it, great. I couldn't ever find inspiration in such a factory-like process of design production.

I want my t-shirts to cause a stir. I want to make t-shirts that I would wear, my friends would wear, and just about anyone I thought was 'cool' should wear, and I do. I have focused on retro style t-shirts. My influences include 1950's and 1960's advertising, vintage urban and disco wear, 1980's tacky graphic design, old toys, cars, knitting patterns, war propaganda. The list is endless. What results from this is always the same ideal. Firstly creating an outstanding graphic artwork, secondly subvert the message. Creating a viral t-shirt takes a lot of brainstorming. Similar, I guess, to the way a comedian will hone a joke. You need to turn the concept on its head. I love to use 1950's style images for women, because they are simple to subvert. Take the nostalgia of half a century ago and combine it with today's motivated and highly political culture, and you result in something shocking, and hopefully hilarious. I maybe wrong on this but a biology tutor once told me that a 'laugh' is a nervous reaction, the diagphragm in your stomach wobbles when you're logic centre stalls, i.e if a simple premise becomes baffling you laugh until you crystalize the underlying concept.

I try to do that with my work, proverbially pull the rug from under the feet of my customers. Pull them in with a nostalgic image, a funky retro look, a cool fifties jazz style, or some urban grunge graphics, and then add a slogan to throw them off course. Some of the titles of my tees include, 'Plonker, Cannibal, Ninjas!, Wedding Vows, Mother's Little Helpers, and Player'. You can probably guess the basic idea from the titles. For instance Cannibal's slogan reads 'Sure... it's Cannibalism, but MEAT is MEAT!'. Shocking, funny, but most of all unexpected. The trick is to consider both meat lovers, bbq fans and such, plus the veggies of the world. The joke works both ways, you're meat mad, or mad to eat meat!

Okay, I'm using another great piece of software to promote my t-shirt site, and it's called Instant Cafe Feeder. This is a great piece of freeware, yep free. It's basically a tool to aggregate all your cafepress items and create a .csv file compatible with www.froogle.com. For those who don't know, this is Google's new shopping search engine, and the industry has big expectations for it. The feeder freeware will help you submit all your CP t-shirts fast, something that would normally take hours, takes minutes. An alternative to this software is Cafe Toolbox. This is a similar program, hosted online, so it's useful for those on the move to update their Froogle listings anywhere.

I'm in the process of adding my site to as many free directories as possible, however, I won't be trading reciprocal links as Google has begun to penalise this! If they want one I'm off, 3-way linking I'm not so keen on, but for the most relevant sites I'll do it, but in general I keep links one-way wherever possible.

Make sure you've made a Google Sitemap of your site and submit that to Google too! It always seems to speed things up in regards to ranking. Although it's worth submitting to the major engines, I feel that t-shirt related directories should be your first choice. Some I've found are -

www.iratethis.com

www.t-shirtseller - which also has a t-shirt webring!

www.t-shirtlinks.com

Whatever you do, aim for a specialist target audience. Like sports? Try sports humour, better still extreme sports humour! Don't aim for the top of the mountain or you'll trip over the pebble by your foot.



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Top 10 Tips on Printing Onto Plastics

Screen Printing
Craig asked:


Here is the top 10 tips on Printing onto Plastics: Choose a specialist printer;Show the printer the image as early as possible for his advice;Create a full brief for the printer;The choice of ink is important;choose one appropriate for the job;Longevity is another factor; Timing....

1. Choose a specialist printer. Plastic behaves very differently to paper.

2. Show the printer the image as early as possible for his advice. This is especially important if using a 3D or a moving image (lenticular).

3. Create a full brief for the printer. Consider the usual requirements such as quantity, size, ink colour(s), packaging and delivery. However, with printed plastics there are other considerations.

4. The choice of ink is important; fluorescent might be suitable for instance.

5. Consider the different types of plastic and thickness, and choose one appropriate for the job.

6. Is the image in line colours or full colour i.e. can it be screen printed or does it need a specialist Litho printing onto plastic?

7. Where is the item to be placed - Inside or outside? If outside, or in an area where it will be touched, it may need extra protection.

8. Longevity is another factor. Will the item be a permanent fixture or short-term promotion that needs to be easily removed?

9. How will the image be viewed? At arms length or distance?

10. Timing. Allow longer time for lenticular printing as a lot of time is in the pre-press, which must be absolutely accurate before printing commences. For further information, promotional news and related product categories of user interest see carrier bags and paper bags.



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Vinyl Banners Printing

Screen Printing
sara asked:


If you are desperately looking to move the heads of people towards your product promotion, then you must use an attractive and reliable source of promotion. There are several such kinds of methods available in the market today. But can you afford them? Normally we can observe that quality belongs to high price.

So what to do? No need to worry. Still a high quality promotion method that is reliable, attractive in appearance and above all extremely economical in pricing, available is Vinyl Banner Printing. It is one of the most effective publicity tools a company can use.

A Vinyl banner is a form of banner in which Vinyl (flexible thermoplastic material) is used to seam banners instead of traditional banner tape. This material can be brushed, poured, or squired on the banner. Vinyl is less expensive, long lasting and reflects better quality material than the banner tape.

Most of the businesses are now using this outdoor advertising technique. Some major benefits of Vinyl Banner Printing are as follows:

Cost Effective or less Expensive:

Vinyl banners are so cheap that even a small shop-keeper can use them for promotion purposes. Moreover they can be created in very short span of time.

High Quality:

Vinyl banners have excellent quality. They are very clear and attractive in appearance.

Durable and reliable:

Vinyl banners are water proof, sun proof, and tear resisted. They stand up to the wear and tear of wind and rain.

Versatility:

Versatility is one more characteristic of vinyl banner printing. They can be printed in any size according to the needs.

Types of Vinyl banner printing:

Now let us look at the types of the Vinyl banner printing. They are categorized in four different types.

Digital:

Digital vinyl banners printing use semi solvent and solvent based inks to print the banners. This protects banners from Ultra Violet radiations and makes them a better resistant to weather. Normally very fast and large inkjet printers are used that can print up to 1500 square feet/ hour. But for very large banners, computer controlled jets are used to directly spray ink onto the banner.

Lettered:

In lettered vinyl printing separate elements cut from self-adhesive vinyl by a computer, are applied to produce a banner.

Screen printed:

Screen printing, also known as silk-screening is a method that creates a sharp-edged image using stencil. In screen printing image is transferred to surface of the banner by squeegeeing ink through a screen.

Painted:

Banners are produced by hand-painting in painted vinyl printing. This method is not very common these days.

More information about Vinyl Banners Printing



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T Shirt Printing Direct Garment Style

Screen Printing
Dutch Schultz asked:


Two major brands dominating the direct garment printing industry is the FastJet and the InkJet printers. For the longest time the knock on these machines is that they did not do well with darker colors and would not print on black t shirts at all. Well that is history with new improvements and they are now available in different sizes that will print up to 8 t shirts at a time. The machines run as low as about 8k and all the way up to 40k for the 8 at a time t shirt printer. What is great about these machines is that they take most of the skill out of the printing job. While screen printing is still regarded as the superior way to print on t shirts, it looks like direct garment printing is a close runner up and has passed the iron on technique and really all other printing methods of choice. Some of the great new additions to the newer models include:



Ink costs of 15 to 40 cents per print for light garments.

Excellent wash ability.

CE Marked for European Conformity.

Print from any graphics program.

Print on 100% cotton and 50/50 shirts, towels, caps, and more.

Easy to use - just push a button!

Superb detail …better than screen print!

Great for name drops!

T-Jet2™ is portable for events.

Excellent support - six days a week!

Buy from someone you know and trust.

Safe, water based textile ink - solvent and odor free.

Brilliant color and prints! Very soft hand and feel!

Perfect for individual shirts or production runs.

World-wide service network.

White ink on black shirts!

Easy to use - just push a button!

Excellent wash ability.

Superb detail …better than screen print!

Excellent support - six days a week!

Buy from someone you know and trust.

Print on 100% cotton, 50/50, caps, and more.

Ink costs of 15 to 40 cents per print for light shirts.

Safe, water based textile ink - solvent and odor free.

Brilliant color and prints! Very soft hand and feel!

Perfect for individual shirts or production runs.

Print from any graphics program.

Great for name drops!

World-wide service network.

White ink on black shirts!

Includes White Upgrade Kit, Installation and Training



The screen printing industry is buzzing with this newer way to print because it has overcome some of its major negatives from conception. While the art of screen printing is not negatively affected yet, it is believed that one day in the future the direct garment method will be the first choice among the pros as it will cut out the ability to have errors and will eventually become a quicker method for mass production. For right now it is a great way for a smaller t shirt business to get started and will allow someone who is not a skilled screen printer to still create their own t shirts to greatly reduce the costs of screen printing. The machines are not cheap which is still a major draw back but as popularity increases I believe like all things we will see a drop in the prices of these machines as manufacturing becomes increased. For more information about these direct garment printing machines you should check out the imachinegroup for ordering information as well as for further product knowledge.



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The Role of Printing

Screen Printing
John Mahoney asked:


As per the recorded history, Gutenberg was the first person to invent the printing machine in 1452, but the very idea of printing existed long before Gutenberg. It was as early as 700 AD that the first printable version of newspaper was published in Beijing with the help of a Chinese model printing press, which was nothing more than a mere wood-block printing system. Thus, it was actually East Asia, where the concept of printing was born. The process of printing has undergone various evolutionary stages for centuries and gradually developed.  Printing at present is not a simple mechanical way of publishing or producing something on paper, rather it is now considered as a major industrial process of action.

Those interested in typography must know the process of movable type printing. Unlike the earlier models of block printing, the movable version was more flexible where letters were set in a changeable position. Gutenberg’s invention however ushered in the era of mass publication. The movable version of printing type ensured qualitatively good material after publication and at a relatively low cost. Gutenberg had chosen Bible as his first printing material. However, the most important contribution of Gutenberg’s printing press should be assessed in the context of Italian Renaissance, which shook the conventional foundation of every civilization. It was simply because books were now available in large numbers. A book is a source of knowledge without which a human being is not rational at all, and it is the possession of knowledge that distinguishes a man from an animal. There is no wonder why Aryans, after occupying South-Asia did not allow the subjugated non-Aryans to read books and kept the habit only for themselves.

Printing evolved in different kinds over the ages and some of them exist even today in different parts of the world. According to a 2005 study, approximately forty five trillion pages come to be printed across the globe annually. In the United States alone, there existed more than thirty thousand printing companies in 2006. Not only in the US, but also in all countries across the globe, printing presses are being manufactured every day as the growth of literacy and the need for printed matter grows by the day. The advent of modern technology has completely changed all salient features of printing. Now books, newspapers, journals, periodicals and all other readable materials are printed in the computerized process, which is known as ‘offset printing’. It is not merely a quicker and qualitatively higher process, but also easier and simpler than that of the block printing process. We can regard this new process as a groundbreaking step towards the evolution of printing. 

Offset printing is sometimes referred to as offset lithography. Apart from this technique, we have other popular methods such as screen-printing, relief printing, flexography, pad printing and many more. For T-shirts as well as tiles, screen-printing is applicable whereas flexography is for labeling and packaging. For three-dimensional surfaces, pad printing is suitable. Another form of printing is laser printing which can be found in case of printing bank bills and official documents. Thus, printing is itself an institution that has regulated the society and will continue doing that in future.



Kansieo.com
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