Screenprinting
Screenprinting is the process of using coloured paints 'squeezed' through screens onto the garment, which are masked off into the shape of the design, to create a near perfect copy of the original paper-based artwork.
The screens are made by pouring onto the mesh a UV sensitive substrate (a sort of glue), which is masked off by a positive of the artwork printed onto a clear vinyl sheet. It is placed under a UV lamp which dries off any exposed substrate and the substrate which has been masked off will still be wet and this is washed away leaving a negative screen ready for the paint application. One screen is made per colour in the design, therefore the more colours in the design the greater the cost.
The paint is applied on a multi-armed screenprint press, and dries afer each application of colour, before going into a final drying process.
The designs for screenprinting are produced on drawing software and can be setup relatively quickly, especially when photo-ready artwork is supplied by the customer.
Screenprinting is priced by the number of colours in the design (up to six, usually) so a single colour left chest design will cost the same as the identical design at large back size. The process is ideal for high volume orders and there is a minimum order size of 24 items.
Heatseal
Heatseal is the process of using a heatpress to apply vinyl, cut into the shape of the design, onto garments
The shape of the design is cut by a plotter/cutter machine and is ideally suited to large A4 sized designs consisting of just lettering or simple shapes -complex detail cannot be reproduced effectively. The excess vinyl is removed by hand, then each garment is then placed on the heatpress, the design is also positioned by hand in the required position and pressed individually. This is a time consuming process and therefore appropriate for low quantity orders.
The designs are produced on drawing software and can be setup relatively quickly.
Heatseal setup is inexpensive and there is no minimum order size.