| In today's economy, "Screen printing" also known as | | | | Once your logo has been professionally designed you |
| "silk screening" is a fast and cost effective method | | | | can begin the process to have your company logo |
| of having your company logo, personal design or | | | | t-shirts screen printed. Make sure that the company |
| message, printed on a wide range of items! Some of | | | | that has produced your logo produces the art into |
| the most common items that are utilized to advertise | | | | one of the following formats. |
| your church, company, family reunion, group, | | | | VECTOR ARTWORK |
| organization, point of view, school, sorority or | | | | This is the most desirable format and the most |
| university are: coffee cups, company t shirts, | | | | common applications are Macromedia Freehand |
| company logo shirts, koozie cups, pens or | | | | version MX or earlier (Fh9), Adobe Illustrator CS3 or |
| sweatshirts. In addition, of all the available promotional | | | | earlier EPS, .ART, WEF), CorelDraw Version X3 or |
| products that you can utilize to advertise your | | | | earlier (.CDR), Adobe Acrobat (.PDF). In addition, |
| company and educate your customers about your | | | | make sure all text is converted to paths, curves, |
| brand name, screen printed t shirts are considered | | | | outlines, or that all font files used in the artwork are |
| "the best economical source" for advertising your | | | | also supplied. Make sure all placed raster images are |
| company's logo, brand and message. | | | | either embedded in the vector file or included along |
| Let's face it, there are so many businesses offering | | | | with the vector file when you send it. Here's why, a |
| t-shirts to promote their company and products, but | | | | Raster image (like distressed /vintage effects) are |
| only attractive and well designed t-shirts are | | | | often linked to a location on your hard drive by |
| successful at garnishing the attention of your | | | | default and will not be present in the actual vector |
| customers and prospects! And, that's not all screen | | | | file when sent. |
| printed t shirts as promotional items are very | | | | RASTER ARTWORK in HIGH RESOLUTION |
| innovative and have a special place in the world of | | | | Adobe Photoshop version CS3 or earlier (.TIF, .BMP. |
| advertisement as they are a "walking billboard" | | | | .GIF, .JPG, .PSD, .EPS, .PNG), Paint Shop Pro version |
| promoting your brand or business message. Let's go | | | | XL or earlier (.PSP, .PNG, .TIF). In addition, all raster |
| over a few points that can help you to be successful | | | | bitmap artwork should be 200 DPI at the size you |
| launching your companies advertising campaign by | | | | want it printed. Graphics pulled from the web at |
| utilizing screen printed t shirts with your company | | | | screen resolution (72 DPI) do not work well for high |
| logo on them. | | | | quality printing. |
| YOUR COMPANY LOGO | | | | THE PRODUCTION PROCESS |
| Think about it, of all the things you do to create | | | | Once the artwork is complete and forwarded to the |
| brand image, creating your logo is one of the most | | | | printer, the separations are printed out. This is where |
| important. I'm sure you'll agree that, your logo is the | | | | each color of your logo or design is printed out |
| key to building the identity and image of your | | | | individually on special vellum paper. Then the |
| company. To succeed, you must integrate your | | | | separations are taken to the screen printing |
| company logo and look right across every point of | | | | department where each separation is placed onto a |
| contact that your customers and prospects have | | | | screen that has been coated with a light sensitive |
| with your company. This includes stationery design, | | | | liquid known as emulsion. The emulsion on the screen |
| website design and company logo shirts. In addition, | | | | hardens when exposed to white light. The screen is |
| company logo t-shirts promote brand loyalty and | | | | then placed into a spray out booth and coated with |
| recognition. And, that's not all; a company logo | | | | water. The areas that are covered by the positive |
| designed especially for your business can and will | | | | art separation do not harden and are washed away. |
| attract tremendous business to your company. | | | | This leaves a negative of the image on the screen. |
| You know you have a successful logo when it | | | | The screens are then put onto one of the two |
| conveys both the character and the nature of your | | | | types of screen printing presses, automatic or |
| business to the people who see it. How does one | | | | manual. Generally speaking any design that is printed |
| accomplish this with one little design? | | | | on fifty shirts or less is printed manually and any |
| 1. Be concise with your designers. When you order | | | | design printed on more than fifty shirts is printed on |
| your company logo design, give them a clear | | | | an automatic press. |
| indication of the tone and style you'd like your logo | | | | Before the shirts are placed onto the press the |
| to have. | | | | design has to be registered. The screens needed are |
| 2. Make sure they have a clear definition of your | | | | placed onto the press. Then the desired ink color for |
| business and your clients. | | | | each screen is put into the back of that screen. To |
| 3. Take time to ask them what they think would be | | | | print that color, a squeegee is swiped across the |
| best. | | | | screen to fill the negative on the screen with ink |
| If you have yet to create your logo, get it done as | | | | & then swiped back again. Once the setup and |
| soon as possible, and get it done by a professional. | | | | registration is finished, the garments are placed onto |
| An amateur logo can hurt your business as much as | | | | the pallets and proceed around the press. The shirt is |
| a good one can help. As part of your overall | | | | then removed and run through a textile dryer that |
| company brand-building strategy, a good logo is a | | | | heats the garment to 340 degrees. This cures the ink |
| key piece of the puzzle. | | | | onto the shirt allowing them to be worn without the |
| THE ART PROCESS | | | | concern of the ink rubbing or washing off. |