A step-by-step summary of screen printing
Screen printing is one of the oldest and most reliable ways to decorate apparel — and when done right, it produces vibrant, long-lasting prints that look professional wash after wash. At Artemis Awards and Apparel, we handle every part of the process in-house, from art setup to the final cure test, ensuring every shirt leaves our shop looking exactly as promised.
1. Artwork and Approval
Every great print starts long before any ink hits a shirt. We begin by working directly with the customer to finalize artwork, confirm print sizes, and review proofs. Once everything is approved, we order the garments and prepare the artwork for production — vectorizing it and separating the colors so each can be printed with the highest level of accuracy.
This prep work is crucial. Screen printing doesn’t leave room for “close enough” — every line, font, and color has to be finalized before we touch a press.
2. Making the Screens
Next, we print film positives for each color in the design and use them to burn the image into a mesh screen coated with light-sensitive emulsion. Once exposed, washed out, and dried, these screens act like stencils, allowing ink to pass through only where the design exists.
Each color gets its own screen, so a four-color print requires four separate setups — which can take awhile from start to ready-to-print. Simpler, one-color jobs can be fully set up in as little as 15 minutes.
3. Printing and Testing
With the screens mounted and registered on the press, we do a test print and color check, verified by a third-party team member to ensure it matches the approved proof. Then we run a cure test — heating a few initial prints through our conveyor dryer to make sure the plastisol ink reaches the perfect curing temperature for durability.
We use plastisol inks for most jobs because of their strong color, reliability, and ability to print cleanly on a wide range of fabrics. We are equipped with both a conveyor dryer and an on-press flash dryer for quick, consistent results.
4. Common Mistakes and Professional Tips
We see two common issues across the industry: under-curing and poor communication. Under-cured ink cracks or fades, while a lack of proofs can lead to unhappy customers. Our rule is simple — no print moves forward without approval, and every run gets double-checked before it leaves the shop.
If you’re comparing print methods, remember:
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Screen printing is best for high-quantity, limited-color jobs.
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DTF or DTG are ideal for small runs or full-color designs.
Knowing when to say “no” to the wrong type of job is part of staying profitable and keeping customers happy.
Why We Love It
Our favorite jobs are the ones that make an impact — fundraiser shirts, event merch, and community projects that people wear with pride. And while setup takes time, there’s nothing better than seeing a stack of perfectly printed shirts come off the press, still warm from the dryer, ready to be delivered.