T-Shirt Printing Mt. Vernon, IL
T-Shirt Printing Mt. Vernon, IL. You don’t need an excuse to get great custom printed t-shirts made – you could have a company event coming up, a family vacation planned, or might just want some for fun. Mt. Vernon, IL t-shirt printing is meant for everything from marketing a brand to enhancing team-building efforts to having some fun with a life event. When it comes to t-shirt printing, the options are virtually limitless. Make sure to choose your t-shirt printing shop carefully – one with expert printers and designers who serve the Mt. Vernon, IL area. You know that with STL Shirt Co., you are receiving great care from the top professionals.
STL Shirt Co. is the best Mt. Vernon, IL area screen printing shop. For more than 45 years, we have been the community leader for all your screen printing and embroidery needs. For Mt. Vernon, IL t-shirt printing you will love, come to STL Shirt Co. To place your order or learn more about what we can do for you, call 636-926-2777 or message us at 636-299-0162 now.
The T-Shirt Printing Process
STEP ONE – Place your order.
You’ve determined you need to have some t-shirt printing done for your upcoming event, school group, sports team, or some other use. You place the order and that is where the Mt. Vernon, IL t-shirt printing journey begins. When you order your shirts, you will have to determine the:
- Brand, cut, style, material, and color of the shirts
- Ink type and color(s)
- Design to be printed
If this already feels overwhelming, don’t fret! STL Shirt Co. will offer counsel and support during every step of the t-shirt printing process. Use our professional printers and designers. If you need help coming up with a killer logo or shirt design, work with our professional design team. We can also help you select the right shirt and ink colors.
STEP TWO – We create the screen
After you determine your design, we get to work on preparing the screen that allows us to print the design on your shirts. The design is first printed on a transparent sheet of film. Depending on the specifics of your order, our t-shirt printing staff will select the best mesh screen to use in printing your shirts. We then coat that screen with a substance called emulsion, which is sensitive to light. We place the film with your design on it on the screen and we expose the screen to light. The design on the film blocks the light from reaching the coated screen in the shape of your design, but the rest of the emulsion hardens in the light. This creates the stencil.
For designs with more than one color ink, we repeat the process above, making a screen for each color in the design.
STEP THREE – We print.
This is where the ink comes in. Screen printing such as t-shirt printing typically uses a special ink called plastisol. You might have noticed that the prints on shirts are slightly textured, a little rubbery, but still smooth and flexible. What you are feeling is the plastisol ink. It is great due to its ability to withstand p washes, move with the flexibility of the fabric, and display vibrantly on any color t-shirt.
Next, we mount the prepared screens to a printing press, with each shirt pulled taut and placed on a plate below. We work deliberately to line everything up precisely so we know that your design will end up in the right place on your t-shirt. We add ink onto the screen and pass a squeegee from end to end of the screen to smooth and press the ink onto the shirt. This process is repeated for every single t-shirt in your order, and if your design has more than one color, we repeat it for each color on every shirt. It takes skill to get the ink precisely so it shows up nicely and keeps the sharp lines in the original design. Lucky for you, our t-shirt printing team has mad skills.
STEP FOUR – The ink cures.
You can now see the design on your shirts! But they aren’t ready to go yet. The ink goes on as a thick liquid, but in order to stay on the shirt, it has to be cured. This means we have to turn the ink from a liquid into a solid that will stay in place on your t-shirts. To do this we introduce the ink to heat. Ink curing is a science, and it’s easy to damage the shirt or the print with temperatures that are too high. You can rest assured that we have the curing process figured out, so you know your prints will come out great.
STEP FIVE – You get your shirts!
Once the ink is cured, your t-shirts are officially printed! We fold them up nicely and hand them off to you. We will package them up and have your shirts or other printed items ready in just a handful of days. Ask us about having your order shipped to you. If you find your self in a tight spot and need your t-shirts ready in a week or less, we even offer rush printing services.
T-Shirt Printing Orders
If you ask us, Mt. Vernon, IL t-shirt printing is a magical force limited only by your own imagination. We love what we do and won’t apologize for it. Now that you know all about the t-shirt printing process and what we can do, you are probably eager to place an order. If you don’t have an immediate need for t-shirt printing, keep in mind some of the opportunities and occasions for which t-shirt printing is popular.
We do Mt. Vernon, IL t-shirt printing for…
- Sports teams
- Sports fans
- School groups and organizations
- Fundraising
- Volunteers
- Bachelor & bachelorette parties
- Corporate events
- Class reunions
- Family vacations
- Company picnics
- Birthdays
- Clubs
- Swag for businesses and organizations
- Work shirts
- Union events and organizations
…And so much more! There are endless occasions that t-shirt printing and other screen printing can make even better. You name it, we have probably printed for it. Whatever the reason you need Mt. Vernon, IL t-shirt printing services, you can count on us.
Choosing a Partner for Mt. Vernon, IL T-Shirt Printing
Custom screen printed t-shirts are fun, effective, and personalized. But not all t-shirt printing is the same. With printed apparel or any screen printed products, the difference between what an established and respected printing shop can do and what school children ironing on decals in their basement can do is immense. We applaud aspiring printers and certainly have nothing against out-of-the-basement operations (many great screen printing shops have started out this way!). Still, you will see a distinct difference in the quality, customer service, and abilities available to you when you choose an accomplished and skilled t-shirt printing company for the Mt. Vernon, IL area like STL Shirt Co.
To top it all off, we are a union screen printing shop. Having your Mt. Vernon, IL t-shirt printing done by a union shop means that the people printing your t-shirts have had extensive training and have demonstrated their ability in what they do. Not only that, but going to a union shop for t-shirt printing or anything else is a way for you to endorse fair labor conditions and support the local and US economy. The next time you have a Mt. Vernon, IL t-shirt printing order, choose a union print shop.
Screen Printing Services
Embroidery
Basic Polo
With Embroidery
STL Shirt Co.: A Top T-Shirt Printing Company for Mt. Vernon, IL
At STL Shirt Co., we are all about t-shirt printing. You may think us a bit biased, but the objective truth is that screen printing on t-shirts, hoodies, and other items is a reliable and useful way to give you quality custom apparel for your next event. Whatever the reason, whether you have been put in charge of organizing a large volunteer event or a group or organization you are a part of needs new swag, you can count on STL Shirt Co.’s t-shirt printing services. You deserve and expect top quality and great customer service when you order t-shirts. With STL Shirt Co., that is what you get.
STL Shirt Co. has been providing quality t-shirt printing and other screen printing services for people in the Mt. Vernon, IL area and beyond for nearly half a centry years. With highly skilled union-member screen printing experts, a exceptional turnaround time, and professional design services, our t-shirt printing services are the best around. The next time you need t-shirt printing in Mt. Vernon, IL, we are your partner. Reach us today at 636-926-2777, text us at 636-299-0162, or request a quote online to begin your t-shirt printing order today.