T-Shirt Printing Vandalia, IL
T-Shirt Printing Vandalia, IL. Custom printed t-shirts are festive, versatile, and effective and can be used for nearly any occasion. Whether your goal is to fundraise for a nonprofit, appear professional with uniform apparel, or celebrate someone’s special day, you can count on Vandalia, IL t-shirt printing orders. The sky is the limit for t-shirt printing abilities and uses. Make sure to choose your t-shirt printing shop carefully – one with talented print and design team members who serve the Vandalia, IL area. You get that and more with STL Shirt Co.
STL Shirt Co. is the best Vandalia, IL area screen printing shop. For more than 45 years, we have been the community leader for all your screen printing and embroidery needs. You will always experience the best Vandalia, IL t-shirt printing experience at STL Shirt Co. To place your order or find out more about our services, call us at 636-926-2777 or send a text at 636-299-0162 now.
The T-Shirt Printing Process
STEP ONE – Make your order.
You’ve determined you want to have some t-shirt printing done for your upcoming event, school group, athletic team, or some other use. You contact your shop to place the order and that is where the Vandalia, 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)
- What design will be printed
“But I’m not a graphic designer,” you exclaim. Not to worry! STL Shirt Co. can give you counsel and assurance during every step of the t-shirt printing process. Our professional screen printers and designers are available to help you. Need help designing a logo that perfectly captures your vision? You can work with our professional design team. Our experienced staff can advise you on the best shirt or combination of colors to use for your order.
STEP TWO – We create the screen
Once you have created your design, we go about making the screen that will be used to print the design on your shirts. The design is first printed on a transparent sheet of film. Based on your unique parameters, our t-shirt printing experts will select the best mesh screen for your order. The screen is coated 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. Light is blocked from reaching the screen wherever the design is on the film and the rest of the emulsion hardens in the light. This creates the stencil.
If your design involves multiple ink colors, we go through the same process for for each color in the design.
STEP THREE – We print.
Now we are ready for the ink. T-shirt printing and other screen printing usually uses a special ink called plastisol. Have you ever noticed how, on a printed shirt, you can feel the texture of the design, but it is still soft and flexible? That’s plastisol for you. Plastisol is ideal for screen printing because it withstands washes, moves with the fabric material of your shirt, and shows up vibrantly on a shirt of any color.
We then secure the screens to a printing press, and each shirt is placed on a plate below. We work deliberately to line everything up exactly so we know that your design will end up in the right place on your t-shirt. We apply ink onto the screen and pass a squeegee from end to end of the screen to apply and press the ink onto the shirt. We repeat this for every single t-shirt in your order. For designs with multiple colors, we repeat it for each color on every shirt. There is an art to applying the ink just right to where it looks bright and retains the sharp lines in the original design. Lucky for you, our t-shirt printing team has mad skills.
STEP FOUR – The ink cures.
The ink is now on your shirts! But they aren’t ready to go yet. After the ink is applied, the ink has to cure. In other words, we have to turn the liquid ink into a solid so it stays on your t-shirts. To do this we introduce the ink to heat. It takes research and trial and error to perfect the curing process. It is easy to damage the shirt or the print with temperatures that are too high. We know what we’re doing, though, so you know your prints will turn out great.
STEP FIVE – You get your shirts!
Once the ink is cured, your t-shirts are officially printed! We fold the shirts up nicely and pass the finished product off to you. We will package them up and have your shirts or other printed items ready in only a handful of days. If you need it, ask us about shipping your order to you. For those last-minute situations when you need your t-shirts printed even faster, use our rush printing services.
T-Shirt Printing Orders
If you ask us, there is no debating the magic and possibility of the art of Vandalia, IL t-shirt printing promises. What can we say — we’re passionate about what we do. Now that you’ve heard all about the t-shirt printing journey, you are likely ready to place an order. If you like the idea of t-shirt printing but don’t have a specific need for it, think about some of the opportunities and occasions for which t-shirt printing is perfect.
We do Vandalia, IL t-shirt printing for…
- Sports teams
- Sports fans
- School clubs
- Fundraising
- Event and organization 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
The list goes on! There are a million different activities, groups, and events that are perfect for t-shirt printing and other garment screen printing. You name it, we have probably printed for it. Whatever the reason you need Vandalia, IL t-shirt printing services, we are here for you.
Choosing a Partner for Vandalia, IL T-Shirt Printing
Screen printing custom t-shirts are fun, effective, and personalized. However, not all t-shirt printing is equal. When you are looking for printed apparel or any screen printed items, there is a huge difference between the work of a top printing shop and a school group applying iron-on’s in the basement. We are rooting for aspiring printers and certainly don’t have anything against out-of-the-basement operations (countless great screen printing shops have started out this way!). Still, you will notice a distinct difference in the quality, customer service, and abilities you have access to when you work with an established and well-regarded t-shirt printing company for the Vandalia, IL area like STL Shirt Co.
The cherry on top of it all is that we are a union screen printing shop. Having your Vandalia, IL t-shirt printing done by a union shop gives you access to workers who have trained thoroughly and have proven their ability in what they do. Not only that, but shopping at a union shop for anything, including t-shirt printing, is a way for you to support fair working conditions and support the local and US economy. For your next Vandalia, IL t-shirt printing order, make the choice to support a union print shop.
Screen Printing Services
Embroidery
Basic Polo
With Embroidery
STL Shirt Co.: A Top T-Shirt Printing Company for Vandalia, IL
At STL Shirt Co., we are all about t-shirt printing. You may think us a bit biased, but the reality is that screen printing on t-shirts, hoodies, and other items is an amazing and powerful method for creating quality custom apparel for your next event. Whether you have been put in charge of organizing a large volunteer event or you have a last-minute bachelorette party to plan, STL Shirt Co.’s t-shirt printing services are ready to help. 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 Vandalia, IL area and beyond for nearly half a centry years. With a staff of union-member screen printing specialists, a quick turnaround time, and professional design services, we have the best t-shirt printing services around. Whenever you need t-shirt printing in Vandalia, IL, we are here for you. Speak to 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.