Screen printing builds your design one colour at a time, so the number of colours in your artwork, the colour of the tee and the fabric it's made from all shape the job. A bold design in one or two flat colours on a cotton tee is the simplest case. Gradients, photos, dark garments and polyester each add something to think about. Here's what to check before you send us your design.
Count the colours in your design
As our Decoration Services page explains, "a separate mesh screen is required for each colour of your logo so designs with many colours might need to consider another option." So the first job is to count the colours.
- Flat colours are the natural fit. Each ink is mixed as a solid colour, so a logo built from a few clean colours suits the process well.
- Gradients and photos are harder. Screen printers generally reproduce shading with fine patterns of dots called halftones, and very fine detail may not hold. If your design is photographic or full colour, ask us whether another method suits it better. Our embroidery or printing guide compares the options.
- Brand colours can be named. If your brand has a Pantone reference, include it with your artwork so we know the colour you're aiming for. Ask us how closely it can be matched on the tee you've picked.
Artwork that prints cleanly
Our FAQ says we prefer logos in EPS or AI format, and our ordering guide lists the other files we can work from. A vector file keeps its edges sharp at any size, which matters when the same design goes on a chest print and a large back print. If you can't get one of those formats, email our design team what you have and they'll advise the best solution. If all you need is text, the FAQ notes our design team can create it for you.
A few things worth checking in your design before you send it:
- Hairline strokes and tiny lettering are the parts most likely to fill in or break up, so keep text big enough to read at arm's length.
- Tell us which parts are meant to be the colour of the tee, rather than printed white or black.
- Check the spelling, phone number and website one last time. Every tee carries what you send.
Dark tees, light tees and marles
Screen print inks aren't always fully opaque, so the tee colour can show through to some degree. On a white or light tee, the ink can go straight onto the fabric. On black, navy or bottle green, printers commonly lay down a white base layer first so the colours on top stay bright. That's an extra layer to print, so mention your tee colour when you ask about your design.
Fabric matters too. On garments that contain polyester, the fabric dye can move into the ink as it's heat-cured, which can tint a white or light print. The printing industry handles this with low-bleed or blocker inks, and 100% cotton is rarely affected. Here's what some of the plain tees we list are made from:
| Tee | Fabric, as listed | Colours listed | Sizes listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilbara Classic Tee RMPC224 | 180gsm 100% cotton jersey | 6 | S to 3XL |
| GOODMATES Basis Tee X1001M | 185gsm 100% combed cotton | 16 | S to 5XL |
| JB's Tee 1HT | 190gsm; solid colours 100% cotton, some marles part polyester | 34 | 3XS to 12/13XL, varies by colour |
| Aussie Pacific Botany Tee 1207 | 160gm 100% polyester mini waffle | 9 | S to 3XL, 5XL |
The JB's 1HT is a good example of why the colour you pick matters, not just the style. Its solid colours are 100% cotton, but the listing gives Charcoal and Grey Marle as "65% Polyester, 35% Cotton". If your order mixes a solid colour and a marle, or a cotton tee and a polyester one, tell us so we can plan the print for each. For AS Colour blanks, our AS Colour team tee guide compares weights, fits and colour ranges.
Which tee suits which team
Here's what each of these tees suits, and the catch with each:
- Pilbara RMPC224: 180gsm 100% cotton jersey in a "Classic Fit", so a light print has no polyester dye to contend with. It suits a crew that wants a plain cotton tee in a core colour. The catch is the range: six colours and S to 3XL only.
- GOODMATES X1001M: 185gsm combed cotton in 16 colours, including softer shades such as Biscuit, Pistachio and Ecru, and sizes to 5XL. That makes it a good fit for a staff or event tee people will also wear off duty. GOODMATES label it "Do not tumble dry. Line dry in shade", so it's less suited to tees that go through a dryer every week.
- JB's 1HT: the widest choice, with 34 colours and sizes from 3XS to 12/13XL, which helps a club or school match a brand colour and fit everyone. The catch is that the smallest and largest sizes come in only some colours, and the marles aren't all cotton.
- Aussie Pacific Botany 1207: a 160gm polyester mini waffle listed with "Easy care fabric" plus a "Dri-wear antibacterial finish", which suits sport or an outdoor event where people work up a sweat. Being 100% polyester, it's the one to ask about first if your design has white or light colours.
Our T-shirts collection has more plain tees to compare.
Placement
A front chest print, a large back print and a sleeve print are each separate positions, so decide which ones you really need. Think about the size range too. A print that looks right on a medium can look small on a 5XL and crowd a small, so tell us the size spread when you ask about print size, because a screen print is usually one size across the whole order. Our ordering guide shows the positions we decorate most often.
What to expect when you get in touch
- Send your artwork, ideally EPS or AI, with any Pantone references.
- Tell us the tees: the style, colours and a size list with quantities.
- Tell us where the print goes and roughly how big you'd like it.
- Mention your date if the tees are for an event, and we'll tell you if it's realistic.
You don't need an appointment to talk it through in store. When you're ready, send the details through our custom workwear enquiry form and we'll come back to you with a quote and the next steps.
