2024
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LicensingUser ReviewsMystery Shopping CallsOur goal is to connect people with the best local professionals. We scored Memphis Screen Printing Services on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to give you a hand-picked list of the best.
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= Featured ProviderThink Threads, LLC is a screen printing and custom embroidery company in Memphis. Screen printing is generally recommended for t-shirts and smooth-surface items, while embroidery is best suited for golf shirts, caps, jackets, and thicker garments and accessories. The company has over 10 years of industry experience and manufactures its products in-house to ensure quality control.
Spikner Inc. is a screen printing, embroidery, and promotional product company in Memphis. Services also include website design and management and all types of customized garments. The minority-owned business opened its doors in 1996 and features a 9,000 square foot facility, so all products are manufactured and printed in-house. The typical turnaround time for screen printing orders is one to two weeks, but rush services are available if requested.
(5)MegFord Design Wear is a one-stop shop serving Memphis and surrounding communities with screen printing, embroidery, and advertising needs. The company opened its doors in 2003 and manufactures custom items including t-shirts, work uniforms, and customized goods for birthdays, reunions, sports events, and corporate events. Customers can design their own t-shirts using the company's online design studio and place custom art orders by emailing the company's team. Payment methods accepted include major credit cards and PayPal.
(17)(1)Parker Prints Inc. is a family owned and operated business in Memphis, founded in 1983. The company only uses long-lasting, premium inks for screen printing and features a full-service art department to assist customers throughout the design process. The company's team of professionally trained artists has years of experience in the screen printing industry.
(4)(1)Cole's Screen Printing is a custom design and apparel company located in Memphis. Available products include corporate wear, fleece garments, t-shirts, athletic and team wear, uniforms, academic apparel, and apparel made specifically for Freedom Prep Schools. The company's website features template designs in a range of categories including athletic, business, fundraising, holidays, military, trendy, and religious. Customers can also craft their own designs using the company's online design studio.
The Shirt Place is a Memphis company specializing in custom garment designs produced through digital printing, screen printing, vinyl lettering, embroidery, and rhinestone applications. The company features a team of graphic artists to assist customers with design options, and orders of all sizes can be placed. Despite its name, the company also features custom hats, koozies, magnets, and other items in addition to t-shirts. Customers include sports teams, schools, recreation leagues, cheerleaders, and individuals.
Memphicity Design is a Memphis-based screen printing and design company founded in 2010. Services also include logo design and custom t-shirts and towels. Customers include churches, schools, businesses, and individuals. There are no art or screen fees for orders of 150 or more custom t-shirts. Screen printing can feature up to six colors and usually takes up to five business days, though most jobs are completed in less time. A 50% deposit is required before work begins on screen printing orders.
(21)Summit Print Co. was founded in 2009 by owner and graphic designer Damion McKinney, who began working in the industry in 2003. Damion has a degree in fine arts and graphic design from the University of Memphis and is a proficient user of Photoshop, Corel Draw, Dreamweaver, and Indesign. The business began as a one-man operation and quickly expanded into a 5,000 square foot shop that can print thousands of t-shirts per week. Services include t-shirt printing with eco-friendly inks, embroidery, team apparel, graphic design, and all other types of custom screen printing. The business can also cut signs for doors, cut names to place on the back of t-shirts and jerseys, and manufacture car decals.
All Day Prints serves the Memphis metro area by screen printing t-shirts and other materials. It provides a wide variety of apparel to choose from and allows clients to create custom decorations using its online platform. Clients can choose text and patterns as well as colors. If desired, images can be uploaded for use in designs. Custom design services differ with the material chosen and All Day Prints helps clients to make optimal decisions for fulfilling products.
(8)(1)Signatures X is a family-owned Memphis business founded in 1974. The company started as a one-man operation and now features a team of over 16 employees plus additional part-time contributors. Services include corporate promotional products and plaques, full-color banners and signage with a three-year outdoor guarantee, posters of all sizes, garments and promotional items for schools, custom sporting goods, team apparel, and trophies, awards, and ribbons. Screen printing is available in a range of 16 colors, with a 10-item minimum per order.
Screen printing is a method of applying graphics to a T-shirt. It typically involves layering thick inks onto the shirt's surface instead of soaking them into the fabric. Screen printing is also sometimes called silk screening.
Since screen printing generally uses thicker inks, this type of fabric printing is usually better for graphics with one or two colors. If you have more complicated, colorful graphics, direct to garment printing, or DTG, may be a better option.
Major fabric printing methods include:
Screen printing or silk screening
Direct to garment printing
Stamp printing
Thermal transfer printing
Sublimation transfer printing
Screen printing works by using a silkscreen with an exposed design. Ink is swiped across the screen with a squeegee tool, and this action sends the ink design through the screen and onto the T-shirt.
When graphics are printed onto a T-shirt using screen-printing techniques, the colors are sometimes allowed to dry between color applications, and subsequent colors are printed with another screen after the T-shirt is realigned on the press.
Traditionally, screen printing has been called silk-screen printing because originally, silk was the primary material used in the process. The mesh portion of the screen was made of silk. In modern times, synthetic threads are commonly used in the silk-screening process, with polyester being one of the most popular choices. Nylon and stainless steel are also used in some screen-printing applications.
If you want to try screen printing at home, you can do it with a little bit of practice and some basic materials. To get started with screen printing, you may need:
A screen, usually made of polyester
Photo emulsion
A 150W light bulb
A screen-printing squeegee
Fabric paint
Two pieces of glass
To print T-shirts at home, you can try the screen-printing method described above. To print a lot of shirts, you may consider using a screen-printing company.
While the exact steps and process varies by company, in general, you can expect to provide the T-shirt company with your desired design, either electronically or in person. You can choose other options, and the screen-printing company typically sends you a mock-up of what the finished design will look like; Then, after you approve it, they produce it according to your specifications.
If you'd rather not go the screen-printing route, you can customize T-shirts in other ways.
Heat transfers, which involve using a printing machine and heat press machine to transfer designs to fabric
Embroidery, which involves intricate stitching using thread and special needles
Direct to garment (DTG) digital printing, a process that uses a special inkjet printer with special ink to print designs onto the fabric directly
Engraved roller printing, a process that involves dye being applied to fabric that’s passed through rollers engraved with designs in a printing machine
When you design a T-shirt, there are a lot of factors to consider. Most of the time, screen-printing companies will ask you to submit a high-resolution file of the design you want printed. Sometimes, the company has in-house graphic designers who can create a design for you based on your specifications or ideas.
Here are a few suggestions for optimizing your T-shirt design:
Ensure any text is readable, and you can do this by selecting the right fabric and paint color combination
Consider creating a contrast between your chosen T-shirt color and the screen-printing ink
Make sure the type size is big enough to read from a distance
