Printing Options

What is Screen Printing?

Screen printing is a technique that uses a woven fabric mesh stretched on a frame. We apply a stencil (the negative of your design) to the mesh, and pass ink through the areas not blocked by the stencil. This process transfers the image to the garment. We must use a separate screen/stencil for each ink color in your design, and the colors are applied to the garment one at a time. We use recyclable screens, so the screen is reclaimed at the end of the print process and used on successive orders.

Spot Color Printing

Spot color production is best for solid blocks of color, and most orders work best with this type of printing. Logos, text and graphical elements are usually printed with spot color. If you're not sure of which printing method to pick when you place your order, choose spot color. If your order should be printed using a different method, our customer service department will let you know right away. We'll work with you to find the right print solution for your design... and for your budget.

Here are some examples of designs printed using spot color production:

4-Color Process

Four-color process printing is best for photographs and illustrations (continuous tone images). We separate your image into 4 screens: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black, and print these inks in layers of dots on your garment to create the illusion of many more colors.

Berda.com offers you two options for 4-color process production: Regular 4-color process and Extreme Resolution 4-color process. The regular 4-color process print method is perfect for continuous tone images that do not have extremely fine details.

If your image contains flesh tones or very fine details, we recommend that you choose the Extreme Detail print process. If you're uncertain which method works best for your design, please e-mail the print-ready art file to our customer service department and we'll preflight the artwork and let you know which decoration method to select.

All art files for 4-color process must be uploaded at 300 DPI at the final output size and must be in to CMYK mode. You'll want to create your art file using a professional design program such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. Four-color process production can be 13" x 15". If your design is larger, please contact us for special pricing.

Below are some examples of images printed using each of the 4-color process techniques. If you are unsure about which print method to choose for your image, please e-mail your art to us at customerservice@berda.com. One of our representatives will preflight your art and let you know which printing method will work best for you.

 

Digital Print Production

We use a digital press to lay textile water-based inks onto the garment with this print process. These inks bind to the fabric during a heat-curing process. There are no screens to set up, so this process is more cost-effective for small quantities of decorated apparel.

Note that prices for Digital Print Production are up to 10" x 10" in size. If your print area is 5" x 5" or less, you may qualify for discounted pricing. To qualify, you must request a discount for smaller printing in the comments box when you place your order.

If you need a larger imprint, please contact our customer service department for details. We can print up to 15" x 19" using this print process. Additional charges will apply.

Printing Considerations: Digital print production does not achieve a print as opaque as screen printing, so the shirt color will show through more than it would if printed with screen print production using an underbase. Solid areas of ink may look somewhat banded due to the nature of the print process. We recommend avoiding solid blocks of ink. Many customers use distressing or textures to avoid print banding.

Short print runs: If you would like to print from one to eleven garments with any design, you will want to choose Digital Print Production.

Photographs or Illustrations on fewer than 144 garments: If you want a photographic look but need less than 144 garments, Digital Print Production is for you. There is no need for color separations with Digital Print Production, so you get the high-quality photographic look without the press setup you'd need for 4-color process production.

When you select Digital Print Production, your art files will need to be at least 200 DPI at the final output size (300 DPI is best). If you need help determining whether your files are print-ready, please e-mail your art file to our customer service department and they will be happy to take a look at it for you.

Digital Transfer Production

If you only need a few shirts and feel the price for digital printing is too costly for your project, you may want to consider digital transfers. Many of our customers choose to press transfers on to youth-sized shirts when there are both youth and adult-sized shirts in the order and they do not want to pay for additional screens for a smaller imprint on the tiny shirts. That makes digital transfers great for family reunions where there are shirts from infant sizes all the way up to adult plus sizes!

Digital transfers are printed using inkjet technology, so you can print photographs, logos, cartoons or any design you can imagine. You can simply upload your art file when you place your order (the online design tool does not support this decoration method). The transfer is printed and pressed on the shirt using a professional heat press. The maximum imprint area for digital transfers is 11" x 8".

These transfers are square or rectangle shapes, because the substrate presses on to the shirt along with the ink in your design. That means that on white shirts, there is a clear film in the shape of a rectangle that will be visible even if there is no ink in that area. On color shirts, a white square or rectangle that will be visible even if there is not anything printed in that area. The background for color shirts is white, so white cannot be the only ink color in your design for Digital Transfer shirts.

Keep in mind that digital transfers do not last quite as long as our other imprint methods. It is not possible to match the ink on a transfer to plastisol inks used to screen print other shirts in your order or to the shirt fabric itself.

Below are examples of how a shirt looks with a digital transfer pressed on.

Embroidery

Designs can be embroidered, or stitched into your garment in thread, instead of printed with ink. We will need your design image at the best resolution you can provide. The proofing process for embroidered garments is a two-step process. The first proof you will see is for placement on the garment.

Once you have approved and made payment, our team of digitizers will expertly convert the digital file for embroidery, and we will e-mail you a digital sewout for approval before we stitch your garments.

When placing your order, please give us detailed instructions for your embroidery file. This ensures that our digitizers have a complete understanding of the look you wish to achieve as we prepare your file for embroidery.

There is a one-time fee for our digitizing services. The next time you order the exact same design, we will not charge for the digitizing fee. If you change your design, we will need to digitize the file again.

PMS Mix Colors

We offer a wide range of stock ink colors. However, if you don't see the color you need in our standard ink colors, you can request a PMS Mix.

The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is the print industry's standard formula guide for ink colors. You can consult the Pantone Color Chart to find your preferred color. Simply supply us with the PMS color number and we will mix your ink based on the PMS color you request for a small fee.

Please note that we use plastisol inks for wearables, and these inks will not be an exact match to the Pantone color chart. Additionally, the color of the garment or promotional product will interfere with the ink color, so exact PMS matches are not possible on these items.

Standard Ink Colors

We offer a wide range of stock ink colors for promotional products and wearables. The standard ink colors for wearable products are shown below. Ink colors for promotional products are shown on the product's order page. Please note that the PMS equivalent numbers are not matches, but are provided as a general guide for the color.

As you make your color selection, keep in mind that each monitor shows color differently. If you require a very specific ink color, please contact our customer service department for help in determining the best color choice for your project and we'll be happy to assist you. We reserve the right to modify color selections from time to time as ink supplies change.

Specialty Inks

Shimmer and Metallic Ink

Shimmers and metallics can create sparkle in an otherwise flat design. They are non-tarnishing and have a high opacity with excellent elasticity and washability. Metallic inks are not the same as foil. They have flecks of sparkle material in them, so they shimmer when the light hits them.Shimmers and metallics incur an upcharge per color/location on each item.

 

Shimmer Inks Example

Suede Ink

Suede ink looks like suede leather. It puffs a little, so it gives you a more dimensional look than traditional inks. Suede ink incurs an upcharge per color/location on each item.

 

Suede Inks Example

Glow-In-The-Dark Ink

Glow-in-the-dark ink looks white in the daylight and glows a slightly green color in the dark. Make sure you "charge" the ink by exposing it to bright light before viewing it in the dark. Glow ink must be printed over a white underbase to glow properly. This ink incurs an upcharge per color/location on each item.

Fluorescent Ink

Fluorescent inks are a great way to get your design noticed! Keep in mind that these colors must be printed over a white underbase on colored garments. They are available in pink, purple, red, yellow, blue and green, and there is no additional charge for fluorescents.

 

Fluorescent Inks Example

Photochromic Ink

Photochromic ink is almost invisible (transparent) indoors, but it turns a color when exposed to sunlight! You can hide messages in your design that only show up in the sunlight. We offer photochromic ink in yellow, blue and red, and there is an upcharge per color/location on each item.

 

Black Light Ink

Black light ink is great for band shirts, laser tag games, cosmic bowling or anywhere black lights will be used. The black light makes the print illuminate! The print looks white when viewed in regular lighting conditions and must be printed over a white underbase to work. This ink incurs an upcharge per color/location on each item.

Flash Back (Reflective) Ink

Reflective ink contains millions of light-reflecting microspheres. When exposed to a focused beam of light, such as car headlights, this ink reflects a glittering image back at the light source. Reflective ink is perfect for night safety wear, joggers, cyclists, police, construction and highway workers.

This ink is transparent, so it does not show well on dark shirts in the light. For black shirts, we recommend neutral gray reflective ink. It will be transparent, but it shows best on the black shirts.

This ink incurs an upcharge per color/location on each item.

All-Over Printing

We offer printing options for designs printed all over the garment or off the side of the garment. Please contact our customer service department and we'll be happy to step you through this process and provide a quote based on your individual needs.

Special Effects

Underbase

When you print on a colored promotional product or wearable item, the color of the garment or product may interfere with the ink color. This is similar to painting a room. If you're painting a red wall and you want to cover it up with white paint, the first coat of paint will not cover the red. You have to paint a primer coat and then paint your final color on top of the primer coat of paint.

We recommend printing an underbase, or "primer coat" of ink on your garment or promotional product to make the ink cover the product color better. This underbase is cured, or dried, and then we lay your ink colors on top.

With today's trendy designs, some designers prefer to have us print without the underbase, to give the shirt a certain look. However, other groups prefer more vivid colors, so they choose to print the underbase. You can select an underbase when you select your imprint colors, or you can choose not to print an underbase. Please keep in mind that, without an underbase, you'll see more of the shirt color and fibers through the ink in your design. Note that if your design only contains one color without halftones, we can flash cure and overprint the same screen without an underbase screen.

Here are some examples of printing with and without underbases:

 

 

 

Embroidery Thread Colors

You can embroider garments with up to 12 thread colors per design. We use the standard Madiera threads shown below. The PMS number is an equivalent for your reference; Madiera threads are not PMS match threads.

Color Selection Chart

Names and Numbers

Personalize your team shirts with a name and/or a number in black, white, purple, navy, red or royal ink. If you need a color other than our stock colors, just ask and we'll be happy to help. Eight inch numbers are available in a variety of colors, and you can press on up to two numbers per shirt. Letters for names are 2" high, and we use a stock collegiate font. Note that special symbols and punctuation are not available for names or numbers. If you have extremely long names in your order, you may want to include a nickname instead of the full name. Our customer service team will work with you on the best solution for fitting your names to the shirts you select.