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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The screen printing industry can be very confusing.  We’ve built a list compiling the questions we are asked most often by our customers.  Please feel free to contact us here if your question isn’t answered, or if you’d prefer to chat with one of us about our processes and capabilities!

Click one of these categories to jump ahead:

Pricing / Costs
Screen Printing Processes
Shipping and Turnaround Time
Design Work and Proofing
Returns / Defects
Additional Services

Pricing Questions

How do I get a quote?
We have several ways for you to get a quote! For a rough idea, please give us a call at 303-761-4106. If you’d like to go more in depth, we have a quote submission form on our website that you can get detailed with and also upload artwork to. You can also email us at [email protected] to get started!

For general pricing guidelines click here: Screen Printing Pricing

Is it more expensive to print on dark shirts?
 

 

Yes. Both plastisol and water-based ink have a very low opacity which means they are not vivid when printed on dark garments. In order to allow for bright tones we need to print a white base which is considered an additional color. This means if you have a 3 color design being printed on any garment color other than white or neutral, it would be considered 4 colors. This adds cost not only to printing price, but is an additional set-up fee.

Can you accommodate rush orders?
Rush orders can be accommodated, depending on our schedule. To see if we can get your rush order into production please give us a call. Price is subject to increase for all rush orders and is determined on a project to project basis.

 

Will there be set up fees for reorders of shirts?
Set up fees on reorders are discounted to $15, to cover the time for our production team to get those back on press and re-burn the screens. The initial fees pay for the films and screen. We do not hold screens unless the same job is printed multiple times in 1 month. The re-set fee covers the cost to burn the image back onto the screen and the time to set the screen for production.
How does payment work?
We accept cash, check, credit card, and wire transfers for payment. We will request full payment of the order up front. If this doesn’t work with your budget, we will request that the payment cover the cost of the garments to get to us.

 

Do you offer any discounts?
At this time, we do not offer discounts. We do have different pricing structures for customers who order specific annual amounts. We can also provide discounts on printing prices for social media reviews!

Screen Printing Process

What is your minimum order for screen printing?
 

Our minimum is 24 pieces for a one color print, 24 additional pieces per color after that. So if you have a three color print, our minimum is 72 pieces.

Is it more expensive to print on dark shirts?
 

 

Yes. Both plastisol and water-based ink have a very low opacity which means they are not vivid when printed on dark garments. In order to allow for bright tones we need to print a white base which is considered an additional color. This means if you have a 3 color design being printed on any garment color other than white or neutral, it would be considered 4 colors. This adds cost not only to printing price, but is an additional set-up fee.

Click here to learn the difference between Plastisol and Water Based Ink Types.

 

What is your turnaround time?
 

 

Our standard turn around is 10 business days from the time the final quote is approved and we have print ready artwork. We offer rush services upon request but cannot guarantee date completion until we understand all requests for the project including artwork, garment selection and total quantity.

Our 10 business day turn around is good up to 10,000 units. Larger volumes may extend production times. Busy season and schedule can impact the turn around. Its best to send a quick quote or email request to determine exact completion date for each project. Rush services are subject to price increases and are determined on job to job basis.

 

Do you offer shipping?
 

Yes, we can ship your order after completion, but shipping charges will be added to the final invoice after production, and should be considered when placing the order with shipping times.

Do you offer finishing services?
We offer several finishing services to include the following.

  • Woven Tag sourcing
  • Woven tag sewing
  • Hang Tag sourcing
  • Hang tag application
  • Individual folding and polybagging
  • Inside tag removal
  • Inside tag printing

 

Do you offer anything for small order runs?

We have a 24 piece minimum for a 1 color design, however, we are open to offering sample prices for up to 3 pieces. Please call in for an estimate and be sure to send in your design for a quote here.

Can you accommodate rush orders?
Rush orders can be accommodated, depending on our schedule. To see if we can get your rush order into production please give us a call. Price is subject to increase for all rush orders and is determined on a project to project basis.

 

How is Superior Ink Eco-Friendly?
Superior Ink has done some major overhauls in order to get Certifiably Green. We use energy efficient machines, water-based inks, and eco-friendly cleaners for our products. We also encourage our client base to use sustainably sourced apparel like Allmade. We recycle more than 75% of our waste.
What is the maximum number of colors you’re capable of printing?
We currently have two automatic presses, one with a maximum capability of 8 colors, the other has a maximum of 10 colors. However, by printing with different methods such as simulated process and 4 color process we can offer a full scale of colors. This is the same number of screens but gradients create 3rd party colors and blends increase the color count.
Can I provide my own garments?
We can absolutely accept customer supplied goods, with no increase to the print price. We do request that orders being shipped to us have the invoice number on the package, and a clear description of the fabric content, colors, and sizes so we can ensure we’re using the right ink and make sure everything shows up to us. We do not offer replacements or discounts if spoilage occurs on customer provided goods.

Shipping Services and Turnaround Time

What is your turnaround time?
Our standard turn around is 10 business days from the time the final quote is approved and we have print ready artwork. We offer rush services upon request but cannot guarantee date completion until we understand all requests for the project including artwork, garment selection and total quantity.

Our 10 business day turn around is good up to 10,000 units. Larger volumes may extend production times. Busy season and schedule can impact the turn around. Its best to send a quick quote or email request to determine exact completion date for each project. Rush services are subject to price increases and are determined on job to job basis.

 

Can you accommodate rush orders?
Rush orders can be accommodated, depending on our schedule. To see if we can get your rush order into production please give us a call. Price is subject to increase for all rush orders and is determined on a project to project basis.

 

Do you offer shipping? Drop shipping?
We ship via multiple carriers. UPS is our primary carrier. We offer Fedex for pallet or container shipments and USPS for parcel shipping. Shipping prices vary depending on location, weight and desired or priority shipping. The shipping costs can be estimated upon initial quote based on quantity and final destination but prices are not 100% accurate until the order is produced and released to carrier for final price.
Fulfillment Services?
We are very intentional about fulfillment services and do not offer these services to the general public. If you have a request for fulfillment please reach out to customer service and provide all details for your request. We will determine approval based on each individual project. Pricing is on an order to order basis and decided based on quantity and number of shipping locations.
Is Superior Ink open on weekends?
We are not open for business on the weekends. Our hours are Monday-Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Design work and Proofing

What does “print ready” artwork mean?
Print ready artwork is a term used to determine if customer supplied artwork is ready for production or if there is still any manipulation or creation involved. In order for artwork to go to press there are several factors in determining whether or not the artwork can go to screen. The first is file conversion.

Spot color screen (solid color printing and most common process) requires vector artwork. Vector files can be .ai, .eps, or .pdf. If artwork has gradients, photos or color blends, the artwork needs to be saved as a raster or photoshop file.

Minimum size requirement is 300dpi or higher. DPI stands for dots per square inch. We can help you determine if your artwork is print ready. Simply email the files to [email protected] and reference either the job or quote # so we can apply the artwork files to the correct order.

 

Can you do anything besides screen printing?

 

Yes, we offer embroidery (50pc minimum), design services, stickers (250pc minimum), banners, and fine art printing.

Press Proofs
 

We offer digital mock ups for $20 per 4 designs as a final approval process. If you would like an additional in-person or photo proof on press, we will give you a call 2 hours prior to set-up to let you know a picture will be sent. If we do not receive approval within 10 minutes of receiving the photo, there will be an $80 per hour charge for press hold fee until we are confirmed and approved. If we do not hear anything after 2 hours, the job will be taken down and customer will be responsible for costs associated to set back up the job.

Turn around time for design work?
Turn around time on artwork varies for each order. Your CSR should be able to let you know the expected time the designer needs to complete your request. Simple text treatment can take a few hours, more complicated designs may need a week or more to get the final image just how you want it.
How will I know that my order is exactly what I want?
Superior Ink provides as much information for you as possible, to make the ordering process a bit easier. We have samples of shirts and prints available in our showroom that you can check out and get a feel for everything before moving into production. Our CSR will also give multiple options for garments, we can order samples for you if we don’t have something similar in our showroom, and we will also provide digital proofs for how your design will look after production.
Is there a way to see how the shirt will look printed, before printing the full run?
For every order, we do provide digital proofs, which will be a representation of what your shirt will look like when completed. On these proofs, we will provide dimensions and pantone colors.

We offer press proofs and in-person press checks upon request.

Can you send photos for approval during production?
Absolutely! If we are provided with a cell phone number, one of our production members can send over a photo with the first product off the press to ensure quality.

Returns / Defects

What is spoilage? What is Superior Inks spoilage rate?
We’re all human, even if the machines we use are state of the art. Spoilage refers to a certain percentage of an order being spoiled by human error.  The industry standard for spoilage is 2-3%, but Superior Ink has a spoilage rate of under 1%.

We take the proofing process very seriously to assure that we produce all ordered to the highest quality standards. We provide a digital proof for each order and an on-press proof by request or if we feel something needs attention prior to production.

 

What happens If I receive defect garments on an order?
We have quality control when we receive the garments, and when they’re going out of our shop to catch any manufacturing errors that may have occured. If you do get a damaged shirt, please let your CSR know and we’ll do our best to replace it for you.

 

I'm not happy with my order, can I return it?
We do have a return policy, but we can only accept garments on return if it is a full order. We need to inspect the order to determine the appropriate steps in re-order or compensation. We do not offer a return or credit on customer supplied apparel.

Additional Services

Can you do anything besides screen printing?
Yes, we offer embroidery (50pc minimum), design services, stickers (250pc minimum), banners, fine art printing, and direct to garment digital printing.
Do you offer embroidery? What's the turnaround time?
We do offer embroidery services. Our minimum requirement is 50 units.   

We always try to get your order done as fast as we can, with the quality you expect. Turn around time for new embroidery orders is typically 2-3 weeks after quote and proof approval. This gives us time to ensure that your design gets properly digitized and produced.

 

Do you offer any other services?
In order to give you the best possible experience, our primary focus is screen printing and embroidery services. We can individually fold, bag, and tag your garments, as well as print custom inside tags. We also do stickers and banners in-house.
Why did you discontinue DTG?
Unfortunately, we did have to discontinue our direct to garment project, due to the fact that we were unable to source eco-friendly inks for our printer. We are committed to providing a sustainable, eco-friendly experience in all of our practices. We focus on providing the best experience to our clients. Screen printing is something that we have perfected and feel it is our responsibility to provide our most knowledgeable services to the public to keep quality of the highest priority.
Embroidery Setup Costs?
For embroidery, there will be a one time digitizing fee, to turn your artwork into a 3D image to prepare for embroidery. Pricing on this depends on the artwork and the stitch count required for your artwork.
Can you screen print on mugs, bottles, etc?
Unfortunately, at this time, Superior Ink is focusing on soft goods and apparel and cannot print on curved surfaces. We can print other promotional items, like tote bags, draw bags, bandannas, and koozies.
Do you offer custom cut and sew shirts?
We offer over 100,000 domestic and international blank apparel options. We do offer cut and sew but have minimum requirements and work on project to project basis. If you desire to have us source cut and sew for you, please send a request or fill out a quick form and be specific with your needs. We will require a tech pack prior to providing a quote or sending to production. If you do not have the capability to provide a tech pack we can assist you.
Do you offer stickers and die cut stickers?
Yes! We do stickers in house, and have a minimum of 100 stickers per design. Pricing for stickers is completely dependent on the size and the design for the print.  You can see more information about our stickers and die cut stickers here.