Screen printing pushes ink through a stencilled mesh screen, one screen per color, and has held the top spot in garment decoration for decades. Nothing else matches its color punch, wash durability, and per-piece economics once a run gets into the dozens. The trade-off is setup: every color in the design means another screen to burn, register, and clean.
- Best for
- Bulk merch, uniforms, and event tees in a handful of colors; per-piece cost drops to pennies as quantity climbs.
- Watch out
- Per-color screen fees set 12–24 piece minimums, and polyester On polyester, fabric dye can bleed up into an ink layer after heat is applied, especially with light inks on dark poly. Results in a washed-out or discolored print over time. into the ink without low-cure handling.
How it works and where it wins
The most common screen-printing ink. PVC particles suspended in a plasticizer. It sits on top of the fabric rather than soaking in, which gives a slightly raised feel and very opaque coverage. or Screen-printing ink where the carrier is water rather than PVC. It soaks into the fabric fibers instead of sitting on top, so the print feels like the shirt itself. Less opaque on dark garments than plastisol. is squeegeed through a fine mesh screen onto the garment, then cured with heat. Because the ink sits in a thick, opaque deposit, screen prints stay bright on dark garments, and a properly cured print outlasts the garment. It's still the benchmark every newer method gets compared against.
It wins on volume. Once screens are made, each additional shirt costs pennies of ink and seconds of press time, which is why bulk merch, uniforms, and event tees still run through a screen shop.
What it asks of the blank
Screen printing is the least picky method: cotton, blends, poly, fleece, canvas totes, all printable with the right ink system. Open-end cotton takes a screen print fine, which is why budget tees and screen printing are a classic pairing; ring-spun's smoother surface is worth it for fine A technique that simulates gradients and shading by printing tiny dots of solid color. The dots vary in size or spacing. Closer together they look darker; farther apart, lighter. detail.
The exception is polyester and poly-heavy blends. The most common screen-printing ink. PVC particles suspended in a plasticizer. It sits on top of the fabric rather than soaking in, which gives a slightly raised feel and very opaque coverage. traditionally cures hot enough to reactivate polyester dye, which then bleeds into the ink: a red poly shirt can turn a white print pink days later. Decorators counter On polyester, fabric dye can bleed up into an ink layer after heat is applied, especially with light inks on dark poly. Results in a washed-out or discolored print over time. with low-cure inks and blocking A first layer of (usually white) ink printed under the design on dark garments. It stops the dark fabric from showing through and keeps colors bright. , but the safest buy is to flag poly content to your printer up front and favor migration-tested performance blanks.
Costs and common pitfalls
Setup is the cost story: each color means a separate screen fee, so shops set minimums (commonly in the 12–24 piece range) and pricing only gets attractive as quantity climbs. A one-color print on 100 shirts is cheap; a six-color print on 12 shirts is not. That job belongs to DTF or DTG.
Pitfalls to watch: On polyester, fabric dye can bleed up into an ink layer after heat is applied, especially with light inks on dark poly. Results in a washed-out or discolored print over time. on poly, fibrillation (fuzzy prints) on rough open-end cotton, and reorders that don't match because the original screens were reclaimed. Keep designs to a handful of colors and order the full run at once where you can.
Browse Screen Printing by category
Screen printing handles nearly every blank we stock, so this browses the whole catalog by category, biggest first. Each row previews a category's best; the Shop all link opens the full set.
T-Shirt 288
Shop all 288 T-Shirt →
17 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 6405
Women’s Relaxed Jersey V-Neck Tee
$8.18
Retail $10.90
Save up to 25%
31 colors
Rabbit Skins style number 3301T
Toddler Cotton Jersey Tee
$4.56
Retail $6.08
Save up to 25%
34 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 3001YCVC
Youth CVC Jersey Tee
$6.63
Retail $8.84
Save up to 25%
Sweatshirt 176
Shop all 176 Sweatshirt →
63 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 3719
Unisex Sponge Fleece Hoodie Sweatshirt
$27.18
Retail $36.23
Save up to 25%
6 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 3719Y
Youth Sponge Fleece Hoodie Sweatshirt
$23.66
Retail $31.54
Save up to 25%
6 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 7505
Women's Crop Raglan Crewneck Sweatshirt
$29.37
Retail $39.16
Save up to 25%
6 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 3719T
Toddler Sponge Fleece Pullover Hoodie Sweatshirt
$21.57
Retail $28.75
Save up to 25%
6 colors
Comfort Colors style number 1566L
Women's Garment-Dyed Mid-Length Crewneck Sweatshirt
$25.88
Retail $34.50
Save up to 25%
41 colors
Gildan style number 18000
Unisex Heavy Blend™ Crewneck Sweatshirt
$14.40
Retail $19.20
Save up to 25%
10 colors
Gildan style number 18000B
Youth Heavy Blend™ Crewneck Sweatshirt
$12.60
Retail $16.81
Save up to 25%
29 colors
Gildan style number SF000
Unisex Softstyle® Midweight Crewneck Sweatshirt
$14.37
Retail $20.04
Save up to 28%
15 colors
Gildan style number SF500B
Youth Softstyle® Midweight Hooded Sweatshirt
$16.71
Retail $22.29
Save up to 25%
18 colors
Rabbit Skins style number 3317
Toddler Fleece Crewneck Sweatshirt
$10.97
Retail $14.62
Save up to 25%
31 colors
Rabbit Skins style number 3326
Toddler Pullover Fleece Hoodie
$15.35
Retail $20.45
Save up to 25%
8 colors
Team 365 style number TT31HW
Women's Zone Sonic Heather Performance Quarter-Zip Pullover
$20.09
Retail $26.78
Save up to 25%
42 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 3901
Unisex Sponge Fleece Raglan Crewneck Sweatshirt
$25.64
Retail $34.17
Save up to 25%
4 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 3901Y
Youth Sponge Fleece Crewneck Sweatshirt
$18.68
Retail $24.90
Save up to 25%
Hat 107
Shop all 107 Hat →
4 colors
Richardson style number 112Y
Youth Trucker Snapback Cap
$10.43
Retail $13.90
Save up to 25%
12 colors
Team 365 style number TT801Y
Youth Zone Performance Cap by Yupoong®
$10.43
Retail $13.90
Save up to 25%
8 colors
Team 365 style number TT802Y
Youth Zone Peformance Trucker Cap by Yupoong
$10.43
Retail $13.90
Save up to 25%
20 colors
Richardson style number 111
Garment-Washed Trucker Cap
$10.82
Retail $14.42
Save up to 25%
9 colors
Richardson style number 111P
Garment Washed Printed Trucker Cap
$11.97
Retail $15.96
Save up to 25%
Bag 49
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6 colors
Liberty Bags style number 8871
Windward Large Cotton Canvas Classic Resort Tote
$24.50
Retail $32.67
Save up to 25%
4 colors
Liberty Bags style number 7006
Bay View Giant Zippered Tote
$16.11
Retail $21.48
Save up to 25%
6 colors
Liberty Bags style number 8872
Carmel Classic XL Cotton Canvas Resort Tote
$27.71
Retail $36.93
Save up to 25%
10 colors
Independent Trading style number INDDUFBAG
29L Day Tripper Duffel Bag
$25.56
Retail $34.09
Save up to 25%
3 colors
Liberty Bags style number 3906
27" Explorer Large Duffel Bag
$49.13
Retail $65.50
Save up to 25%
Value
1 color
Liberty Bags style number 5778
Clear Stadium 2-Pocket Fanny Pack/Crossbody Bag
$15.80
Retail $21.05
Save up to 25%
Tank Top 43
Shop all 43 Tank Top →
13 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 6003
Women's Jersey Muscle Tank
$6.78
Retail $8.84
Save up to 23%
14 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 6008
Women's Jersey Racerback Tank
$6.63
Retail $8.84
Save up to 25%
34 colors
Comfort Colors style number 9360
Unisex Garment-Dyed Heavyweight Tank Top
$10.02
Retail $13.37
Save up to 25%
25 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 8800
Women's Flowy Racerback Tank
$9.87
Retail $13.16
Save up to 25%
Jacket 33
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4 colors
Independent Trading style number EXP24YWZ
Youth Lightweight Windbreaker Full-Zip Jacket
$24.95
Retail $33.27
Save up to 25%
20 colors
Independent Trading style number EXP54LWZ
Men's Lightweight Windbreaker Full-Zip Jacket
$27.11
Retail $36.15
Save up to 25%
6 colors
Independent Trading style number EXP60PAZ
Women's Poly-Tech Full-Zip Track Jacket
$30.05
Retail $40.06
Save up to 25%
11 colors
Team 365 style number TT73
Unisex Zone Protect Lightweight Jacket
$23.18
Retail $30.90
Save up to 25%
11 colors
Team 365 style number TT73Y
Youth Zone Protect Lightweight Jacket
$22.40
Retail $29.87
Save up to 25%
17 colors
Team 365 style number TT80W
Women's Leader Soft Shell Jacket
$35.15
Retail $46.86
Save up to 25%
1 color
Independent Trading style number EXP100PFZ
Men's Puffer Jacket
$57.63
Retail $76.83
Save up to 25%
1 color
Independent Trading style number EXP200PFZ
Women's Puffer Jacket
$57.63
Retail $76.83
Save up to 25%
4 colors
Independent Trading style number EXP64CRP
Women's Lightweight Quarter-Zip Pullover Crop Windbreaker
$27.77
Retail $37.01
Save up to 25%
3 colors
Independent Trading style number EXP99CNB
Men's Water-Resistant Windbreaker Coach’s Jacket
$39.26
Retail $52.34
Save up to 25%
9 colors
Team 365 style number TT80Y
Youth Leader Soft Shell Jacket
$35.15
Retail $46.86
Save up to 25%
11 colors
Team 365 style number TT90W
Women's Campus Microfleece Jacket
$26.27
Retail $35.02
Save up to 25%
5 colors
Team 365 style number TT70
Unisex Conquest Jacket with Mesh Lining
$38.24
Retail $50.98
Save up to 25%
4 colors
Team 365 style number TT86W
Women's Dominator Waterproof Jacket
$67.20
Retail $89.60
Save up to 25%
Pants 27
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3 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 3738Y
Youth Sponge Fleece Sweatpants
$21.77
Retail $29.02
Save up to 25%
7 colors
Comfort Colors style number 1469
Unisex Garment-Dyed Lightweight Sweatpants
$28.95
Retail $38.60
Save up to 25%
9 colors
Gildan style number 18200
Unisex Heavy Blend™ Sweatpants
$16.74
Retail $22.33
Save up to 25%
3 colors
Gildan style number 18200B
Youth Heavy Blend™ Sweatpants
$14.70
Retail $19.61
Save up to 25%
3 colors
Independent Trading style number PRM16PNT
Youth Lightweight Special Blend Sweatpants
$18.17
Retail $24.22
Save up to 25%
3 colors
Gildan style number 18400
Unisex Heavy Blend™ Open-Bottom Sweatpants
$17.84
Retail $23.77
Save up to 25%
4 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 3725
Unisex Sponge Fleece Straight Leg Sweatpants
$29.70
Retail $39.61
Save up to 25%
5 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 3738
Unisex Sponge Fleece Sweatpants
$24.86
Retail $33.14
Save up to 25%
10 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 4737
Unisex 10 oz. Heavyweight Sweatpants
$33.23
Retail $44.31
Save up to 25%
5 colors
Gildan style number 18100
Unisex Heavy Blend™ Pocket Sweatpants
$15.44
Retail $20.58
Save up to 25%
8 colors
Gildan style number SF100
Unisex Softstyle® Midweight Pocket Sweatpants
$23.16
Retail $30.88
Save up to 25%
Polo Shirt 24
Shop all 24 Polo Shirt →
21 colors
Team 365 style number TT21W
Women's Command Snag Protection Polo
$16.22
Retail $21.63
Save up to 25%
5 colors
Team 365 style number TT51HW
Women's Zone Sonic Heather Performance Polo
$15.45
Retail $20.60
Save up to 25%
5 colors
Team 365 style number TT51HY
Youth Zone Sonic Heather Performance Polo
$15.45
Retail $20.60
Save up to 25%
8 colors
Team 365 style number TT51W
Women's Zone Performance Polo
$11.21
Retail $14.93
Save up to 25%
8 colors
Team 365 style number TT51Y
Youth Zone Performance Polo
$11.21
Retail $14.93
Save up to 25%
13 colors
Gildan style number 64800
Unisex Softstyle® Pique Polo
$10.02
Retail $13.37
Save up to 25%
9 colors
Gildan style number 64800L
Women's Softstyle® Pique Polo
$10.23
Retail $13.64
Save up to 25%
21 colors
Team 365 style number TT21
Men's Command Snag Protection Polo
$16.22
Retail $21.63
Save up to 25%
5 colors
Team 365 style number TT21C
Men's Command Snag-Protection Colorblock Polo
$19.31
Retail $25.75
Save up to 25%
Accessories 14
7 colors
Independent Trading style number INDBKTSB
Special Blend Blanket
$34.71
Retail $35.66
Save up to 3%
4 colors
Comfort Colors style number 15BT
Garment-Dyed Fleece Dorm Blanket
$62.09
Retail $82.78
Save up to 25%
7 colors
Gildan style number 18900
Heavy Blend™ Fleece Stadium Blanket
$16.98
Retail $22.64
Save up to 25%
4 colors
Liberty Bags style number FT001SC
Slim Can and Bottle Holder
$1.31
Retail $1.73
Save up to 24%
4 colors
Liberty Bags style number FT007SC
12 oz. Neoprene Slim Can and Bottle Holder
$2.03
Retail $2.70
Save up to 25%
Value
5 colors
Rabbit Skins style number 1110
Premium Jersey Infant Blanket
$10.55
Retail $14.07
Save up to 25%
Shorts 14
2 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 6824GD
Women's Garment-Dyed Shorts
$18.68
Retail $24.90
Save up to 25%
6 colors
Comfort Colors style number 1468
Unisex Garment-Dyed Lightweight Sweat Shorts
$22.25
Retail $29.66
Save up to 25%
14 colors
Independent Trading style number IND20SRT
Men's Midweight Fleece Shorts
$19.92
Retail $26.55
Save up to 25%
9 colors
Independent Trading style number PRM20SRT
Women’s Lightweight California Wave Wash Fleece Shorts
$18.12
Retail $24.16
Save up to 25%
6 colors
Team 365 style number TT11SH
Men's Zone Performance Shorts
$9.50
Retail $12.67
Save up to 25%
5 colors
Team 365 style number TT11SHW
Women's Zone Performance Shorts
$9.50
Retail $12.67
Save up to 25%
5 colors
Team 365 style number TT11SHY
Youth Zone Performance Shorts
$9.50
Retail $12.67
Save up to 25%
5 colors
Bella + Canvas style number 3724
Unisex Sponge Fleece Shorts
$25.01
Retail $33.35
Save up to 25%
1 color
Independent Trading style number PRM50STMW
Unisex Mineral Wash Fleece Shorts
$24.56
Retail $32.73
Save up to 25%
2 colors
Independent Trading style number PRM50STTD
Unisex Tie-Dyed Fleece Shorts
$24.56
Retail $32.73
Save up to 25%
10 colors
Independent Trading style number PRM50STPD
Unisex Pigment-Dyed Fleece Shorts
$23.58
Retail $31.43
Save up to 25%
5 colors
Team 365 style number TT115B
Unisex Zone Performance Reversible Shorts
$13.91
Retail $18.54
Save up to 25%
5 colors
Team 365 style number TT115BY
Youth Zone Performance Reversible Shorts
$13.91
Retail $18.54
Save up to 25%
Other 2
Dress Shirt 1
10 colors
Independent Trading style number EXP50F
Unisex Flannel Shirt
$41.96
Retail $55.94
Save up to 25%