What is the standard image size?
Pacific North Press’s standard image size is 14″ x 17″
What is the over-sized image dimension?
Pacific North Press’s Jumbo image size is 15″ x 20″
How do I prep the files?
Have you ever heard the phrase garbage in, garbage out? The best prints come from a high resolution art file, with the correct resolution settings for the overall dimensions. Photos of art, or low quality graphics saved for web won’t cut it, if you need the best. Here’s how to get it –
All Files must be 300 DPI Raster or a Vector File. Preferred file types are .PSD, .TIF, .EPS, .AI, .PDF, and .JPG. Design should be sized to print. Files with poor resolution have no good way of improving image quality, so for the best print, the resolution setting should be both 300dpi or higher for raster, and scaled to the correct dimensions.
The best practice here is to develop your art file with an art board slightly larger than your print will be, and set your resolution in your raster file to 300dpi to begin with. Re-saving to a higher resolution will create digital defects in the art when output for screen-printing, so its always better to start at the highest resolution. Vector graphics can be scaled without losing resolution.
I don’t have art, can you help me design it?
Absolutely! We offer design and redrawing services at a rate of $75/hr. You will have the opportunity to revise the graphic to your preferences, and we will design with screen printing in mind for the best possible result.
What is the finest detail you can print?
We can print a graphic at 85dpi, which will allow us to print a line as fine as .5pt consistently. Fabric, as a substrate, has limits to the resolution that can be printed, and these parameters are about the highest possible with the current level of technology. We are probably capped out about here given that fabric is a rough, woven substrate, unlike a flat consistent surface like paper.
What’s an underbase?
For any print on a fabric darker say a light grey, we need to print a white ink to achieve the full saturation of a color. Screen printing inks are not fully opaque and will show some of the color of the fabric through the ink without the white. Omitting an underbase can give a vintage, faded look, but is only appropriate for that desired effect.
Why is white ink on my mock-up twice?
Contrary to popular belief, inks aren’t perfect. When we print white ink on a dark fabric, some of the fabric color will show through, we need to brighten up the area underneath each color to reach a full opaque and saturated top color.
Can I print over seams, zippers, or pockets?
Well yes, but we don’t like to do this. This is not really a sound method of printing and will cause ink pooling into chunks around the hems of seams, zippers, or pockets. It really doesn’t look good, and creates too thick of an ink deposit to stay fixed to the shirt. We’re very interested in creating well loved apparel, and often this technique is great in concept but looks and feels awful in reality.
How do I get the right color?
Our gold standard of color work comes from the Pantone Solid Coated swatch book. Our ink formulas are designed around this system, and because color can vary monitor to monitor, the best way to communicate color is with a physical pantone swatchbook. This color needs to be viewed in 5000k light for the most accurate color rendering. We use this system to proof your work, communicate the color, and mix our inks in real life.
What is this color change fee?
Any time we change a color in your design, in the middle of a print run, we’ve got to stop everything, break down the screen, scrub the ink off, mix new ink, and put a clean squeegee and flood bar in. As it disrupts our production timing, we charge a small fee to cover this extra task.
What is a process print?
A process print refers to the print method in which we break down and average the millions of colors in a photographic (raster) image and reproduce it with less than 10 colors. The image itself is broken down in to hundreds of thousands of tiny dots (we can print up to 85dpi!) that create a visual blending of color to get a pretty good reproduction of your graphic. That being said, trying to create an image that had a digital color gamut of 256 million colors (yes, there are really that many in there!) will average out some of the detail and won’t look exactly like your image, but acceptably close to it. We just don’t have the ability using screen-printing to recreate a 100% perfect replica of your graphic.
How much are the setup fees?
$20 per color for standard screen printing.
What is your turnaround time?
Typical turnaround time is 7-10 business days + shipping time. Turnaround time is only an estimate, is not a guarantee and only starts when your order is paid for AND we have all information to complete your job. Complex designs or orders with extra add-on services may increase turnaround time. Allow for at least 3 additional days for interior printed tags.
If you have a deadline for your order, you must let us know when placing your order and a rush fee may imply. Taking longer than 24 hours to approve your digital proofs may delay your order. Any circumstances out of the control of Pacific North Press (ie: weather delays, shipping errors by the supplier, etc.) may also require more time and are not factored into the initial turn around time estimate.
Do you have a minimum?
Our order minimums are 50 pieces per design.
Can I mix and match shirt and ink colors?
You can, however, we will advise you of any issue that may occur in using a variety of colors. For example, printing a design intended for a dark background on a light background can produce an unintended negative photo sort of effect, or the colors of your design may wash out with a certain fabric color. In any case, we’ll do our best to inform you of any potential issues ahead of your production.
Can I mix shirt sizes & do I need to order in dozens?
You can order as many different shirt sizes as you want and you DON’T have to order in dozens, unless otherwise stated. Although, certain brands require ordering in dozens.
I didn’t get all my shirts!
Screen printing never has problems… Not! Our production allows for up to 2% spoilage in the run due to print defects. This is a standard consideration for most kinds of manufacturing. If you need a specific amount of shirts we recommend ordering a couple extra.
Do I need to pay for my order first?
Yes, once you’ve approved our quote, and paid for your order, we will move to the next phase of work and send a digital mock up for each of your designs. We can’t do design work or prep your mock ups prior to receiving payment.