Screen Printing for Textiles — the Standard Method for Medium and Large Runs

About Screen Printing

Screen printing (also called serigraphy or silkscreen) is a stencil-based printing method that forces ink through a fine mesh screen onto the substrate using a squeegee. The technique originated in China during the Song dynasty (c. 960-1279) and was industrialised for textile printing in the 20th century. Today, screen printing is the global standard for runs starting at around 25 pieces per design.

Facts:

• Origin: China, Song dynasty (~10th century); industrial adaptation from ~1910
• Print principle: polyester mesh + photo-sensitive emulsion + UV exposure + squeegee
• Materials: cotton, blends; polyester with low-bleed inks
• Durability: 50+ industrial wash cycles with proper care
• Economical minimum order: from ~25 pieces per design
• Wikipedia: Screen printing (en.wikipedia.org)
• Industry association: FESPA — Federation of European Screen Printers Associations
• Ink standards: OEKO-TEX (tested for harmful substances)

Why ShirtStore?

• Volume discount from 3 pieces (3%) — automatic in the configurator, best conditions from 100 pieces.
• Made in EU — screen print in our own works, no intermediaries.
• 24-48h dispatch after production — standard delivery in 5-10 working days.
• Pantone fidelity on request — important for brand CI requirements.

What is screen printing?

Screen printing is a stencil-based printing method. For each print colour, a fine polyester mesh is coated with a light-sensitive emulsion, the motif is exposed via UV light and the unexposed areas are washed out. Special textile ink is then forced through the open areas of the mesh onto the textile using a rubber squeegee. With multi-colour motifs, the process repeats per colour — each colour needs its own screen. After printing, the shirt cures in a drying tunnel at around 160 °C and the ink bonds permanently with the fibre.

The decisive advantage: the colour layer is thicker than with any other print method, so the colours appear especially intense. Special colours such as neon, metallic or Pantone spot colours are possible. The method is mechanically robust and easily survives industrial washing. The downside: the screen preparation creates one-off setup costs that only amortise from a certain quantity per design.

When is screen printing worthwhile?

Screen printing is the most economical choice as soon as the quantity per design is large enough to spread the setup costs. From 25 pieces screen print typically becomes cheaper than DTF or digital print, from 50 pieces significantly so. At 200+ pieces the unit price drops to a few euros. The method is suitable for:

• Fabrics — cotton, blends (50/50, 65/35), coarse polyester with special inks. Functional fabrics are only suitable to a limited extent.
• Designs — simple logos, lettering, illustrations with 1-6 colours. Gradients and photo motifs are only possible with limitations (halftone raster) and are usually printed better in digital or DTF.
• Quantities — typically from 25 pieces, ideal from 50 pieces, optimal from 200 pieces.
• Applications — event shirts, club jerseys, fan merchandise, merchandise collections, employee shirts in bulk runs.

If your order is below 25 pieces or the motif contains more than six colours, digital print or DTF print is usually the better choice.

Benefits and limits of screen printing

Benefits:

• Brilliant colours — thick colour layer, very luminous results, also on dark textiles.
• High durability — over 50 industrial washes without visible wear.
• Lowest unit cost for large runs — from around EUR 1.50 per piece at 500+ units.
• Pantone fidelity on request — important for brands with CI requirements.
• Special effects possible — neon, metallic, glitter, puff, soft-hand inks.

Limits:

• Setup costs per colour — EUR 30-80 per screen, one-off per design and colour.
• Maximum 6-8 colours economically — beyond that, digital or DTF is better.
• Photo motifs only with limits — halftone works but is never as photorealistic as DTG.
• Functional fabrics are tricky — pure polyester needs special inks; DTF is often the better choice.
• Minimum order — under 25 pieces often not economical.

Minimum order and prices

We typically recommend screen printing from 25 pieces per design. The following pricing table is indicative for a single-colour chest print, multi-colour and large motifs accordingly higher.

*Indicative final prices including distributed setup costs. Final prices depend on fabric, print area, number of colours and print positions. Please request a concrete quote via the enquiry form.

Examples from our production

A selection of typical orders from our workshop:

• Sports club jerseys — 22 jerseys, 2-colour chest print, single-colour back print with sponsor logo. Fabric: blended functional shirt. Delivery in 7 working days. Unit price including print approximately EUR 18.
• Event shirts open-air festival — 380 t-shirts, 3-colour front motif, single-colour sleeve print. Fabric: 100 % cotton, Stanley/Stella. Unit price including print approximately EUR 7.50.
• Fan merchandise top-flight club — 1,200 shirts, 4-colour front motif with Pantone specification, single-colour back print. Pantone match service included. Unit price including print approximately EUR 6.
• Wholesale staff shirts — 110 polos, single-colour chest logo. Embroidery would have been an alternative, but the customer wanted to keep the comic-style look of the logo — screen printing was ideal.

More use cases in the business clients and clubs sections.

How ShirtStore works

1. Choose your product — fabric, brand, cut in the configurator.
2. Choose size and quantity — volume discount from 3 pieces (3%).
3. Upload your design — preferably vector (SVG, PDF, AI). See file requirements.
4. Print approval and production — we send a mock-up for approval and produce in 5-10 working days.

Screen print colour options — what's possible?

For Pantone-critical orders we offer pre-press samples for €30–60 (credited against main order).

Screen print fabric suitability

Configurator workflow — screen print order in 5 steps

1. Choose model and quantity. Screen print becomes economical from 25 pieces with single-colour motif, optimal from 100+ pieces. Volume ladder applies: 3 % from 3 pcs, 25 % from 100 pcs, 32 % from 500 pcs.
2. Upload artwork. Vector SVG or vector PDF — screen print absolutely needs vector. Pixel files (PNG, JPG) only suitable for halftone simulation, not for sharp logos.
3. Specify colours. Standard plastisol (1–4 colours per side, more colours = more plate setup). Pantone-true colours possible (specify Pantone reference in order).
4. Choose position and size. Standard chest centre 18×18 cm, back sponsor strip 25×8 cm, or full back A3 (29.7×42 cm).
5. Approve preview. Digital mock-up before plate production. For Pantone-critical orders: pre-press sample (€30–60, credited).

Experience cases — three typical screen print orders

Case 1 — South German town festival, 380 Stedman ST2000 with three-colour sponsor back

Town-festival committee ordered 380 ST2000 in heather light grey for helpers and sponsor guests. Finishing: chest single-colour (festival logo) + back three-colour (8 sponsor logos in grid layout). Unit price at 380 pieces: €7.40 net (ST2000 from €4.40 + two-sided screen print €2.40 + sponsor-layout service free + Pantone pre-press sample €45 credited). Delivery 9 working days.

Case 2 — Munich university, 600 Gildan 64000 Softstyle in four colours

University student group ordered 600 Gildan 64000 in four colours (royal, bottle green, white, heather grey) for fresher welcome. Finishing: single-colour screen print (logo centred chest). Unit price at 600 pieces: €5.40 net (64000 from €4.90 + single-colour screen print €0.80 at 600 pcs + plate fee pro rata €0.15). Tranche delivery in two waves.

Case 3 — Niedersachsen handball club, 220 Heavy Cotton tees with sponsor back

Handball club ordered 220 Gildan 5000 in royal blue for jubilee tournament. Finishing: chest screen print (three-colour club logo) + back (five sponsor logos). Unit price at 220 pieces: €7.90 net. Plate fees waived on follow-up order next season.

What we do better than competitors

• Plate-fee waiver from second order — first-order plate fees are waived on follow-up orders within 12 months. Clubs and schools with annual runs save approximately €60–120 per follow-up.
• Free sponsor-layout service — town-festival and club orders get the sponsor back layouted free. Industry standard charges €80–150 layout flat fee.
• Water-based ink for organic cotton — soft, breathable feel without the typical plastisol cardboard effect. Important for premium organic brands.
• EU production with 7–12 working days — competitor average 14–18 days for screen-print bulk orders.
• Pantone match service with pre-press sample — for brand-critical Pantone colours we provide pre-press samples for €30–60 (credited).

Ready for your screen print order?

Design now → · Request consultation →

ShirtStore is your specialist for screen printing on textiles in Germany and Europe. We print club jerseys, event shirts, staff shirts, promotional items and fan merchandise in classic screen print with plastisol, water-based or special inks such as neon and metallic. Our production sits in the EU, every order is approved via mock-up before printing and quality-checked after production. Volume discounts start from 25 pieces, from 100 pieces we offer best conditions with an individual quote. Pantone spot colours are deployed on request, which is particularly important for brands with binding CI requirements. We print t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, polos, bags and workwear from top brands such as Stanley/Stella, Fruit of the Loom, B&C Collection and Hakro. Standard delivery times are 5-10 working days, express is possible at a surcharge. Benefit from Trusted Shops security, personal advice within 24 hours and a workshop you can visit for bulk orders. ShirtStore.de — screen printing with craftsmanship precision.

Further Reading

• Screen printing — Wikipedia — history, technique and applications of the method
• FESPA — European federation for screen, digital and textile print with industry studies and standards
• OEKO-TEX Standard 100 — harmful-substance testing for inks and textiles