Emerald Green. Sunny Yellow. Scarlet Red. Vegas Gold. When designing a screen printed t-shirt, the color possibilities may be endless. There is a rainbow of ink colors from which to choose. But how many ink colors can you use when screen printing a t-shirt? Two? Five? Ten? Twenty? Is there a limit or can you print the entire rainbow on your tee? As you narrow down the colorful possibilities, you can use the following tips when creating your t-shirt design.
How Many Ink Colors Can You Use In Screen Printing?
The answer is: as many as you want. Want the rainbow? Go for it. However, remember, every additional color requires a new film positive. Each film positive requires a new screen. Both film and screens cost money. Confused, see
our blog “What is Screen Printing?” Although you CAN use as many colors as you would like in your screen printing design, each color will increase the total price of your finished t-shirt.
To save money, consider limiting your design to 1 – 3 different colors. Stretch your creativity and figure out how you can eliminate extra colors while still maintaining the integrity of your design. Don’t forget, you can use the color of the shirt instead of an ink color in your design. As an example, if you print the American flag on a black tee, you will need to print red, white and blue. Change the shirt color to white and you only need to print red and blue. This is a great way to lower your price without sacrificing your colors.
Endless Options
Most screen printing companies carry a variety of t-shirt brands so you aren’t limited in the number of t-shirt colors either. Brands like Gildan, Next Level, Bella-Canvas, Allmade, and American Apparel give you an enormous number of color options from which tochoo
In addition, most screen printing companies carry a wide assortment of ink colors in-house. Some will even custom mix PMS colors. Don’t limit yourself with the assumption you have a limited color palette. You can use any color of ink you desire.
Color Tips
If you are struggling with the multitude of option, here are a few tips:
- Consider all of your options first.
- Think about contrast, especially for text. Contrast is essential for readability.
- To save money, limit your ink colors. Simplicity is beautiful (and less expensive).
- Carefully consider the shirt color. Can you use it in your design?
- When the screen printing company offers in-house art service, take advantage of their expertise. They do this everyday.
You’ve now passed How Many Ink Colors Can You Use 101. To get started with your custom screen-printed apparel order, check us out at Greek Corner Screen Printing and Embroidery in Springfield, MO. We’ve been in business for over 35 years. We have over 50 – 5 Star Google Reviews online. We’ve never missed a hard customer deadline. We love giving shop tours. We offer full-service screen printing including free art service. Our experienced, friendly staff would love to work with you on your next tee shirt, bag, hoodie, short, and screen printed sportswear order for your school. Call us at 417.865.8011 or get a free quote today.
