Faqs

With silkscreen printing, yes. Because each additional colour requires a film and a screen, and each colour is printed separately. The same applies for Thermotransfer printing, where each colour is individually applied. However with DTF and DTG printing the colours are applied at the same time, making DTF and DTG methods more economical. Think Print recommends 1-8 colours for silkscreen printing and 1-4 colours for Thermotransfer printing.

Think Print invites all customers to view the printing process live. We believe it helps understand how the T-shirt printing process works. You can take photos and videos of the printer printing your T-shirts and hoodies. You can share them with your team and on social networks. Dont forget to tag us !

Quality is controlled at each stage of the printing process, from image processing to labeling and packaging. Think Print printers will closely inspect the print at each stage of print process and between each colour layer. The first silkscreen, DTF and transfer prints are checked for cohesion, and for any issues relating to the ink or the film. At Think Print, our error rate is less than 1%.

The image is separated into colour layers, and each layer is printed in black onto a transparent PVC film. This is called a foil. Using a light source in a darkroom, the image is exposed to the mesh screen, leaving gaps in the emulsion which allow the ink to pass through.

Silkscreen screens are reusable many times over, and generally not passed to the customers after printing. Good screens are an investment for a printing studio. Think Print will allow customers to keep the films, but not the screens. The price for printing includes screen preparation and cleaning, and not for the screens themselves. Also the image on the screen deteriorates after each print, and can only be reused a few times before the screen needs to be reprocessed.

Both DTG and DTF are machine printing methods, however DTF printing is also called Direct to Film, where the machine prints to a PVC film, which is then pressed onto the garment. DTG prints directly on the T-shirt, using a base to fix the inks to the surface of the textile. Both methods have pros and cons, however DTF is a relatively new technology and has improved on the issues related to DTG printing. With DTF we see outstanding results.

Technically, our printers at Think Print can print on any part of a T-shirt, sweatshirt or hoodie, however do to the thinness of the ink, gaps will occur as the squeegy passes a bumpy seam or fold in the textile. If this is the desired effect, then the T-shirt has an artistic look. It is not recommended to print over bumps and seams with DTF or Thermotransfer methods, as the glue does not form a seal with the textile, and will likely peel off over time.

Silkscreen screens come in very large sizes, and can be custom built suitable for all-over printing on T-shirts and sweatshirts, as well as printing on textiles and cut pieces. 20x24cm is the standard size for shirt printing. Jumbo Screen size is 100x140cm with a print size of 90x100cm.

The best file type for any printing, including DTF and silkscreen is a file with a transparent background. Think Print prefers PDF (with separated layers), PNG (300dpi with a transparant background), TIFF, EPS, PXD (Pixelmator for Mac) and PSD (Adobe Photoshop). JPG files can be used for DTF and DTG printing, but must be a minimum of 1500px wide to ensure proper resolution. You can read more on our FIle Quality page.

Computer screens show colours in RGB and print inks are in CMYK. RGB can reproduce millions of colours where CMYK can reproduce thousands, so the range of printable shades is a lot less than what you will see on a screen. Think Print recommends matching ink colours using the Pantone Colour Matching system. When a Hex code or C code (Solid Coated) is provided by the designer, we can more accurately match the ink colour with the design colour. With raster files and DTG printing, it is almost impossible to correctly match colours without a lot of expensive test printing. So we recommend vector files or files with separated colours. Read more about Pantone on our page [ About Pantone ]

When you set up artwork for printing, you should always start with a resolution of 300dpi. It's easier to start with a photo too large and size it down, than to start with a small image and try to blow it up. Logo's should always be in a scalable vector format, in order to preserve the sharpness of the image. At Think Print we will confirm the quality, size, colour and placement of the logo before printing.

The 2 ways to reduce printing cost are 1) choose less colours, and 2) reduce the size of the image. With silkscreen printing on T-shirts, the number of colours refer equaly to the number of films and screens, as well as the time it takes to print abnd cure the image. A 2 colour design will always be cheaper than an 8 colour design. With both Silkscreen printing and DTF printing, the price is also associated with the size of the design, and more ink is used on larger images, than smaller. Confirm the cost of printing your image, by requesting a quote - either directly on the Think Print site, or any of your preferred methods of contact.

Brands and desginers are need the highest quality application in order to WOW their audience and develop their reputation. Think Print recommends Silkscreen printing on T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, cut pieces, jackets, joggers and shorts. Silkscreen has a large number of different printing effects, and inks can be mixed to any colour in the Pantone colour matching system. DTF printing is also recommended, as this innovative technology uses high quality inks and has lasting duurability. For non-textile items and accessories, UV DTF provides excellent results.

Think Print sews on order T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, joggers, bags and jackets. You may use our patterns or one of your own. Think Print can help develop the design, modify exisitng patterns, as well as order samples. We can print on cut pieces or print on lengths of textile before sewing.

Think Print colours white T-shirts according to the Pantone colour matching system. T-shirts can be piece dyed with varying depths of colour, from light to dark tones. T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and joggers with emzyme washing and vintage colours are also possible.

For urgent printing, or an order with a fixed deadline, please contact us directly on WhatsApp or Telegram +7 931 263 30 31. Our consultants will immediately guide you through the order requirements, and check the details of the design, and prepare a mockup. After order confirmation and payment, the order will be sent to the printers. DTF printing is the fastest method of printing, because there is no films or screen preparation.

Print-on-Demand is popular for designers who are working with marketplaces, such as Wildberries, Ozon, and Yandex Market. The best methods for Print-on-Demand is Silkscreen on paper, DTF and Thermortransfer. Prints can be stored, and pressed onto T-shirts as customer orders are confirmed. Think Print provides a full labeling and packaging service for Marketplaces, including necessary markings. Chestny Znak is transferred to all finished products, as required by law.

There are several different methods of labeling products. Think Print can help with labeling, ticketing and packaging products. If silkscreen printed labels are required, they can be printed in advance and stored for future production. Silkscreen printed marking printed on paper can be pressed onto the T-shirts as needed. Our T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies are designed to so that woven and silicon labels can be sewen onto the T-shirts, either on the neck, or side without interferrence. If the T-shirt is being made-to-order, woven and silicon labels can be sewen onto the garment during production. Silicon labels cannot be put through a curing tunnel. Therefore it is recommended they are afixed to the garment after silkscreen printing.

A printed mockup helps to visualize the layout of the finished piece. It is representative of the finished T-shirt, or product, and indicates the requirements for printing. It helps communicate what is required by the customer. A mockup shows the colour of the T-shirt, the image (or images) will will be printed, and their placement on the garment. For quality control, and in order to ensure the best result for our customers, Think Print recommends a mockup for all print orders, including repeat orders.

Think Print can order base clothing for printing from any catalogue in Russia and the CIS. T-shirts from our catalogues have already been tested for print durability and wear. Base T-shirts from other catalogues may need a print test and a wash test to check the quality of the product. Also many merch options have large ugly labels in the neck, which may not be easy to remove. Base merch from Think Print do not contain neck labels, or additional branding. We choose base products that are comfortable for brands, designers and corporate merch.

A merch capsule is a small set of products which are decorated with the same design, a logo , or a common design theme. The merch capsule is intended for events, festivals, bars, restaraunts and cafes where customers can purchase items with the logos, colours and themes of the company. First the company must decide on the product that is needed in the capsule. Second the design of each product item is confirmed, including its colours. Following this, the print method is finalised. Think Print can assist in developing an appropriate merch capsule, including mockups, in consideration of budgets and time frames.

Delonatelo, the wholesale branch of our company is responsible for sourcing and producing base clothing, sewing to order, and procuring gifts and souviners packs for our clients. All products in our warehouse can be purchased blank without a print. We can supply 1 T-shirt, or many T-shirts for individual, b2b and wholesale orders.

Freelabel, our retail store in the Bottlehouse of New Holland Island, is a creative space which shows all the different types of printing that we do at Think Print. We invite you to touch and feel the products, and even try them on. Our consultants will answer questions about printing methods, and show you where mixed application printing has be used successfully and creatively. We welcome you to Freelabel.

For an ecological, sustainable merch collection or desgin capsule 2 things are needed. First, is base clothing made from organic cotton, recycled polyester or sustainable materials, such as Sorona. Second is the printing method. Silkscreen printing with water inks is considered to be more ecological than with plastisol. Suppliers also offer ecological inks for silkscreen printing, such as Hydro-soy ink, an eco-friendly alternative to traditional petroleum-based inks. DTF and DTG printing, is considered more ecological than silkscreen printing as there are no emulsions or inks that need to be disposed of, and cartridges can be recycled. The same is with UV curable printing inks, which do not release compounds into the atmosphere.

DTF printing uses water-based inks, and require no physical screens or harsh chemical cleaners. DTF generally uses less ink and produces less waste, aligning with sustainable and ecological practices. With regular screen printing, advances in eco-friendly inks, filtration systems and processes are making silkscreen printing more sustainable. Although many printing companies often ignore such advancements, and can be very wasteful in order to satisfy the demands of mass-market brands.