07 · Embroidery & T-Shirt Printing
Screen printing in Calgary
The traditional way to print shirts, and still the one we reach for on larger orders of bold, simple designs.
Quick answer
Screen printing pushes ink through a fine mesh screen onto the garment, one colour at a time. SURE Print Foothills offers screen printing in Calgary for t-shirts, hoodies and event apparel. It tends to suit larger runs of designs with a limited number of colours, where the setup cost is spread across many pieces.
Screen printing has been around for a long time because it works. Every colour in your design gets its own screen. We line them up, pull ink through each one, and cure the print with heat. The ink bonds with the fabric, so a good screen print feels soft and keeps its colour wash after wash.
The catch is setup. Making screens and registering them takes time, and that work is the same whether you print ten shirts or three hundred. That's why screen printing makes the most sense on bigger orders, and why a one-colour or two-colour design is cheaper to screen print than a five-colour one. For full-colour art or small batches, DTF is usually the better deal, and we'll say so.
Options
What screen printing does well
Larger runs
The more shirts in the order, the further the setup cost spreads and the lower the price per piece.
Bold, simple designs
Logos, text and flat shapes in one to a few solid colours print crisp and clean.
Soft, durable ink
The ink sits into the fabric, so it feels comfortable and stands up to repeated washing.
Consistent results
Once the screens are set, shirt two hundred looks the same as shirt one.
What to expect
How your screen printing order works
- 1
Review the art
We check how many colours your design uses and whether it can be simplified to save screens.
- 2
Separate colours and proof
Our designers split the artwork into one layer per colour, and you approve a proof.
- 3
Burn the screens
Each colour gets its own screen, which we line up so the colours register cleanly.
- 4
Print and cure
We print each garment colour by colour, then heat-cure the ink so it bonds with the fabric.
Good fits for screen printing
- Charity runs, festivals and community events with big shirt counts
- Company-wide shirts for staff events and volunteer days
- School, club and minor sports orders with one design for everyone
- Merch runs for bands and brands with a simple logo
- Reorders of the same design season after season
Keeping your screen print cost down
Fewer colours means fewer screens. If your logo has a gradient or six colours, ask whether a one or two colour version would work on the shirt. Keeping the same design and ink colours across all garment colours helps too. Our designers can suggest a simplified version and show you both on the proof.
FAQ
Screen Printing questions
Is screen printing cheaper than DTF?
On larger orders with a few colours, screen printing usually works out cheaper per shirt. On small orders or full-colour designs, DTF is often cheaper because there are no screens to set up. We can quote both.
How many colours can you screen print?
Each colour needs its own screen, so the colour count drives the setup. Designs with one to a few solid colours suit screen printing best. Photographic or many-colour art is usually better as DTF.
How much does screen printing cost in Calgary?
The price depends on the number of shirts, the number of ink colours, the number of print locations and the garments you pick. Send us your design and quantities and we'll email a detailed quote.
Ready when you are
Ready to order screen printing?
Tell us what you need and we'll email you a detailed quote. Or just bring your files by the shop. You don't need an appointment.