Ordering Info
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Graphic Styles

Athletic Style - Certain fonts and type treatments define the traditional athletic style. Bold block lettering, arched type, strong logos, mascot characters, and solid colors work together to create a sporty look. We got all that and them some. We also do vinyl names and numbers. We shoot. We score.

The Distressed Look, aka 'Vintage' look - You've seen this style in the stores, its what all the youngsters are wearing. Its an aged, cracked, creased, worn-in look. Like that favorite old t-shirt of yours, the one with the ink chipping and peeling off. Thats distressed. We can create a custom version of this look on just about any design (without the chipping or peeling of course).

The 'Designer' Look - This is hard to define, becasue it includes different styles, but you know it when you see it. Its an artistic, creative looking shirt, featuring original art, without big logos or type, sometimes with a hand-drawn look or a hand-made feel. Unique placements fall into this category.

You got ideas? Let us know! We'll tell you if they suck.

Imprint Sizes (standard)

• Left or right chest: 2.5" to 4" wide max, 3" high max.

• Full front or full back: 8" wide to 12" wide max.

• Center chest: 6" to 8" wide.

• Left or right sleeve: 3" wide max.

• Front cap: usually 3" to 4" wide max.

Ask us about larger imprint areas and multiple or unique placements. We might give you an answer, we might not. Most likely will will, considering its our job

Placement

Some unique placements are starting to become popular. Here are a few ideas to help you get ahead of the curve.

• A small center chest, 6" to 8" wide, instead of a left chest, can work very nicely for promotional shirts.

• Upper chest/shoulder placement (left or right) is becoming popular on designer tees. Its important to have a good design that can work specifically for this.

• A small, subtle logo appearing on the sleeves, or under the back of the neck, can be as effective (or even better) than traditional placement.

For bags and other promotional items, size and placement varies, depending on the object. Ask us about any other sizes or placements you're interested in. We'll give you all the answers you need right away (as long as we've had our coffee).

Current Trends

Size of Print Area: Make it smaller. Fashion-forward people refuse to wear big huge logos on their chest. This is important to know, whether you're selling or giving away promotional items. If you want more people to wear your shirts, don't make them into walking billboards. Use subtlety in the design and colors, and keep the size smaller.

Types of T-shirts and Garments: More people are choosing 'fine' tees and jerseys from companies like American Apparel to print on. The reason is that these are the tees people enjoy wearing now. The cut is different (not as long, wide, thick, or stiff; its more fitted around the body, and the sleeves don't flare out. It reflects the current trend of the fashion-consious crowd.

Locations of Imprints: The standards like left chest and full back are falling out of favor, for small center chest, small upper back, left or right sleeves, and lower left or right, near the hem. For more details... look closer.

Special FX Inks

Special FX inks give you the extra edge you need, and can make a good design a great one. Below are some of the new special FX inks available for your job. Ask us about details and options for each. Your extra cost is minimal (or none) compared to regular ink colors. Working with Scream Graphix, now that's priceless.

Logo Design
Following the tips below can help assure the artwork you provide will achieve the dynamic results you want when your logo is screenprinted or embroidered on your wearables. It can also help increase the efficiency and quality of the decorating process. Art that is "ready" for use is provided in an electronic file that can be used for pre-press and printing without making modifications. Below are a number of important considerations and tips to help get your art ready for decorating.

Acceptable Artwork Formats

Art may be provided in any of the following formats. Please note the modifications that may need to be made it order to make each format ready for decorating.
For all three formats, proper resolution is critical for clean results. The standard resolution for printed artwork is 300 dpi (dots per inch).

Mechanical artwork
The traditional standard for acceptable mechanical artwork is "camera-ready black and white." Mechanical artwork can be supplied on a sheet of white paper or bromide, and should be no larger than 8.5" x 11".

Hand-drawn artwork
A logo that's been drawn by hand is a great starting point, but it will need to be digitized and modified for practical use.

Digital artwork
Images created in Adobe Illustrator, QuarkXPress, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Word, Excel, or Powerpoint are preferred over mechanical and hand-drawn artwork for quality of the end result and efficiency. However, digital artwork may still require modification and/or preparation for the decorating process.

File suffixes: If your digital artwork file ends with any of these suffixes, it can be used to properly prepare your art:
.bmp, .eps, .gif, .pct, .pdf, .tiff

Proofs: Any time you supply digital artwork, be sure to include a printed proof for reference.

Disk formats: When providing your artwork on disk, it is best to use one of these more standard disk formats: CD-Rom, 100-megabyte Zip, or regular floppy. 250-megabyte Zip, Jazz drive disks, and Syquest disks are also acceptable.
E-mailed art: When sending your artwork via e-mail, be sure to provide all of the basic elements, including:
- fonts
- layers
- paths

Unacceptable Artwork Formats
Artwork provided in the following forms, or similar forms, will not be able to be modified into ready art... therefore delivering extremely poor results when translated into decoration for a garment:
- on a fax sheet
- scanned into a computer
- on a business card
- on a printed promotional item such as a napkin or matchbook cover

Logo Placement
Consider these lesser-used, but highly-noticeable garment locations for a unique logo/artwork placement.

Estimating Stitch Count
Here is an easy way to estimate the amount of stitches you'll need for great looking logos.
- Print out the grid below
- Cut out your artwork and place it over the grid
- Count the number of boxes it fills, then find that number in the chart
- If your design goes outside the grid, estimate the extra grid space you need and add it to your original total.

Other Points to Remember when Estimating a Stitch Count
- 1 solid square inch of embroidery equals approximately 2,000 stitches.
- 1 solid square 1/4 inch of embroidery will equal about 125 stitches.
- No letter should be smaller than 3/16" each letter 1/4" in height equals about 100 stitches.
- Drop shadows in your logo will translate to 200 extra stitches per inch.
- Straight lines under logos typically require 200 extra stitches per inch.
- Fabrics, colors, and artwork detail will affect the amount of stitches.

It is important to remember that these stitch-count tips, and the stitch-count grid, provide estimates only. They are a good starting point to arrive at a ballpark count, but the precise figure can only be determined when the actual embroidery of your design is performed.Note: Due to differences in computers and printers, the size of the grid may be distorted when you print it out. Be sure to check that 1-inch squares actually measure 1 inch on your printout (do the same for 1/4-inch squares). If such a size distortion occurs, you can scale your printout of the grid to a more accurate size using a photocopier.

It's important to remember that every color you want used in your artwork means another screen to create, set-up, and print through. The costs connected with these screens depend on the techniques used.

It's always beneficial to print more items than less because of the set-up charges involved. If in doubt about the final quantity of screenprinted items you'll need, it's often more economical to order more than you think will be required.
Every color has an associated cost; different colors have different chemical make-ups, which make them more or less expensive than others.

Drop shadows, shading and anything that blends from light to dark will probably end up looking like a series of dots and should be avoided. (This does not apply to single-color halftone gradients).

Most likely, the following special requirements will add to your screenprinting costs:
- If you need your screenprinting to match an exact color, requiring inks be custom-mixed to achieve that PMS color
- The process that allows colors to show correctly on dark goods
- Additional locations on a garment
- Special (not the normal) logo locations

The following guidelines can help you streamline your buying and, therefore, boost your profits:

Buying for Men: Any style listed as Adult are sized for men. Adult Golf-cut styles generally offer a better fit for beefier male builds.

Buying for Ladies: Styles listed as Ladies' are women's sizes. If the women on your team prefer a Men's or Adult style, select one size smaller than what they would wear in Ladies' sizes.

Buying for Groups: Use the charts below for a general percentage to help you determine how many shirts in each size you need when buying for a group.

To calculate your buying quantities by size, simply multiply the number of people in your group by the percentage in the chart for each size.

These are general guidelines only and should only be used as a starting point for determining necessary quantities. Your group sizes may vary greatly.