Screen printing on garmentsTon Atelier2026-10-01T20:41:45-04:00
Screen printing · Made in Laval
Screen printing on apparel, retail quality, soft to the touch.
Prints that feel like part of the shirt, in your exact Pantone colours. Made for medium and large orders — the more you print, the less you pay per piece.
One screen per colour. Ink straight into the fabric.
Screen printing pushes ink through a fine mesh stencil — one screen for each colour — directly onto the garment, then heat-cures it into the fibres for a soft, retail-grade finish. At Ton Atelier in Laval, Québec, we mix plastisol ink to your Pantone in house, print from 24 pieces and ship in 5 business days.
1
We separate your colours and burn the screens
Each colour in your design gets its own stencil on a mesh screen. Colour separation is free.
2
We mix your ink to Pantone
Weighed and mixed by hand in our shop. The formula stays on file, so your reorder matches.
3
Printed, then cured
Each colour is printed in turn, then the shirt runs through a dryer that cures the ink. Every order is checked before it ships.
The method behind the shirts you buy in stores. When the same design goes on 50, 150 or 500 garments, nothing beats it on feel, finish or price.
Retail-grade finish
Crisp edges, solid even colour, no shine. The same print quality as the shirts on a store shelf — good enough to sell.
Soft to the touch
The ink is pressed into the fabric, not laid on top like a sticker. It breathes and moves with the shirt.
Volume pricing
Setup is paid once, so every extra piece costs less. 150 prints cost 28% less each than 48.
Your exact brand colours
Ink is mixed to your Pantone in house, and matched again on every reorder.
Lasts for years
Cured into the fibres, it survives years of washing when cared for. Bright on dark shirts too.
Identical on every piece
Same screens, same ink, same press. Shirt 1 and shirt 500 look the same.
How much does screen printing cost?
$2.76 a print on 150 shirts. Here's how the price works.
Made for medium and large orders: most of the cost is setup — screens, ink and lining up the press — paid once per colour, per location. The rest is the garment and press time. That's why the price per piece falls as quantity rises.
48 pieces · 1 colour$3.81per print$182.88 for the run
150 pieces · 1 colour$2.76per print$414.00 for the run · 28% less per print
150 pieces · 2 colours$3.25per print$487.50 for the run · 2nd colour +$0.49
Price of the print only, one location — setup and screens included, nothing else to add. The garment is priced separately. Your quote confirms the final price.
1
Quantity
The same setup spread over more pieces. 150 prints cost 28% less each than 48.
2
Number of colours
One screen and one pass on the press per colour. A 2-colour logo costs less than a 6-colour one.
3
Print locations
Front, back, sleeve — each location gets its own screens and its own pass.
4
The garment
Often the biggest single cost. A basic cotton tee and a heavyweight hoodie are very different starting points.
Four ways to lower your price
Order it all at once. Every size of the same design shares the same screens.
Use fewer colours. On 150 pieces, going from 2 colours to 1 saves $0.49 on every print.
Stick to one location. Each extra location — back, sleeve — gets its own screens and its own pass.
Reorder the same design. Your ink formulas are on file, so there's nothing to re-match.
Screen printing wins on price at volume and on exact colour. For tiny runs, photos or a stitched look, another method is the better call.
Screen printing
DTF
Embroidery
Minimum
24 pieces
None
12 pieces
Production
5 days
72 hours
10 days
Price per piece at volume
Lowest
Same at any quantity
Highest
Colours
Up to 6 spot colours, priced per colour
Unlimited, same price
Per thread colour
Exact Pantone match
Yes — mixed in house
Close, not guaranteed (CMYK)
Thread colour chart
Feel
Soft — ink pressed into the fabric
Thin film on the surface
Raised stitching
Photos & gradients
Limited
Yes
No
Best for
Medium and large orders, retail-quality merch, brand colours, lowest unit price
Small runs, full-colour art, fast deadlines
Polos, caps, jackets, a premium look
Pick screen printing50+ pieces of the same design, a soft retail feel, the best price per piece.
Pick DTFUnder 24 pieces, a photo, many colours, or a deadline this week.
Pick embroideryWorkwear, polos or caps that should look stitched, not printed.
Screen printing artwork and care
Send what you have. Wash it right. It lasts.
Your artwork
Best: vector — AI, EPS, SVG or PDF
Also fine: PNG or JPG at 300 dpi at print size — up to 20 MB
Know your Pantone codes? Add them to the request
Cleanup, vectorizing and colour separation are free
About dark garments: a white base is printed under your colours so they stay bright — at no extra charge. Same price on black as on white.
Washing your shirts
Turn inside out, wash cold or warm
Tumble dry low or hang to dry
No bleach, no fabric softener
Don't iron directly on the print
No dry cleaning
Screen printing FAQ
Screen printing, answered.
What's the minimum order?
24 pieces per design. Sizes can be mixed inside those 24. Need fewer? DTF printing has no minimum.
How much does screen printing cost?
For example, a 1-colour print on 150 pieces is $2.76 per print, setup and screens included — the garment is extra. On 48 pieces it's $3.81; with 2 colours on 150 pieces, $3.25. The price depends on four things: quantity, number of colours, print locations and the garment. Send your design and quantity and we'll come back with a price and a ship date.
Are there setup or screen fees?
No separate fees. Setup and screens are included in the per-print price — $2.76 per print on 150 pieces, 1 colour, is the whole price of the print. Only the garment is added.
Can you match my exact Pantone colour?
Yes. We mix plastisol ink by hand in our Laval shop to your Pantone, and keep the formula on file so reorders match.
How long does it take?
Printed and checked within 5 business days of your proof approval, then 2 business days to Québec and Ontario or 4 days elsewhere in Canada. Express delivers in 1 business day.
Does a screen print feel stiff or heavy?
No. The ink is pressed into the fabric and cured, so it feels soft and moves with the shirt — the feel you expect from a shirt bought in a store. It's the reason brands use screen printing for the merch they sell.
Will the print crack or fade?
Cured plastisol is one of the most durable prints there is. Wash inside out, keep the dryer low and don't iron the print, and it will last for years.
Can you print on black or dark shirts?
Yes, at no extra charge. A white base layer goes down first, so your colours stay bright on black, navy or any dark garment — same price as on white.
Can every shirt have a different name or number?
The screen printed design is the same on every piece. Personal names and numbers are added with DTF on the same garment — ask for both in your quote request.
I have my own heat press. Can I buy just the prints?
Yes — order screen printed transfers on 12″ × 16″ sheets, up to 8 colours, and press them yourself.
Ready when you are
Retail-quality shirts at volume prices.
Tell us the garment, the quantity and the placement. Get a price and a ship date back.
