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GREAT T-SHIRTS 101: CHOOSING A T-SHIRT COLOR
MAR 2001

Dux D'Lux knows that choosing custom designed t-shirts for your company or organization can be a daunting task. Our screen printing experts have a few simple tips that can make the process easier. Lesson 1 discussed the information you need in order to get an accurate screen printing quote. This lesson we share some thoughts on choosing a t-shirt color.

CHOOSING A T-SHIRT COLOR:
T-shirt colors are divided into whites, lights, darks and premiums, based on cost. However, price is not the only factor to consider when choosing your t-shirt color. Take into consideration what ink colors will work on the t-shirt color you have chosen. Screen printing ink can react differently on different shirt colors:

Dark colored t-shirts tend to absorb ink. We can approach this problem in 2 ways. We can add an additional white layer to your design and underprint the remaining colors to help them stand out. Or, our printers often "flash" colors on a dark shirt, or print the same color twice, heat-setting in between. Both of these processes will usually solve the ink problem, but be aware that they tend to also make the shirt "heavy" because of the higher ink coverage.

Some ink colors do not maintain detail well. If we print a very intricate design on a dark colored t-shirt, many smaller detailed areas will fill in because lighter colors such as white and yellow-gold have a thicker ink consistency. On lighter t-shirt colors, these inks can be thinned slightly without losing quality in their coverage.

If your design is taken from original artwork such as watercolor, pastel or crayon, sometimes "process" inks are best. These are transparent inks that must be printed on white t-shirts for best clarity. Your design will be printed as a varying dot pattern in 4 layers. The transparent colors combine to create a wide color palette.