Large Format Printing Columbia, MO

You are excited about this awesome screen print design idea you came up with, but the size of the design is so large that you’re having trouble finding a place to print it. Many print shops are turning you away or trying to talk you down to something smaller because your design is too large. What you need is large format printing serving the Columbia, MO area, something only select Columbia, MO print shops are equipped to provide. Large format printing is a print solution that can catch the eyes of viewers, express messages from afar, and easily provide information.

Put your Columbia, MO large format printing needs only in the hands of the your favorite shop screen print shop that applies craftsman, care, and attention to detail to every job: STL Shirt Co. For more than 40 years, Columbia, MO families and businesses have counted on us to deliver on all screen printing and embroidery requests large and small.

Begin your large format printing order and leave the rest up to us. Contact us online, call us at (636) 926-2777, or send us a text at (636) 299-0162. STL Shirt Co. has your back when it comes to Columbia, MO large format printing.

Large Format Print Shop Columbia, MO

Large format printing is a specialty printing service that involves printing designs and printing on surfaces that are larger than a typically screen printing press is capable of printing (which is typically capped at around 14 inches). To offer large format printing options to their customers, a shop must comply with certain space requirements and make an investment in special machinery and equipment, typically only available by custom order from manufacturers. STL Shirt. Co is proud to bring premium-level large format printing to the Columbia, MO area.

Uses for Large Format Printing

Columbia, MO large format printing can be used for anything, such as a t-shirt print that covers most of the shirt, printing on large clothing items, and a number of promotional and industrial materials. Some common uses of large format printing are:

Whole-shirt designs
Window and wall displays and posters
Store displays
Banners
Trade show displays
Indoor/outdoor signage for business promotion
Vehicle wraps
Backdrops
Signs and calendars
Murals

For large format printing specifically on t-shirts, there are lots of cool things we can do. Some types of jobs we think are perfect for large format printing use are:

Clothing Brands and Brand Merch: A print that covers one side of a garment, such as a logo or other interesting artwork, instantly grabs attention, fosters brand awareness, and makes a bold statement. Large prints can be artfully used in branding and wearable marketing.
Music Industry: Enter the band tee. A large, bold, colorful print works perfectly to visually express the message a band or DJ wants to send. Your t-shirts can become an extention of your art, and these same shirts can help you generate revenue and give your fans a way to support you by designing exciting, daring large format printed shirts and other merchandise.
Special Events: Special events are always an excellent opportunity for the use of screen printed shirts of any kind. For any kind of event, large or small, there are many groups and individuals involved in the organization and participation. Shirts for events like races, festivals, competitions, fundraisers commemorate the date and honor everyone who made the event possible. Do both well with large format printing for your event t-shirts in Columbia, MO. Large format allows you to fit all sponsor logos without cramming them together in tiny columns.

Did you know we do a lot more than just large format printing? Check out some of our other services:

How Large Format Printing is Possible

Large format printing is a beast all its own. To be a true, quality provider of Columbia, MO large format printing, a screen printing shop must have the right equipment. The major three things a screen printer needs to produce large format printing work are:

1. The Press

Screen printing wouldn’t be possible without the printing press. For both manual and automatic presses, the print area is limited by the length of the squeegee, and the squeegee size is limited by the build of the machine. The smooth, crisp colors on a screen printed item are the work of the machine, and large format printing means – you guessed it – a machine with larger-than-average parts to allow for a larger print area.

2. The Film

If you’re not familiar with how screen printing works, here’s a micro-lesson of the set-up process; your design is “stenciled” onto a fine mesh screen within a frame, holding the mesh taut. But how does the image, pattern, or design get stenciled on the screen? First, the original design is printed on a sheet of film, and the screen is coated with a photosensitive chemical called emulsion. The image on the film blocks light in certain areas and allows light to shine through in others; this allows the emulsion to harden in the shape of the design. The hardened parts block the ink from moving through and attaching to the shirt. The positive space where the mesh is still exposed shows your image and is where the ink will pass through the screen and then adhere to the shirt or other printing surface.

Simple, right?! Don’t worry if you didn’t quite catch all that (your shirts will still come out looking just as great)! Since film is required to make the stencil for your design, your design can only be as large as the size of the film sheet. The film comes in standard sheet sizes, but for larger designs, we have film with a larger surface area.

3. The Screens

After the film, the screen is the next ingredient to printing your design. If there was no screen, screen printing would just result in a messy, undefined blob. This could be wonderful if you’re an abstract artist, but usually it’s not what you want.

The size of your stencil and, in turn, your design, is limited by how large the screen is as well as the film. Large film sheets do no good if the frames being used are too small to fit the entire image. Likewise, your frame could be big enough to cover a huge area, but without film in the correct size, the image would end or would simply print smaller than you would liked. We also have to consider the type of mesh we use. For larger print sizes, we opt for a different type of mesh that creates clean lines and detail that looks great specifically in prints of a large size.

However, the most beautifully crafted violin will not produce the most beautiful sound ever heard if it’s in the hands of a toddler. What we mean by that is that these large format printing tools and equipment won’t do any good on their own. Quality Columbia, MO large format printing, along with all other types of screen printing, requires skill and craftsmanship. Don’t turn to just any print shop when you need large format printing for your Columbia, MO needs. Some print shops carry the film, screens, and presses capable of large format printing, but don’t have the personnel with the skill and experience to for quality large format printing. At STL Shirt Co., we make sure we have special inks and meshes and modify our technique to make sure that what we print looks good, lasts, and isn’t too heavy or thick.

[Large Format Printing city], MO | STL Shirt. Co

Don’t let other screen print shops fool you or try to get you thinking small. You can count on STL Shirt Co. for all your Columbia, MO large format printing needs. Whether you need a big banner for an event or just like the look of a big, full print on a shirt, STL Shirt Co. brings you the best through every step of the process, from the initial design to the final product. We guarantee quality, long-lasting results from all our work.

Reach out to us to begin your Columbia, MO large format printing now, and discover what can happen when there are truly no limits! To learn more about STL Shirt Co.’s large format printing serving the Columbia, MO area or any of our other services, get in touch with us today. Call us at (636) 926-2777, send us a text at (636) 299-0162, or jump right in by requesting a quote.

Columbia, MO