Large Format Printing Maplewood, MO
You have a great idea for a printed t-shirt design or sign for a business or event. The problem, though, is size. Print shops are turning you away or trying to talk you down to something smaller because your design is too large. The solution is large format printing serving the Maplewood, MO area, which is a service few Maplewood, MO print shops can provide. Large format printing is a print solution that can catch the eyes of viewers, convey messages that can be understood from afar, and present information with ease.
Put your Maplewood, MO large format printing needs only in the hands of the your favorite shop screen print shop that you can trust to take the painstaking care and utter excellence they apply to every job: STL Shirt Co. For more than 40 years, Maplewood, 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 for all your Maplewood, MO large format printing needs.
Large Format Print Shop Maplewood, MO
Large format printing is a special type of screen printing that involves printing designs and printing on surfaces that are larger than standard screen printing is meant to handle (which is typically capped at around 14 inches). To offer large format printing options to their customers, a shop has to take certain measures and make an investment in special machinery and equipment, which must be custom ordered from manufacturers. STL Shirt. Co is proud to bring premium-level large format printing to the Maplewood, MO area.
Uses for Large Format Printing
Maplewood, 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
When it comes to large format printing on t-shirts and other garments, 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 large logo or other artwork covering a wearer’s front side instantly captivates viewers, fosters brand recognition, and sends a bold statement. Large prints can be artfully used in branding and wearable marketing.
- Music Industry: Enter the band tee. A large, bold, high-contrast print is the perfect way to visually send the band or DJ’s message. Extend your art to the t-shirts that help you generate additional 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. There are always so many individuals and organizations that contribute to making any event happen. 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 Maplewood, MO. Large format makes it possible for 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. In order to provide true Maplewood, MO large format printing options with quality results, 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. Regardless of whether a printer uses a manual or automatic press, the resulting print is limited by the length of the squeegee, and the machine needs to be built to accommodate for that a larger squeegee. The smooth, even designs on a screen printed item are the work of the machine. For large format printing, we need – you guessed it – a machine with larger-than-average parts to allow for a larger print area.
2. The Film
Here’s a speed lesson of the screen printing process for those of you who aren’t familiar with how it works; your design is “stenciled” onto a fine mesh screen within a frame, holding the mesh taut. How does one get that image or pattern stenciled onto the screen, you ask? 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 are where the ink will not pass through. Where you can still see the mesh is where your image lives and is where the ink will pass through the screen and then adhere to the shirt or other printing surface.
Make sense?! Don’t worry if you didn’t quite catch all that (your shirts will still come out looking just as great)! Since we need film to put your design on the screen, the print is limited by the size of the film. 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. Without a 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 (which determines the size of your print) is limited by the screen as well as the film. The biggest sheet of film in the world won’t matter if they don’t fit withn the screen’s frame. 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 for the particular size of the print.
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 Maplewood, MO large format printing, along with any type of screen printing, requires the touch of a skilled craftsman. When you need large format printing in the Maplewood, MO area, all print shops are not created equal. Some print shops might have the right equipment for large format printing, but they may not necessarily have experience specifically in large format printing. At STL Shirt Co., we make sure we have special inks and meshes and specialized training 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 limit you by trying to keep your ideas small. Trust STL Shirt Co. for all your Maplewood, MO large format printing needs. Whether you’re looking for a large printed sign for an event or love 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 Maplewood, 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 Maplewood, 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.