Order Process

Please send us your Purchase Order, Proof, Output files (print-ready art at-size). We will build your order in our system and inventory your garments when they arrive. Once we have received your goods and order details, we will send your approval via email. If we have discovered any inconsistencies, shortages, or garment quality issues, we will notify you at this time.

If everything on our Order Approval is correct, please return your signed Approval and provide payment.

Your production time will begin upon receipt of your signed Approval, goods, and payment. 

Payment

We require payment prior to collecting all contract screen printing orders. We will be sending a link to process your payment securely through our website, or you can provide payment via check or cash. We do not collect or store payment information for security and safety reasons. You can also call us when you are ready to pay and we will process your payment over the phone or we can provide you with an online payment link. Please note: A 3% processing fee will be applied for all contract printing orders paid via card. This processing fee can be avoided with payment via cash or check. 

Shipping to us and Shipping to them

Please ship all goods for contract screen printing orders to our address. Special Tees 7313 Grove Road Unit F Frederick, Maryland 21704. Need us to ship the order to your client? No problem. Simply provide us with the ship-to address and your UPS shipper number on your Purchase Order. Please consider production time + shipping time to your client when planning your desired in-hands date. Please avoid shipping Piecemeal style orders as managing inventory and collecting such orders may incur additional fees for the additional time it takes to manage the receipt of complex orders. Orders left at our facility longer than one week will be charged a storage fee of $5/case per day. If you need more time or special consideration, please reach out for a special exception.

Turn Around

Standard turn around for contract screen printing is 7-10 business days after receipt of goods but also could range between 2-3 weeks depending on demand or other factors. We always do our best to get your order in and out as fast as possible. PO, Approval, and Payment. Please send your PO and order details to contracts@special-tees.com. Please let us know when your order will be arriving. If your order is split between warehouses or providers, please let us know.  We will build your order when we receive your PO, and then we will invoice after receipt of goods. Production time begins the day after receipt of all the above. 

Please allow for additional production time on orders that require more than 2 print locations, more than 7 total screes, or for orders that have more than 300 pieces. 

Rush Production Times

Need your order produced in less than 7  business days? Please reach out via phone to confirm your rush needs. For less than 5 days: Please add 25% For less than 4 days: Please add 40% For less than 3 days: Please add 50% For less than 48 hours/Same day: Please add 100%

Please allow more time during peak season Our busiest season is from May-the second week of June. We will do our best to keep our standard turn around for all our clients during this time. Please allow extra time around nationally recognized holidays.  We shut down production during the week of July 4th and may have some minor delays around other major holidays.

Please call ahead to confirm production time for hard in-hands dates or rush turn around during peak season, nationally recognized holidays, especially July 4th. 

Spoilage

Please allow for 3% spoilage per order. For every order, contract or regular, we trouble-shoot the set up of the design to ensure quality. Once we feel confident in the set up, we begin printing your order. We take garment style, garment blend, design, ink colors and many other details into account in order to provide the best quality imprint. For orders with multiple imprint garment styles, multiple print locations, more than 5 screens per print location, please allow for a higher % of potential spoilage as every additional complexity can cause print variations. Additional fees may apply if we need to modify the print for multiple fabric thicknesses and textures.

Please note:  It is your responsibility to ensure garment quality prior to production. We understand it is much easier to drop ship your order directly to us from suppliers. We do our best to inspect goods upon receipt. We will notify you of any quality concerns discovered from our inventory process, prior to printing. We do our best to identify any garment quality concerns prior to production, however, we cannot be responsible for replacing or reprinting any good or orders due to product quality concerns discovered post production. 

Spoilage Tip

Having an additional small shirt/different style  to use during for your print set up helps us ensure all the nuances of your order turn out great. We recommend sending an additional garments with your order as a best practice. We will use the additional garments to help trouble shoot your print set up and ensure best quality. While sending an additional garment is not required, it is very helpful.   

Please call or email contracts@special-tees.com for contract pricing information or to request additional information. 

Spot-Color Screen Printing 

We currently offer contract-screen printing for spot-color designs.  Spot color printing uses pre-mixed inks to print the colors in the design being printed. We are not offering CMYK (process) screen printing services at this time, but may consider this in the future. Please give us a call to review your artwork or email your art and questions to contracts@special-tees.com. We are always open to considering an exception to help you achieve success. 

Plastisol Inks 

We currently offer contract printing using plastisol inks. Plastisol inks are the most common type of inks used for screen printing on garments. We may offer other types of inks/processes in the future. Please check in if you have any questions.

Ink Colors 

Please review our current list of screen printing inks colors available. Don’t see a color you want? Please give us a call. We can see about ordering for you. 

Ink Changes

Ink Changes are $10 ea per color, per location. Please note: Some art changes may require a separate set up and may not qualify as an ink change. Please reach out if you have any questions.  

Color Matching

Need us to mix a specific ink color that we do not currently offer? We would be happy to mix and color match to the best of our ability. There is a Color Matching Charge of $25 per color/per 100 units. If you are ordering more than 250 items that need color matching, please reach out for a Color Matching Quote. Depending on your design details, we may need to order pre-mixed ink from the manufacturer to fulfill your needs. Pricing would be based on your design, color, and quantity.  Please note: If your order is for light and dark garments or multiple styles, with the same imprint, your color matching may appear slightly different per item,

Art Files and Formats Required

1. Please send your print-ready files in vector format. Vector format is typically a file created with Adobe Illustrator and ends in .eps, .ai, or .svg. 
2. Please ensure your print-ready files are at-size. When art is not provided at the desired imprint size, it may cause confusion regarding your imprint, and could potentially result in a print at the size you did not intend or may require art time for us to correct for you.
3. All text and fonts should be converted to outlines. 
4. Please assign all spot colors for multi-color designs.
5. Please unlock, trim, and merge all shapes.
6. Gradients or halftones will incur an automatic fee, and will be assessed based on artwork

If you are unsure about what these steps mean, give us a call. We can explain or walk you through. 

Art File Review

Need us to review a file so we can make a recommendation? We are happy to take a look. Please connect with us first by emailing contracts@special-tees.com with at “File Review Request.” Please send your file and describe how you want it printed. We will take a look and can advise accordingly. In some cases it may be best to look at the file together while discussing over the phone. Give us a call! We look forward connecting with you about your art! Please allow a day or 2 for artwork review.

Depending on the image/artwork, we may be able help you with raster or pixel based artwork without a fee. It does depend on several factors. Please reach out if you may need us to consider this for your order. We are happy to take a look and help!

Art File Tips 

Consider the small details. When printing on dark garments, avoid details that are finer than 3 point stroke thickness. Some art files with finer details may work, but It all depends on the art. Have some fine details you need us to look over? Please email contracts@special-tees.com to review together. 

File Types We want to Avoid 

Please keep in mind that saving a ".jpg" with the ".eps" handle does not create a vector format file. It simply is a raster file saved with a vector extension. These types of files may not print well and will likely require an art fee. Please avoid sending any artwork that involves pixel-based images or clipping masks. We can certainly work with such files, but there is a high likelihood such files will require art fees to prepare the file for print-ready. We are always happy to take a look over your design and advise.

Art Time

It is your responsibility to ensure your artwork is accurate and at the dimensions requested. If you need assistance, art fees will apply at the rate of $50/hour, with the minimum fee of $25. Clients who are not able to manage their own art on a consistent basis may not be eligible for contract printing services.

Front and Back Imprint Area for Standard Adult Shirts

The current max imprint area is about 14” wide x 16” tall. Max film size is 12.5x17.

Standard Youth Front and Back Imprint Areas

The current max imprint area on our youth palates is about 9-10” wide x 12” tall. *some sizes may not support these dimensions. Please check your shirt dimensions to determine the best size imprints for youth styles and ladies junior or missy-fit styles prior to sending over your order.

Sleeve and Leg

The current max imprint area for sleeve and leg designs is 3” wide and 12” long. Smallest size for sleeves is Adult Medium. In some cases we can print adult small. Please confirm prior to sending your order.

Combining Styles and Sizes

When planning your order, please consider the smallest size garment in the order. Youth tees and several ladies’ styles that are “missy fit” or “junior fit” may not support the max imprint size.  Check your sizing to ensure the set up for the imprint will fit on all the garments in your order.  If you need a smaller size imprint, this will be considered a different set up. Pricing will be based on the quantity per set up. Remember, printing on multiple different brands and styles can create print variations. Please reference the spoilage section on your pricing chart. Additional fees may apply if we need to adjust the print process to accommodate multiple different textures.