Our minimum order for screen printing is 20 garments per design.
This ensures that the setup cost, preparing artwork films, burning screens, mixing inks, and aligning the print — is spread across enough garments to make the per-unit cost affordable. Whether we print 20 or 200, the setup steps are the same.

Why 20 garments?
Screen printing is built for small to bulk production. The time to prepare doesn’t change much based on quantity, so printing more reduces your cost per item.

For high colour designs (5 - 6+ colours): Minimum increases to 50 garments, as each colour requires its own screen and perfect registration. More colours = more setup = more production time.

Small job alternative:
If you need fewer garments (10 to 19) but have a detailed design, we can suggest DTF transfers or heat transfers, which don’t require multiple screens and can print full colour.

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PRO TIP:  If you’re considering a big restock later, printing more upfront can save you 20–40% compared to multiple small orders.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Ordering “just enough” for your first run, then realising a week later you need more. Reprints under the minimum can end up costing more per unit.

Standard turnaround is 10 - 15 business days after:

• Artwork has been confirmed suitable for print

• Payment is received

• Garment styles, sizes, and colours are confirmed

What happens during that production time?

Garment sourcing: 1 - 5 days from our suppliers

Artwork proof sent through: 1 - 3 days

Artwork prep & screen burning: 1 - 2 days

Ink mixing & print setup

Printing & curing (garments run through 150°C conveyor dryers)

Quality control (every garment checked)

Packing & shipping

Rush orders:
If you have a tight deadline, let us know when placing your order. We can sometimes produce within 3-5 business days for an additional rush fee, depending on our print schedule.

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PRO TIP:  Always provide your event date upfront. It allows us to plan your job to arrive with buffer days in case of courier delays.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Approving your artwork late. Even a 2-day delay on approval can push your production slot back by a week.

We have tested countless blanks and found AS Colour to be the gold standard, they offer consistent sizing, modern cuts, premium cotton, and hold prints beautifully after washing.

Other options:

Budget: Gildan, RAMO, JB’s Wear

Eco-conscious: AS Colour (Organic Cotton range)

Streetwear premium: AS Colour, Shaka Wear, Colour Plane, American Apparel, Comfort Colors

Uniform-ready: Biz Collection, Winning Spirit, JB’s Wear

Why brand choice matters:
Garment quality affects print vibrancy, ink absorption, and longevity. A poor blank can fade or twist after washing, even if the print is flawless.

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PRO TIP:  Spend the extra $2–3 per garment on quality blanks if you’re selling retail, customers notice the difference instantly.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Choosing the cheapest blank without considering shrinkage or print feel, you’ll end up with more returns.

Not at all! While t-shirts are our specialty, we print and decorate:

– Hoodies, Crewnecks & Jumpers

– Long Sleeve Tees

– Polo Shirts

– Tote Bags & Tea Towels

– Caps & Beanies

– Aprons & Workwear

– Stubby Coolers

– Jet Tags

– Business Cards

– Stickers

– Enamel Pins

We also offer embroidery, woven label sewing, swing tags, folding and bagging services for a retail-ready finish.

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PRO TIP:  Combining products (e.g., Tees + Hoodies) in one order can save you setup costs if using the same design.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Ordering different items with drastically different print placements, each new placement requires new screens.

Yes of course, we recommend it!

Options:

– Visit our Bayswater showroom to browse and try on samples.

– Order specific samples (paid upfront), you can keep them or have them included in your bulk order later.

- Visit an AS Colour retail store in one of multiple locations around Australia (if that's an option for you).

Seeing and feeling the fabric helps avoid surprises, especially when it comes to fit and garment weight.

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PRO TIP:  If you’re selling online, order a size run of samples for your own fitting guide photos.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Choosing a colour from an online swatch only to find it looks completely different in real life.

We prefer printing on garments we supply because we can guarantee print quality, fabric compatibility, and size consistency.

If you want to supply your own:

– Tell us the exact brand/style/fabric composition.

– We’ll check if it’s suitable for our inks and curing process.

Some fabrics like nylon, high-stretch, or heavily waterproofed materials aren’t suitable for standard screen printing.

The garments we supply and recommend are well tested and suitable for screen printing and achieve the best possible printing results.

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PRO TIP:  Let us source your chosen garment, our wholesale rates often beat retail, and it saves you freight costs.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Buying garments online without checking print compatibility — we’ve seen fabrics that melt under curing temperatures.

Your artwork mockup is your final checkpoint before we print. It’s a visual proof showing:

 – Specific print size

 – Print position and placement (front, back, sleeves, etc.)

 – PMS ink colours

 – Garment colours, styles & sizes

Once approved, your order moves straight to production, changes after this point often require restarting the entire process.

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PRO TIP:  Have two sets of eyes review the mockup, typos and sizing errors are easier to miss than you think.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Skimming the proof and approving it without checking every detail, printing is permanent.

If the artwork, size, and placement are identical to a past order (with the past 3 years) there will be no setup cost.

We can use the existing screens and make sure ready to go for production again!

If you change any of the details (size, placement, colours, or design), new screens and films will be needed.

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PRO TIP:  Plan ahead, if you know you’ll want a design in two placements (e.g. front left and back), set them both up in your first order.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Requesting a design resize for just one run, resizing means new setup fees.

Best: Vector files (.AI, .EPS, .PDF from Adobe Illustrator or another vector design based program)
Acceptable: High-res Photoshop (.PSD) at 300dpi, min 30cm wide

If you don't have either of these options, it's best to send through the files or artwork you do have and we can help from there. In some cases a PNG or JPEG image could be suitable, once we see what is available we can guide you from there.

If your file isn’t suitable, our design team can recreate or adjust it for a fee ($80/hr). But once completed you will also have access to that artwork file to be able to use it for any other printing required (shop signage etc).

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PRO TIP:  Always outline your fonts before sending files to prevent substitution errors.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Sending a low-res PNG or screenshot, these aren’t usable for professional printing.

– Raster: Made of pixels (JPEG, PNG, PSD) enlarging reduces quality.

– Vector: Made of paths & curves, infinitely scalable without losing detail.

Screen printing prefers vector for sharp edges and perfect colour separation, but often uses a raster Photoshop file (PSD) for high detailed prints as long as the size and resolution is suitable for print.

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PRO TIP:  Ask your designer to supply both vector and high-res raster files, you’ll be ready for any print method.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Assuming a PDF is always vector, some PDFs are just embedded raster images.

Yes! Our in-house designers understand the technical side of printing as well as creative design.

We can:

– Create new designs from scratch

– Redraw existing artwork into print-ready files

– Modify designs for different print processes

If your project requires a specialised illustration style beyond our scope, we can connect you with trusted Australian artists and illustrators from our network to bring your vision to life.

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PRO TIP:  Tell us your garment colour before designing, it affects how we plan ink colours.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Providing artwork with gradients or effects that don’t translate well to screen printing.

Standard limit for screen printing: 6–7 spot colours per design.

Each colour requires its own screen, so more colours = more setup time and cost.

Options for more complex designs:

– Simplify or reduce colours - often a smart redesign can achieve the same impact with fewer screens

– Simulated Process Printing - Uses multiple halftone layers of spot colours to create the illusion of many more colours.

Great for detailed artwork and photographic-style prints on dark garments.

Not ideal for flat, solid cartoon-style designs that require bold, block colours.

– CMYK Process Printing (Process Screen Printing) - Uses translucent Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black inks layered together to recreate photo-quality images.
Best suited to light garments and artwork with gradients, shading or photographic detail.

– DTF Transfers - Unlimited colours and gradients, ideal for small runs or highly detailed artwork.

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PRO TIP: Fewer colours = lower setup cost and faster production. Clever design can make 2–3 colours look like much more.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID: Creating a design with 10+ colours expecting it to be cheap — more colours = more screens and higher setup costs.

– Standard: 280mm W × 380mm H (A3)

 – Oversize: 330mm W × 450mm H

Your smallest garment size determines the max print area, a large back print might fit an Adult XL Tee but not a Kids size 6 Tee. But don't worry we will help advise on the best print size for your requested garments!

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PRO TIP:  If printing on mixed sizes, we can create two size versions to keep the look consistent.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Assuming one size fits all, oversize prints can distort on smaller garments

We’ll notify you via email and arrange for either:

– Pickup from our Bayswater Factory during our opening hours, or

– Courier delivery (Metro Melbourne: 1–3 days, Interstate: 3–5 days)

Deliveries must be receivable during business hours - if you won’t be home, use a work address or provide an alternative that is suitable for business hours. As missed deliveries can incur re-delivery charges.

Unfortunately with most courier companies they can’t deliver to a specific time of day or contact you prior to delivery.

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PRO TIP:  Inspect your order as soon as you receive it. If anything’s wrong, we can fix it faster.

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID:  Leaving boxes unopened for weeks, this delays resolving any rare issues.