print faq

Minimum order quantity::

While we technically have no minimum order, any standard order less than 12 garments per design is considered a sample order. All samples orders are subject to screen setup charge(s). Screen charges are waived on all standard orders of 12+ garments and the customer is able to mix and match garments to meet the 12-piece minimum, as long as the design, print location and print size are identical on all garments in the order. While 12 pieces is our standard minimum, we have price breaks at: 36, 72, 144, & 288 pieces. Please contact us for custom quotes on quantities above 500 pieces.

We have different order minimums for all multi-color water-based(wb) ink and all water-based discharge printing. Our minimum order for all multi-color water-based inks and for all discharge printing is 36qty per design. As multi-color water-based ink printing as well as discharge printing takes a large amount of preparation and setup time, we need to have larger minimum in order to make this process equally beneficial to our clients and ourselves. Please contact us directly for additional information on water-based inks.

Screen charges::

Any order of 12+ garments per design has absolutely NO screen charges. Screen charges are only applied to orders of less than 12 garments, which we consider to be sample orders. For orders of 1-11 garments, screen charges are $20/color.

Additionally in the rare instance that a customer chooses to change the design after they have approved it and we have prepped their artwork, their order is subject to a minimum screen charge of $20. If we have already prepped the screens and we have to re-prep and re-burn the screen, their order is subject to charge of $20/screen.

Turnaround Time::

Our standard turnaround time is 10-15 business days once we have ALL sizes and artwork. If your printed garments are necessary for a specific date, please provide us with the date you need your garments when placing your garment order. All orders due on a particular date will be completed by 3pm on that date, if you need them prior to 3pm, please provide us with that information when placing your order. If a customer changes their “in-hands” date after placing their order, their order is subject to Rush Charges, as necessary to re-align our print schedule and meet revised deadlines. If you need your completed garment order quicker than 10 business days, please contact us immediately.

Below are the rush charges. All RUSH orders are guaranteed.

Shipping time is not included in turnaround time. If you need your order shipped please provide us with complete shipping details when you place your order as well as your specific “in-hands” date.

These RUSH charges apply to all garments from our standard supplier or garments that we might have in stock. All RUSH orders from one of our specialty suppliers will be subject to additional charges equal to the expedited shipping applied to the apparel blanks. For example if you need a 2-Day RUSH on American Apparel garments your order will be subject to the additional Overnight shipping charged on the blanks shipped from Los Angeles. We can ship anywhere in the world and we’ve sent orders to Guatemala, Australia and soldiers in Iraq.

As we offer over 5,000 different garment styles in various colors, we do not stock blank garments. All garments are ordered specific for our customer’s needs.

Samples::

Blank shirt samples are encouraged if you are looking for a specific shirt color. Blank shirt samples are available at a discounted price. Printed sample costs are the equivalent of ordering one t-shirt and will always be subject to setup charges. Printed samples are subject to the same processing times as regular orders so please plan accordingly. Any order of 12+ garments per design has absolutely NO screen charges. Screen charges are only applied to orders of less than 12 garments per design, which we consider to be sample orders. For orders of 1-11 garments, screen charges are $20/color. To order a blank or printed sample, email us.

Shipping::

We ship via UPS or USPS or FedEx Freight depending on the size of your order and your necessary “in-hands” date. If you need an order to arrive on a certain date, please provide us with that date when you place your garment order. Shipping charges are applied after the order is shipped. We are not responsible for lost or stolen garment orders and we generally insure all completed orders over $250.

Choosing ink colors::

We have dozens of previously mixed colors in both plastisol and water-based inks. Please specify your ink colors when providing your artwork. Custom ink colors can be mixed upon request at no additional charge. When requesting custom ink colors please provide us with a specific Pantone color or a printed sample of the color you are in need of matching. We mix all colors by hand which we’ve found to be more accurate than any professional garment ink mixing system that we’ve seen, however all ink colors are subject to vary and some ink colors cure to a slightly different hue. If you are in need of a very specific color(s) we recommend ordering samples to ensure the best quality of your finished order.

Available garment options::

Fortunately for our customers we offer thousands of garment options, styles and colors from a variety of manufacturers and suppliers. Unfortunately there isn’t a single website or catalog we can provide you with to view all of the available garment options and their prices. Our staff does have a wealth of knowledge so we encourage you to contact us and ask. For our basic garment options, we generally work with Anvil as often as we can. We believe Anvil has higher-quality shirts and has more responsible production practices than other large-scale apparel manufacturers and all at the same price. In addition to all the conventional garment brands we offer a variety of sustainable, organic, recycled, American-made, and union-made garments. Please contact us if you’re looking for specialty or a specific garment.

While most printers work with just a handful of garment options, we specialize in custom printing and are focused on working with customers to deliver the right blend of garment style and function. We offer Bella/Canvas, American Apparel, Royal Apparel, Alternative Apparel and a variety of other specialty garment options.

Artwork Guidelines::

Designs and illustrations are preferred in vector format at full size as Adobe Illustrator or Illustrator pdf files with all fonts outlined. Raster graphics must be submitted at full size and at 300 dpi or higher. We accept the following hi-resolution file formats: eps, ai, svg, pdf, psd, tiff, and hi-resolution jpgs. Vector files and color-separated artwork is strongly encouraged. All fonts must be converted to outlines or the font file(s) must be included with artwork. If you have questions regarding your artwork’s ability to be printed please contact your graphic designer or our art department. Please do not send any Microsoft documents for printing. There are no Microsoft programs that allow users to create hi-resolution graphics for professional printing. If you do submit your artwork as low-resolution graphics, it will be subject to design charges necessary to re-create your artwork as a hi-resolution graphic.

Design Capabilities::

We are experienced graphic designers and illustrators. We work with a variety of print mediums on a very regular basis with a focus on custom graphic apparel design for our apparel customers. Additionally we offer a variety of design, illustration and marketing services to small businesses and progressive non-profits. Please see our design gallery for samples of our apparel design work. Please contact us if you’re interested in our other design and marketing capabilities. Our creative design rates are $50 - $75/hr based on the extent of your project. If you’re having trouble determining exactly what you want, please contact us to discuss your design needs and we’ll help walk you through the process.

Print Capabilities::

Offbeat Press uses a traditional 6-color, 4 station, human-powered manual press. We print a variety of apparel including t-shirts, sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts, polos, youth shirts, infant onesies, shorts, sweatpants, jerseys, handbags, totes, patches, jackets, bandannas, scarves, napkins, wine sleeves, burlap sacks, head bands, hats, and even fabric books. We offer all the basic printing options as well as custom print placements based on your design requests. We can accommodate sleeves, pockets, front, back, tags and sides. We have extensive experience in non-traditional print locations for print placement including printing off garments and printing over seams. Please see Print Size FAQS for more info. Additionally we offer poster printing, also known as serigraphy paper printing.

Print Size::

Standard size for our apparel screens are 13” wide x 14.5” tall, however some women’s shirts and most youth shirts cannot be printed to that size. Additionally we do offer oversize printing at no extra cost, assuming your artwork allows. Oversized printing can be up to 15”x18” possibly larger based on garment specs, garment color(s) and ink colors.

Ink Blends::

Offbeat Press offers manual 2, 3, or 4-color ink color blends – based on the dimensions of the artwork. Blends can be done with either plastisol or water-based inks. Please contact us for more information about ink blends. Ink blends are available for an additional $.25 per color. For a 2-color blend, add $.25/shirt. For a 3-color blend, add $.50/shirt, etc.

Art Poster Prints::

We also offer hand-pressed, screen printed art posters. Our standard print size is up to 18” x 24” with up to 8 ink colors. Please contact us for a custom quote involving poster printing with 8+ ink colors. Our standard poster paper is Poptone available through French Paper. Various other paper options are also available, please contact us for more information.

Contract Printing::

Please contact us about customer provided garment contract printing.

Embroidery::

Please contact us about our embroidery service.

The difference between water-based inks and conventional inks::

There are a variety of differences between conventional (plastisol) and water-based ink systems. The most noticeable difference is that water-based inks are softer than conventional inks because they soak into the garment while plastisol inks sit on top of the garment. Water-based ink consistency is also less viscous and cures partially through evaporation making the ink much more complicated to work with. Though we’re always experimenting with new techniques we have spent countless hours and late nights studying the nuances of water-based ink. Water-based inks work best on 100% cotton fabric and some hi-percentage cotton blends. We do not recommend any discharge printing on cotton blends.

Plastisol ink is a much more versatile ink. Plastisol ink can be printed on and adhere to virtually any imaginable garment. There are special ink additives used to activate ink curing when printing on specialty fabrics. If you have a specialty fabric order we encourage a sample order to ensure the garment and ink quality meets both your needs and our specifications.

Printing on dark shirts with water-based inks::

Printing water-based ink on dark shirts requires a process known as discharge printing. Water-based ink technology has evolved to allow for professional-grade inks to print effectively on light and dark colored shirts and a variety of fabrics. Water-based screen-printing and discharge printing requires garments with a high percentage of cotton. We have a large amount of experience in water-based printing & discharge printing. Please contact us to discuss your water-based/discharge order.

Water-based ink Quality::

Water-based inks are considered “soft-hand” inks and they soak into the garment for more exact detail. Water-based inks do not crack, fade or wash out when printed on 100% cotton or some hi-cotton blends. They offer both environmental benefits and quality benefits over conventional plastisol inks. Water-based inks are created for professional garment printing; they are permanent and will not wash out when cured properly. The inks themselves will fade like any other garment through strong exposure to light, washing and regular wear. After garments are printed they are double-heat & double-air cured in our professional garment dryer to ensure the quality of the printed apparel.

Washing requirements::

It is recommended to wash all printed garments inside out. Water-based inks require no additional washing requirements. Please follow the laundering instructions on your individual garment(s).

Water-based inks cost::

Yes water-based inks are more expensive, more complicated to work with and take more time and attention during the printing process. Prepping water-based & discharge inks for printing can be a time consuming process and while we don’t charge a water-based setup fee, we do charge more for the printing of water-based inks. Because of the additional prep time, we have recently increased our minimums for water-based printing to 36qty for all water-based discharge printing.

Payment Policy::

Payments are required in full at the time of the order unless other payment arrangements are made in advance. We accept Cash, Check, Visa & Mastercard payment.

Misprint Policy::

We inspect our shirts before, during and after printing to ensure the highest quality, but we are human. We do our best to provide the best printed-shirt possible. All of our shirts are hand-printed with by us and sometimes there are some print or color variances. Through our specialty printing processes, there is a possibility that not every shirt will be exactly the same. Subtle difference between each printed shirt is part of the brilliance of manual screen-printing. From time to time human error surpasses our limits of professional printing and misprints occur. We do not charge for misprinted shirts that are brought to our attention immediately. Misprints that exceed 3 shirts or 3% of the original order or 5 shirts or 5% of water-based orders and those orders surpassing our quality levels may be replaced at our expense. If you have a complicated order and are in need of an exact number of shirts, we recommend that you order a few extra – especially for water-based printing. Any misprint issues must be brought to our attention within 2 weeks of garment delivery and garments must be unworn.

We are not responsible for any imperfections in provided garments (contract printing) and cannot offer misprint replacements on provided garment orders.

Print Disclaimer::

Our beliefs are quite diverse, but we reserve the right to not print material we find to be of a questionable nature or that go against our ethics.