Screen printing is one of the most durable, vibrant, and cost-effective ways to put your brand on apparel — but if you've never ordered before, the process can feel overwhelming. At Oaklandish Made, we've guided thousands of first-time and experienced customers through the process at our Oakland, California production facility. Here's what you need to know before you place your first order.

Minimum Order Quantities

Screen printing requires setup time — screens are made for each color in your design, which means there's a fixed cost before a single shirt gets printed. That's why most screen printers, including us, have a minimum order quantity. At Oaklandish Made, our minimum is 48 units per design. The more you order, the lower your per-unit cost, so if you're on the fence between 48 and 72 pieces, the math usually favors going bigger.

How Many Colors Are in Your Design?

Each color in a screen printed design requires its own screen, which affects both setup and price. A one-color design on a white shirt is the most affordable option. A six-color photorealistic print on a dark garment is significantly more complex. If you're working with a tight budget, simplifying your design to fewer colors is the fastest way to reduce cost without sacrificing quality.

What File Do You Need?

For screen printing, vector files are best — typically an .AI (Adobe Illustrator) or .EPS file. These can be scaled to any size without losing quality. If you only have a raster file (JPG, PNG, Photoshop), our design team can often redraw it for a fee. The cleaner your artwork going in, the smoother your production process.

Ink Types and Special Effects

Standard plastisol ink is the workhorse of screen printing, it's durable, vibrant, and cost-effective. But there's a whole world of specialty options depending on your project:

Discharge ink removes the dye from the fabric and replaces it with color, creating an incredibly soft, vintage feel. Waterbased inks can give a soft, vintage feel. Puff and HD prints raise off the surface of the garment for a three-dimensional effect. Metallic and foil inks add a reflective, high-end look. Glow-in-the-dark inks and fluorescent inks bring drama. Simulated process printing allows for photorealistic, full-color designs using standard screen printing.

Turnaround Time

Standard production at Oaklandish Made is 10-15 business days from order confirmation and art approval. Rush options are available depending on capacity. Reach out early if you have a hard deadline. The most common mistake we see is customers waiting too long to start the process. If you have an event, work backward from your date and give yourself at least three weeks from first contact to delivery.

Dark Garments vs. Light Garments

Printing on dark garments requires an underbase — a white ink layer printed first to make colors pop. This adds a color to your print count and affects both price and feel. If budget is a concern, printing on white or light-colored garments is the most economical choice.

Ready to Start?

If you're in the Bay Area and looking for screen printing in Oakland with real expertise behind every order, we'd love to hear about your project. Request a quote at oaklandishmade.com and we'll help you figure out the best path forward.