My objective with this article is to give you the reader enough background information to hopefully be convinced you have landed on the website of the best option for t shirt printing in Sydney. Our business 24 Hour Merchandise is the result of an evolution from a large commercial contract printing business, Megaprint and a 90s start up, 24 Hour T-shirts. Since the early 80s, the business in its various forms has lead the market in Sydney and most significantly, offered Austraila's very first guaranteed Custom Tees in 24 hours. Our 24 hour printed t-shirt guarantee, launched in 1993 in a quarter page Yellow Pages ad, became a huge success! At the time DTG & DTF digital custom t-shirt printing did not exist so to make this amazing offer, in just 24 hours we had to create film positives, expose screens and screen print the order. When our customers found they could rely on purchasing Custom Tees in 24 hours, our phone began to ring non-stop. Over time we were asked if we could also offer custom printed hoodies, sweat shirts, polo shirts, bags and other merchandise which of course we agreed to. Later adding embroidery and digital t-shirt printing to our production branding processes, the business grew to offer all kinds of Custom Merchandise for the Sydney and greater Australian market. We now offer 4 kinds of T-shirt Printing: Screen Printing, DTF & DTG Digital Printing, and Vinyl Transfers. This page explains what they are and the Pros and Cons of each method and hopefully answers a number of the Frequently Asked Questions we are asked.
Traditional Screen Printing dates back to the 10th Century in China as a way to transfer designs onto fabric. Wikipedia Reference - Screen Printing It is the process of creating a stencil on an open mesh fabric stretched over a small frame made of wood or aluminium, laying that frame over the item to be screen printed, then with a rubber blade (squeegee) dragging the ink along the stencil surface to print through the stencil onto the item to be printed. Initially silk was used to make the open mesh fabric, hence the name silk screen printing, but in recent times printing technology has improved immensely where polyester thread is used to make the meshs used. In our factory we use no less than 8 different mesh counts to regulate the amount of ink transferring through the screen. A fun and rewarding printing technique we use to produce quality printing.
I the writer and founder of 24 Hour Merchandise, started my journey of t-shirt screen printing in the garage of my rented Dee Why unit back over the weekend of October 14, 1983, more than 40 years ago. Back then, with the money raised from selling one of my dirt bikes, I purchased a 4 colour screen printing carousel, a book on how to print t-shirts for fun & profit, and began t-shirt & garment printing services out of my garage. Self taught and getting up to speed with every printing technique and art printing technology, I travelled to Europe and the US to trade shows to expand my knowledge. As I explored all the advanced printing technologies and art printing methods, and my apparel printing shop grew, before long my custom printing company became Sydney's preferred choice for high-quality printing.
Where it all began. The image above was taken in late September 1983 and is of the Dee Why garage as I began my screen printing journey. In the foreground is my first 4 colour screen print carousel I bought from the proceeds of selling my dirtbike.
Since its launch, the business has thrived & struggled through many iterations of the Australian and Sydney custom t-shirt printing industry. At our peak, we created New South Wale's largest commercial apparel printing company, a bulk t-shirt printing Sydney based business with 3 automatic TAS screen printing machines, 3 x Baruden embroidery machines, employing over 30 staff, and developing award winning Sydney T shirt printing. Having managed the production of more than 20,000,000 printed t-shirts over a 40 year span, I have built up the expertise and knowledge for our distinctive team to have earnt more than 170 Google Reviews with a 5 Star average rating. Backed by this experience and with access to an extensive range of quality product, 24 Hour Merchandise has matured to become the No 1 resource for sourcing quality garments, and premium custom branded merchandise in Sydney and across Australia.
If your order has a 1 or 2 colour custom print or the quantity is in the many hundreds or thousands, the efficiency of these machines for larger production runs, makes this method the go-to solution.Having used automatic screen printing machines since the 1980s, we have the capicity, knowledge and expertise to to offer cost effective budget screen printing to match anyone.
To create a film positive and a screen for each colour of a design is labour intensive and expensive, so for a multi colour design the set up costs are high. For larger production runs the set up costs can be amortised over the larger quantity but from smaller production runs, say less than 100, often digital print solutions are the best choice.
The image above is an example of a screen printed t-shirt with a 4 colour print. Laid over the t-shirt to the side of the print are the film positives we created to screen print each colour. As you can see there are 4 of them, one for each colour. If you've heard the term colour separations, this is why they are also called this, there is a separate piece of film for each colour ink.
The image above from the mid 90s shows 2 x TAS 10 colour automatic screen printing machines in operation in our factory. Still the best option for bulk t-shirt printing today.
Digital Printing, otherwise known as DTG or DTF digital transfers has a no-minimum printing limit. With these advanced printing techniques we now have the ability to produce affordable t-shirt printing in ones and twos with no hidden costs. Being able to offer the most complex creative prints and multi coloured design in exceptional quality at a competitive price for lower order quantities, has revolutionised the custom t-shirt printing operations of every producer of custom tees.
In our Marrickville based factory, we have built a dedicated climate controlled digital room with 2 printers, a Brother GTX and an Epson 2160 machine. Armed with the best digital art printing machines, this type of cutting edge technology, an established custom t-shirt screen printing company like ourselves can now add to our offer a wide range of personalised t-shirts for speedy delivery with no-minimum order quantity. For this process, gone are the days of waiting 3-5 business days or 7-10 business days. On our industry leading e-commerce website, you can now choose your preferred item, enter the sizes required and with our online designer tool upload your digital design, then simply checkout. From that point our expert team will process your order quickly and efficiently. You can reliably have your order with an amazing print next day for pick-up or express overnight delivery by Startrack or Australia Post.
These days the majority of the work we do is DTF rather than DTG. The machines we use were originally designed for digital printing direct to the shirt surface, Direct to Garment (DTG), but this technique was limited to only work well for a 100% cotton shirt. With the evolution of Direct to Film (DTF) techniques, with the same machinery the image is reverse printed onto film first, then backed with a versatile glue powder, then heat pressed to the product surface and the film removed. Under heat and pressure the glue melts and bonds the printed ink to the fabric surface. This is the closest t-shirt printers have come to a true 'Print-on-Demand' capability. The benefits of this method are that the glue powder easily bonds not only to a 100% cotton shirt, but to all kinds fabric blends. This technique of producing photographic and multi colour transfers to order, opens the realms of possibility to a cost effective and eye catching way to apply creative designs to our entire range of styles of business and casual wear.
For small orders and multi-colour designs with this method there is a huge saving in set up costs, but the production process is still quite labour intensive. For larger production runs, say over 100 pcs, the extra labour involved can make this method quite pricey compared to the efficiencies of the automatic sccreen printinng machines.
The image above is an actual photo of our climate controlled, dedicated digital print HQ in Marrickville, Sydney's Inner West. Launched over 5 years ago, this section has grown steadily to become an integral part of our business, further enabling our promise of printed t shirts in 24 hours, and on many occasions same day t shirt printing.
Vinyl transfers, also known as Vinyl Printing comes in two main types: heat transfer vinyl (HTV) and adhesive vinyl (ATV). HTV is designed to be applied with heat and is the process we sometimes use to apply a design to fabric, while adhesive vinyl comes with a sticky backing for easy application, it is more suited to hard objects, not apparel.
To apply heat transfer vinyl (HTV) to fabric, first, we cut the design using a vinyl cutter. Then, weed out (remove) the excess vinyl, leaving only the design on the carrier sheet. Preheat the fabric on a heat press, place the design onto the fabric, cover with a thin cloth or silicon sheet, and press with a heat press set to the appropriate temperature for about 15-20 seconds. Carefully peel off the carrier sheet to reveal the transferred design.
Adhesive vinyl (ATV) is a process usually not used as a fabric printer, more for smaller harder objects, like a promotional giveaway. First, cut the image using a vinyl cutter. Weed the excess vinyl and transfer the design onto transfer tape. Press down firmly and then carefully peel off the transfer tape to leave the image in place on the item.
As this process is very labour intensive, it is best suited to small fidly orders, certainly not bulk t-shirt printing.
The only benefit for Vinyl Transfers these days is if you are looking for a super heavy and robust choice of printing methods on your garment e.g. sports numbers.
As DTF has developed, vinyl transfers are being used less and less as an option. The weeding of the unwanted vinyl is very time consuming. Unless you especially want a heavy super robust image, DTF is usually now a better option.
The left photo above is of a Sabco Vinyl Transfer being pressed onto a green polo shirt back on a heat press and the right photo is of a selection of black and white vinyl sports number transfers
With our long history of high-quality printing, and our inhouse Sydney T shirt Printing production facilities & centrally located print HQ, we are set up and have the expertise to deliver the ultimate in Customer Service, Customer Satisfaction & Competitive Pricing. With our goal of Quick Response in Budget Screen Printing and with our Digital Print Process, High Quality Award-Winning T-shirt Printing in record order turnaround times is simply business-as-usual for us.
We offer 3 distinct production turnaround options.
In t shirts there is a huge range of great products available in the Australian Market. Australia would have to be one of the garment printing capitals of the world.
Just about every item we offer can be custom embroidered, screen printed or digitally printed and delivered within 2 weeks. On our website, at the bottom of all product pages, we provide links to all the most popular online catalogues. From here if the style you choose is not available, simply send us a quote request and our dedicated customer service team will quickly and happily quote and advise on the best method for affordable pricing.
With our in-house automatic 10 Colour Screen Print machines, the 2 week production time includes even the large bulk orders.
Do you have a tight deadline and require some custom printed t shirts & merchandise ready in 3-4 days? Our ready in 3-4 days range is a range of product in stock and on the shelf ready for quick order turnaround. This range is mainly ordered by customers who on a Monday or Tuesday find they have the a need for some Custom Merchandise at an affordable price by Friday of the same week.
In a jam and need some custom printed t shirts & merchandise ready tomorrow? When this iteration of our business first launced in 1993, with a quarter page ad in the Yellow Pages, we were the original and first with the offer 'Guaranteed 24 Hour custom t-shirt printing Sydney'
Since then our competitors, other Australian & especially the Sydney t-shirt printers, had no choice but to match us in delivery time, and with the evolution of Digital advanced printing technologies, the technology has caught up with the promise. What do they say, the best flattery is immitation!
As mentioned above our Customer Service Team have earned a Google reputaion to be proud of with now more than 170 x 5 Star Google Reviews. Our approach is twofold
First: Provide the latest in web technology including an advanced online design tool, which provides an easy to use online Design Studio to upload custom designs or design custom t-shirts and a broad range of custom products upon, including hoodies, sweatshirts, polo shirts, business apparel, active wear, even custom uniform printing. Providing a huge array of design options on all forms of apparel printing.
Second: None of this advanced online technology is any use to you if you don't have access to a friendly and helpful business professional well versed in all techniques.
We pride ourselves on blending the latest IT with good old fashioned responsive customer service. So if you want some advice on cost savings, clothing brands, athletic wear, tight delivery dates, even same day delivery, or assistance in ttracking down your preferred styles, we have the solution to make customised clothing simple and your event memorable. For any sports event, charity events, internal events, shirts for sports teams, small business uniforms for your new business venture, or big business uniforms, we are genuinely here to help and exceed your expectations.
Get in touch now and let us help make your merchandise wishes come true
Written by: Kenneth Swan, Founder of 24 Hour Merchandise
Last update: 19/12/2023
