At The Crackerjack Shack, our team has over 150 combined years of experience in creating high-quality screen printed apparel. Screen printing allows for a wide variety of designs and techniques to be used, meaning that the apparel for your organization or business can truly stand out from the crowd.
OUR SCREEN PRINTING PROCESS
For our screen printing process, we use a combination of polished art compositions, top-of-the-line technologies, and high quality inks to create the best image on your apparel. We also use a rigid production schedule for every screen printing project which helps us keep your project on target with your deadline. We quality check each piece of apparel at every stage in the process to ensure that all our customers receive the best products for their order.
WHAT SETS US APART
What sets The Crackerjack Shack apart from the other screen printing apparel companies in the Springfield, Missouri area? Here's what our customers value about doing business with us:
- Every shirt that goes out our door is individually folded and sorted by size, so you can easily distribute them. Yes...EVERY SHIRT! Whether your order consists of 50 pieces or 5,000, we make sure your order is organized in a neat, professional way so distribution is easy once your shirts arrive.
- We don't charge all of those annoying fees that most apparel companies charge. Yes, there is an occasional art charge or set up charge in specific instances, but those are rare. Our customers are appreciative of our straight-forward pricing strategies! When we quote your job, the price we quote per shirt, is the price you pay. No surprises!
- We deliver quality ON TIME - EVERY TIME! Sadly, the decorated apparel industry has a bad reputation for sacrificing quality and consistently missing deadlines. NOT US! We follow a very rigid production schedule, and we have an employee in charge of quality control at every stage of your project. It's important to us to EXCEED your expectations, and provide a quality product to you when you need it. You can count on us!
CONTACT THE CRACKERJACK SHACK TODAY!
With over 150 combined years of experience and thousands of satisfied customers, The Crackerjack Shack is proud to offer the latest trends in screen printed apparel. We have a huge repeat customer base, which is one of the best compliments a business can get. If you're in the market for screen printing services, take a look at some of our past designs or give us a call for a custom screen printing quote. We also offer custom embroidery and a number of other custom apparel services. Check out The Crackerjack Shack website for more information or contact our office to get started on your next apparel project!
HOW TO GET GREAT DESIGNS
Finding an apparel decorator with a talented art staff is very important. In fact, it is so important, we make sure we have multiple artists on staff at all times. We have won local, national, and international competitions with both our screen printing and embroidery artwork, so there is no need to fret about creating your own designs. It's safe to say that you can count on The Crackerjack Shack to deliver quality each and every time! We take your idea, and create artwork that is unique to your project, and in most cases, at no additional cost to you! Unlike most apparel decorators, we do not use clipart and then call it a design. We have artists on staff who can hand draw, artists who are experts with technical coloration, artists who excel with composition, and artists who can advise on what will and will not work for the screen printing or embroidery mediums. In short, we have the most experienced staff, which makes us the experts in the Springfield, Missouri area!
SCREEN PRINTING
Screen printing is definitely not an exact science! It is an art form that dates back to the Ancient Egyptians. The process hasn't changed that much, but the materials and techniques have been perfected over many, many years. Coordination between the screen printing department and the art department is crucial to creating a great print. It does no good to have great artwork and then pair that with the wrong screen mesh, the wrong ink viscosity, or the wrong printing sequence. The end result would be sub-par at best. We spare no expense on the materials and supplies that go into creating outstanding prints, and we also spend time educating our staff and our customers on what it takes to end up with truly professional screen printing.
Take a look at our current spirit stores to see what we've been creating. Feel free to contact us to talk about the art for your next project.
FILE FORMATS AND HOW THEY ARE USED
You may have heard screen printers talk about "vector" files or "camera ready artwork," but you may not be sure what these terms mean exactly. In simple terms, vector artwork can be scaled indefinitely and the image will look exactly like it did at its original dimensions. Images enlarged on a computer where each "pixel" or squared edge becomes visible is not vector, and will create very poor prints at the screen printing press. Working only with vector artwork allows us to enlarge small images to t-shirt size, or reduce large images to fit tiny newborn onesies - all while maintaining super sharp shapes and colors.
The best file format for any type of printing is .ai or .eps. These are vector files we can readily work with to help create your artwork. Another file format that is often vector is .pdf. It takes just a second to open these files to determine if they are vector or not.
So what if you only have .jpg or .bmp to send us - or you don't have any images at all? No worries! Our artists can take your idea and create the vector art needed for your project. We keep everything on file, and backed up off-site, so if you ever need these files for your own records, you can purchase them from us at a very affordable price.
HOW ART GOES FROM THE COMPUTER SCREEN TO YOUR SHIRTS
We use multiple steps and sophisticated software to get your ideas from concept to a finished product. Our highly trained art staff begins by creating your design, and then separates each color onto film positives. Once the film positives are created, we use a giant light box to burn the image on the film into a screen coated with light-sensitive emulsion. The design area of the film blocks the light from hitting the emulsion and is then washed away - leaving open areas in the screen that we can push ink through and onto a shirt! It all sounds very simple, but actually producing a perfect screen takes precise skill and extensive knowledge.
Here is the process in visual form. We'll use our logo an example of color separation.
HERE IS THE FULL-COLOR IMAGE AS YOU WILL SEE IT ON YOUR SHIRT.
HERE IS WHAT THE COLORS LOOK LIKE WHEN THEY ARE SEPARATED FOR EACH SCREEN NEEDED TO PRINT THE DESIGN.
Once the screens are created, it takes a skilled press operator to marry each color so that the final product is perfectly registered!
QUALITY SETS US APART
It is easy to tell good, quality screen printing from the amateur products created by unskilled print shops.
Texture
Quality screen printing should have a nice smooth texture. You should be able to gently stretch the print without cracking or separating the ink. There should be little to no texture to the ink itself, and the colors should be true to the ink swatch you used to select your ink color. Here are examples of what to watch out for when looking for a good print shop.
In the print above, you'll notice that the ink coverage is uneven and as the design tapers into the lower left corner, there is almost a grapefruit-peel texture to the print. Not good!
Underbase
Anytime you request a print on a dark garment, you should have a conversation with your printer about whether or not they use an underbase ink at the press. Most of today's ink is only semi-opaque at best, so laying down a layer of white ink first, creates a lighter palette for ink colors to show up as they are intended to be. We'll use our logo again as an example of what a design looks like with a white underbase and without one.
With an Underbase - Notice the bright, crisp colors!
Without an Underbase - Notice how dark and muddy the colors appear!
OURPRICING
At The Crackerjack Shack, we quote flat-fees for most of our apparel orders. All you need to do is tell us what you are looking for, and we will provide you with a quote. It’s as simple as that! Unlike many other companies, we don’t have any hidden or surprise add-on fees. You can be assured that our pricing is straightforward and honest, and you approve everything before we proceed. In rare cases, there may be an art charge or a setup charge, but this is very unlikely for the majority of our clients. If you have any additional questions about our pricing, please feel free to contact us at 417-751-9511.
WHY CHOOSE THE CRACKERJACK SHACK?
At The Crackerjack Shack, our dedication to top-quality products, our customer service, and our expertise in the custom decorated apparel industry, set us apart from any other t-shirt company in Springfield, MO. With countless years of experience, we can help you meet your custom apparel needs.
In addition, we can guarantee that your products will be delivered on time – when you need it. Unlike our competitors in the screen printing and embroidery industry, we can not only guarantee delivery of your products by your deadline, we can also provide you with a top-quality product that exceeds your expectations. Contact us today to become one of our hundreds of satisfied customers.
CONTACT US TODAY TO ORDER!
If you have been searching for an experienced and dedicated custom apparel company for your business or organization, look no further than The Crackerjack Shack. Our services include screen printing, embroidery, promotional products, and more. Contact a friendly team member with The Crackerjack Shack today at 417-751-9511 for a custom quote or to learn more about our products and services. We look forward to working with you!