If you’re getting ready to plan a big family gathering this year, you can’t skip out on getting some custom-made family t-shirts or hats that everyone can rock together!
Even though you have tons to coordinate for such a big event like lodging, food, and activities, the good news is that you don’t have to sweat screen printing when done thoughtfully and with plenty of time in advance.
Continue reading through this guide as we touch on some tips that you can implement to create memorable screen-printed items for events like family reunions.
Choose a Quality Product
Whether you’re going to hire someone to do the screen printing or DIY them yourself, one of the most important things to keep in mind is choosing a product made from quality materials.
It doesn’t matter if you want to sport coordinating hats, shirts, or totes, everyone in the family will be happy to wear whatever item it is if it’s high quality. No one wants to wear a shirt that’s too thin or made from scratchy materials, so take the time to find items of good quality, even if it may cost you a little more.
Plus, when you’re buying the items in bulk, you’ll likely get a discounted price on them anyway.
Create a Killer Design
The next thing you’ll have to take care of is getting an awesome design that will make your family members actually want to wear the screen printed item!
Sometimes matching t-shirts or other apparel can come off as tacky or have a bad reputation, but with the right design that fits your family and the event that you’re hosting, you could end up with a hit on your hands.
If you don’t have an eye for design yourself, you can consider asking someone in the family who is more artistic, or create one using an online program.
DIY Screen Printing
Lastly, depending on what your budget is, or even your level of interest, you may consider doing the screen printing yourself!
Don’t let the sound of it intimidate you, it can actually be quite easy once you know how to do so properly.
You’ll first need to print your design with an inkjet printer onto transfer paper, which is one of the simplest methods for DIY screen printing. Because of how you’ll apply the design to the fabric, reverse the image on your computer before printing so it looks how you intended it.
Place the freshly-printed paper face down onto the fabric, then follow the instructions from the heat transfer paper packaging. In most cases, you’ll need a standard clothes iron on a low setting to transfer the image to the fabric. Then once you’ve peeled off the transfer paper and let the design dry, you’re done!
Keep in mind that this may take some time, so you may even want to recruit the help of other crafty family members for a fun activity of putting these custom shirts together.
Digital Screen Printing
To save time, there is also the option for digital screen burning. A digital screen printing company like Arena Prints makes it possible to print photographic quality @ 1200 dpi resolution. Traditional screens only accommodate up to 300 dpi. It may be worth noting that digital screen burns use no toxic chemicals in the process. The normal analog screen printing process uses mesh screens that tend to require flammable and sometimes toxic sprays + gallons of water to make each screen, so digital screen printing sounds like a more eco-friendly option.
By following each of these steps, you’ll have a solid set of matching t-shirts, bags, hats, and more for your upcoming family event. Remember, these are custom-made items, so they don’t have to be perfect! Everyone will enjoy the items for the hard work and creativity you put into making them.
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This article was written by Bailey Schramm.
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About Naif Productions:
Naif Productions is a strategic event planning, design and production firm specializing in corporate, live coaching sales events, social, non-profit, and weddings. Based in New York City, we produce events worldwide from Fortune 500 clients and coaches to families and charities. Naif Productions specializes in helping clients attain their goals, realize return on investment, and achieve the most unique, creative experiences.
About Annette Naif:
Since 1986 Annette Naif has been designing and producing custom events, helping clients create their unique style that translates into a memorable and profitable experience. Annette spent 17 years producing events in the motion picture industry where she helped coordinate numerous productions for film and episodic television programs. Since then Annette’s been running her own event production company, coaching other event planners, teaching an event operations and production course at NYU, and now is the CEO & Creative Director of Naif Productions.