Merchandise branding
Screen Printing in Nairobi
The most economical way to brand a large run. Ink pushed through a screen, one screen per colour, priced so the cost per piece falls as the quantity climbs.
Every job is quoted on its own specification, so there is no fixed price list. The sections below set out exactly what moves the cost, so you can send a brief we can price accurately the first time.
At a glance
Ink pushed through a mesh screen, one screen per colour. Unbeatable on cost once the quantity is high.
- Priced by
- Number of colours multiplied by quantity
- Worth knowing
- Set-up per colour makes small runs uneconomical
- Your own garments
- Welcome. Bring the items and we brand them
What we brand
Where screen printing is the right choice.
- Bulk t-shirt runs for campaigns and events
- Staff and team uniforms in volume
- Church, school and SACCO merchandise
- Political and awareness campaign wear
- Tote bags and aprons in quantity
- Any repeat order of the same design
What determines your price
No two screen printing jobs cost the same.
These are the factors that actually move the number on your quote. Knowing them up front means you can adjust the brief to hit a budget, instead of finding out after the fact.
Number of colours in the design
This is the dominant factor. Every colour needs its own screen, its own set-up and its own pass through the press. A one colour logo is dramatically cheaper to run than a five colour one, at any quantity.
Quantity
Screen set-up is a fixed cost that happens once per colour, no matter how many shirts follow. Spreading it over 500 pieces instead of 30 is what makes screen printing cheap in bulk, and it is why the cost per piece drops steeply as the order grows.
Number of print positions
Front and back are two separate runs, each with its own screens and set-up. A chest print plus a back print is effectively two jobs on the same garment.
Garment colour
Printing light ink onto a dark garment needs a white underbase printed first so the colours stay bright. That is an extra screen and an extra pass, so the same design costs more on black than on white.
Print size
Larger prints use more ink and need larger screens and more press time. An A3 back print costs more to run than a small left chest.
Ink type and finish
Standard plastisol covers most jobs. Water based and discharge inks give a softer feel, and puff, metallic and glow inks are specialty finishes. Each of these changes both the material cost and the handling.
Artwork separation
Artwork has to be separated into one layer per colour before screens can be made. Clean vector art separates quickly. Photographic or heavily blended art needs halftone or simulated process separation, which is more work and more screens.
Send us the details and we will price it exactly.
Because the cost depends on the combination above, we quote each job rather than publish a rate card that would be wrong for most orders. Tell us what you need and you will get a firm figure for your specification.
Artwork
What your files need to look like.
Getting this right first time saves a round of back and forth and keeps your job moving. If you are unsure, send what you have and we will check it before anything goes into production.
Vector artwork, colours separated
AI, EPS, PDF or SVG with each colour as its own clearly defined element. This is what makes screen output fast and accurate.
Use spot colours, not gradients
Screen printing lays down solid spot colours. Send Pantone references where you have them so we can mix to match. Gradients and soft fades have to be converted to halftone dots, which changes how the design looks.
Keep the colour count deliberate
Because every colour adds a screen, reducing a design from five colours to two is usually the fastest way to cut the cost of a large run without hurting the look.
Flag photographic designs early
Photographs can be screen printed using simulated process, but it needs many screens and careful set-up. If your design is photographic, heat transfer is often the better and cheaper route, and we will say so.
Honest fit
What screen printing does well, and where it does not.
We would rather point you at the right method than sell you the wrong one and reprint it later.
Strengths
- The lowest cost per piece of any method once quantity is high
- Very durable, with bright opaque colour that holds up to washing
- Excellent solid colour coverage, especially on dark cotton
- Consistent across hundreds of identical pieces
Limitations
- Set-up per colour makes short runs poor value
- Every extra colour adds real cost
- Photographic and gradient artwork is difficult and expensive
- Not practical when every piece needs a different name or number
Get a quote
Send us these and you will get a firm price.
You do not need all of it to start a conversation. Send what you have and we will tell you what else we need and flag anything that will not work before you commit.
- Your artwork, ideally vector with colours separated
- How many pieces
- How many colours are in the design
- Garment type and garment colour
- Which positions you want printed
- Roughly what size the print should be
Compare methods
Not sure this is the right one?
Heat Transfer & DTF
Artwork printed or cut, then heat pressed on. Full colour on any garment colour, with no screen set-up.
Read moreEmbroidery
Thread stitched into the fabric. The most durable and the most premium looking option for corporate wear.
Read moreCompare all methods
Side by side on what each one suits, how it is priced, and what to watch for.
Open the guideFAQs
Screen Printing questions
Why does screen printing cost more for small orders?
Before anything is printed, a screen has to be made for each colour in the design and the press has to be set up and aligned. That work costs the same whether you print twenty shirts or five hundred. On a large run it is spread thin, which is why screen printing gets cheaper per piece the more you order.
Does the number of colours really change the price that much?
Yes. Each colour is a separate screen, a separate set-up and a separate pass through the press. Going from one colour to four multiplies the preparation work. If a budget is tight, simplifying the design to fewer colours usually saves more than any other change.
Can you print photographs with screen printing?
It is possible using halftones or simulated process, but it needs a lot of screens and careful set-up, so it is rarely the economical choice. For photographic or full colour artwork we would normally recommend heat transfer printing instead.
Can I supply my own t-shirts for screen printing?
Yes. Send the garments or the exact product details in advance so we can confirm the fabric takes the ink properly, and so we can plan the print size against the garment.
