FAQ

1) Who are you?
I'm Jared Friedman. I play bass in a rock 'n' roll band and run Econo Graphics. I've been screenprinting t-shirts and posters for over a decade.

2) Do you design shirts, posters and record covers as well as print them? What if I want to have them printed by someone else?
Yes. And yes. You can check out the gallery for some examples of my work, as well as the work of some particuarly talented freelancers whom you can also hire through Econo. Rates are on a per-project basis, but they're pretty reasonable.

3) Do you create custom ink colors?
Yes. We can mix custom colors but cannot guarantee an exact match to any commercial color-matching system. That said, we will work extensively with clients to make sure the color is right. Custom colors are 10.00 each per order.

4) What's an ink change?
An ink change is when an image is printed in one color for one part of a production run, and in another color for another part. For instance, say that someone wants 50 black shirts with their logo printed in white and 50 white shirts with their logo printed in black - that's an ink change. They cost 10.00 per change.

5) What is your standard turnaround time for orders?
Generally, 7-10 business days from when we get finished artwork, but we can certainly do rush orders, and we don't necessarily charge extra for them (though we might have to if it's a squeeze). Let us know when you need your shirts, posters or packages, and we'll go from there, but be forewarned that the biggest obstacle to rush jobs is the availability of materials (specific shirt colors and sizes, for example). If you know what you're going to need, contact us as soon as you can, so we can put wheels in motion.

6) What formats do you accept art in?
Currently, anything supported by Photoshop - JPEG, GIF, PSD, PDF... email if you're unsure. Also, don't send bitmap files unless you're really, really certain they're set up right for screen printing.

7) How should I set up my artwork? Can you do it for me? And what does it cost if you do it?
Each image has to be separated into layers of colors, and any shading (photographs, for instance) has to be made into a halftone. In general, artwork that is "camera-ready" is already halftoned and/or broken down into single-color layers. But we can, of course, set any image up for printing. Simple stuff (like halftoning a photograph, or separating discrete color fields into layers) can be done for no additional charge. Complicated work (like breaking down a detailed full color or multi-colored image) may incur design fees. Email us if you're concerned - we can let you know very quickly what it will cost, if anything, or tell you how you can optimize it yourself.

8) What's this "number of colors" thing?
Screen printing is a process that breaks down an image into layers of different colors. Each screen is used to print a different color on the paper or shirt, so that when they're all printed on top of one another in a specific order, they come out as a coherent image. It's important to remember that only solid colors can be printed, though. If you have an image with varying shades of a color (like a photograph), it needs to be rendered into a pattern called a halftone.

9) What's this halftone thing?
A halftone is when an image made up of varying shades is broken down into a series of solid-color dots in order to be printable. For a good example, look at a black and white photograph in a newspaper very closely - you will see that it's a matrix of black dots printed on the white newsprint, which looks like a photograph to the eye at a normal distance.

10) I have a really detailed photograph. Can it be successfully printed as a halftone image on a t-shirt or poster?
That depends. Generally, large, high-contrast images print better than small, low-contrast ones. However, as part of the process of approving art for print, we send clients mockups of halftone work, so they can print them out and judge for themselves.

11) What types of ink do you print with?
We print posters and paper goods exclusively with water-based acrylic inks, and we print t-shirts with nifty inks called plastisols. Plastisols are essentially colored liquid PVC, which sets into a layer of solid plastic when heated to a certain temperature. The prints, once cured, are bright and highly durable.

12) Do you print on polyester or 50/50 shirts?
We prefer not to, given that 100% cotton is not only preferred by most consumers but also a heck of a lot easier to work with. Dyes used on polyester shirts have a nasty habit of sneaking into inks, which requires the use of special inks that are both more expensive and harder to use. But, if a client needs polyester shirts printed, we can do it.

13) What about ringer tees? Baseball jerseys? Do you print those, do they cost more than regular shirts, and what colors are available?
Yes, we print them, they cost a little more than regular shirts (though not too much more), and a wide number of colors and brands are available. Email for details.

14) How about other articles of clothing? Caps? Underpants? Tote bags? Can you print those for me?
Absolutely. Just shoot us an email and we'll send you back a quote.

15) I want t-shirts printed, but I already have the shirts; I just need the printing done. How much will that cost?
In general, subtract $2.00 a piece from the price on the list, but send us an email to discuss specifics.

16) Who made this wonderful web site for you?
This fine gentleman right here.

17) My question wasn't answered here - can I contact you?
Definitely. Use this form.