Off-the-edge printing uses the same method of screen printing but rather than placing images on the front or back of the garment, it is artistically placed to cover the hem or go over the garment’s seam so the image seems to trail off the edge of the shirt. It means in some cases only part of the image shows and it is a new option for custom printing in Singapore and elsewhere. It is a very popular option and a lot of streetwear, major clothing manufacturers and brands are using it.

How is it done?

It is possible to do off-the-edge printing in a few ways, 2 ways involve printing before manufacturing and 2 ways after.

Printing before

• Print then cut then sew – Where the design and style can go edge to edge this is the best and cleanest option for off-the-edge screen printing. The printing service website will print the design into a large fabric roll first and then cut it and sew it together.
• Cut then print then sew – This is similar to the above method but rather than printing then cutting, here the custom shirt printing service will cut first then print then sew. A lot of printers prefer this option.

Printing after

• Over a seam or off one edge – It is hard to screen print over the seams because you do not always get a perfect print result. The sean spreads and the image gets distorted and it gets worse the more prints the custom printing Singapore service does. You might see ink building up at the edges and imperfections on the shirt, but you also can see ink building up on the screen when then causes misprints on subsequent garments. Using this technique then slows the process down because the printer has to fix these issues as they go along.
• All over – If you want an image printed all over, the front or back and the seams then you need to find a custom shirt printing expert who has a specialised screen machine for all-over printing. It uses a giant screen and that is why it is called jumbo printing. It requires everything to be larger, screens, squeegees, platens, conveyor dryer, flash dryer and so on. It does lead to imperfections in the results because the movement involved in this printing on the back to the front of the shirt can lead to creases, smudges and such especially at the hem and seams. This one too has a build-up of ink at the edges. It is common to have the front not perfectly meet up with the back especially when you change sizes in shirts.

Conclusion

Off-the-edge screen printing is a great option for certain situations though bulk orders might start to show less perfect printing results and the more involved method means it might cost more than regular screen printing. If you want exact replications in every garment off the edge is not for you.