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HISTORY OF SCREEN PRINTING & THE T-SHIRT

Skyward Impressions is a leader in screen-printing on apparel. Established over 28 years ago and located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Skyward Impressions has been serving customers in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area and is now shipping to anywhere in the United States. We take the time to talk with our customers to ensure their needs are met, receiving superior and personalized service. Check out our products and pricing! Skyward Impressions is here to help you get exactly what you want in a screen-printed shirt. And we guarantee we will get your merchandise to you on time.

The history of screen-printing and t-shirts is an interesting one. In general screen-printing is the process of forcing ink, by pressing with a squeegee, through the mesh of netting of a screen stretched, on a frame, onto the object to be printed. The nonprinting areas of the screen are protected by a mesh cutout stencil or by blocking the mesh areas. This process is also known as serigraphy. Historians are not certain where or how this process was discovered but the first modern form of this process originated in Europe about 1850. The first commercial use of the process in modern times seems to have been in the USA about the year 1911.

The T-Shirt is comfortable, casual and always in style. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the T-Shirt quickly became an American favorite. Now, a century later, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the T-Shirt remains popular.

During World War I, American troops noticed European soldiers wearing a comfortable and lightweight cotton undershirt during the hot European summer days. Compared to the wool uniforms, these undershirts were cool and they quickly caught on with the Americans. By the 1920's, "T-Shirt" became an official word in the American English language with its inclusion in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. By World War II, both the Navy and the Army had included the T-Shirt as standard issue underwear.

Athletic uniforms have been lettered and numbered since the mid 20's, and Sears started running ads for printed T-Shirts in their catalog in the early 50's. By 1955, James Dean made the T-Shirt real cool in "Rebel without a Cause" – making the T-Shirt a symbol of rebellious youth.

In the 60's people began to tie-dye and screen-print the basic cotton T-Shirt. Advances in printing and dying allowed more variety and the Tank Top, Muscle Shirt, Scoop Neck, V-Neck, and many other variations of the T-Shirt came in to fashion.

The T-Shirt was inexpensive, always in style, and could make any statement you cared to print. The T-Shirt came into its own during the late 60’s and 70’s. Rock and Roll bands began to realize that they could make significant amounts of money selling their screen-printed T-Shirts. Professional Sports caught on and soon the officially licensed screen-printed T-Shirt became hot merchandise. Skyward Impressions can screen-print t-shirts for any occasion; see our sample family reunion t-shirts, Christian t-shirts, company t-shirts, athletic team t-shirts, political campaign t-shirts, and more.

History has continued to smile on the T-Shirt, as during the 80's and 90's production of the screen-printed T-Shirt and the mechanics of screen-printing on them increased the volume and availability. Soon the T-Shirt was being called a commodity item in the apparel industry.

In the new millennium, the screen printed T-Shirt has entered cyberspace and is now about to become even bigger. The T-Shirt is a great product – well built and made to be worn. Screen-printed artwork has a fascinating history, and symbolizes the cultural and social climate of our times. Good screen-printing is state of the art, created by true craftspeople.


history of screen printing

 

Sweatshirt screen printing Hooded sweatshirts Athletic shirts Custom screen printing Tank tops Printed t-shirts Athletic team screenprinting Variety of apparel Screen printed polo shirts Athletic t-shirt printing Budget t-shirt printing Sweatshirt screenprinting Athletic tank top screenprinting

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Phone - 763.229.3623 | Toll Free - 877.786.9567 | Fax Toll Free - 866.239.5403
7340 Humboldt Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55444