Blog
Notes on printing, embroidery, and running a shop in Vancouver, WA.
Chances are you stumbled across our page looking for SCREEN PRINTING NEAR ME. Look no further than Opakescreenprinting. We specialize in producing high-volume orders with a quick turnaround time, so whether you need custom t-shirts for your sports team or company, we have you covered. Additionally, we use water-based inks, which not only produce vibrant, long-lasting colors but are also environmentally friendly. Our team of experienced graphic designers can assist you with creating custom designs that perfectly capture your brand or personal style. If you’re in the business of selling custom apparel, we also offer contract printing services to help you meet the demands of your customers. Choose Opake Screen Printing for all your t-shirt printing needs, and experience the highest level of quality and service.
When searching for TSHIRT PRINTING NEAR ME, there are a ton of options. At Opake Screen Printing, we take pride in our state-of-the-art equipment and experienced staff, which enable us to produce high-volume orders with exceptional quality and efficiency. Our advanced machinery allows us to handle orders of all sizes, whether you need 100 items or 10,000 plus. Our staff has the expertise to streamline the printing process, ensuring that every garment is printed accurately and consistently. From the moment you place your order, our team works tirelessly to deliver your products on time, without compromising on quality. Trust us to handle your high-volume order needs, and experience the best in custom apparel printing.
Contract screen printing is a great option for businesses and individuals who need high-quality custom apparel without the hassle of printing it themselves. With contract printing, you provide the print-ready artwork and garments, and we take care of the rest. At Opakescreenprinting, we specialize in contract screen printing services, providing top-quality printing services for customers across a variety of industries. You handle your customers needs, and leave the printing to us! Reach out today to get our contract pricing and our contract guidelines!
In a competitive market, branding is one of the highest-leverage investments a business can make. A well-designed brand — a memorable logo, consistent messaging, a clear identity — helps you stand out, builds trust with customers, and drives long-term growth.
Define your brand identity. Start by getting clear on your values, your mission, and who you're actually trying to reach.
Create a memorable logo. Your logo is the visual anchor of your brand — work with a designer who can translate your identity into something distinctive and lasting.
Keep your messaging consistent. From your website to your business cards to your apparel, consistency is what makes a brand feel established rather than scattered.
Invest in professional design. Good design communicates quality before a customer reads a single word.
Stay active where your customers are. Social platforms are a powerful way to reinforce your brand identity consistently over time.
Branding your company right from the start pays off — and it's exactly the kind of work our in-house design team helps Vancouver, WA businesses do every day.
Common plastic-based inks and water-based inks are not created equal. Plastisol ink is often easier to use for mass production, but water-based ink has real benefits that are hard to ignore — it's easier to clean up, more affordable than it used to be, and better for the environment.
Water-based ink contains no PVC resin or plasticizer, and unlike plastisol, it doesn't release aromatic hydrocarbons or harsh chemical compounds into the air. That makes it safer both for the planet and for the person doing the printing.
Water-based ink isn't perfect — proper procedures for processing, storing, and disposing of it still matter. But for shops and brands willing to do it right, it's one of the most responsible choices in the printing industry, and it's a big part of why we build our process around it at Opake.
In March, Opake had to change gears fast. A friend asked us about cutting material with our sign plotters to make face shields — so within a week, we'd turned part of the shop into an assembly line for PPE. We invested over $1,000 in materials and shipped out more than 500 emergency face shields to front-line workers dealing with a shortage.
We started with cold calls — the local sheriff's office, small health clinics, retirement communities, dentist offices. Not only did it help move face shields to the people who needed them, it drove new traffic to the shop.
Moving forward, we shifted to taking all orders online, offering local delivery with safe distancing, and dropshipping physical samples on request. We also changed our marketing to highlight our favorite local spots — restaurants, coffee shops, breweries — tagging them in posts and giving them content to share. It brought attention to businesses we love and brought new clients to us in return.
It was a hard stretch for everyone, but it reminded us what being part of this community actually means: showing up for each other, even when the plan changes overnight.
There's a lot of irony behind the phrase "history repeats itself" when it comes to water-based ink. This style of ink was popular in the textile industry back in the 80s, and printers really had to master their craft to work with it well.
Water-based ink isn't a "set it and forget it" kind of ink. In low-humidity environments, it can dry out on the screen fairly quickly. Once plastisol ink came along, it was more enticing to shops because jobs could sit on press and be picked back up later. But water-based ink has its place — it's been reformulated over the years to print with more ease and vibrancy.
Like plastisol, water-based ink sits into the garment, though it prints thinner, more breathable, and softer to the touch. Discharge printing is a related option: it can achieve that vintage, worn-in look, but it comes with production complexities and an additive that makes it a less environmentally friendly choice.
So which is right for you? Ask yourself what you're trying to achieve. Want a breathable print for something you'll wear while active? Want a thicker, more opaque look? At Opake, we perfected our craft with water-based ink, and it's what we live by.
Like most things in screen printing, there's no single right answer when it comes to ink style. Two of our most popular water-based options — SuperSoft and Bold — are both water-based inks with some subtle differences in the final print.
Bold is a high-opacity water-based ink that creates a slightly thicker print with a bit of hand-feel to it, resulting in an exceptionally vibrant print across all colors and fabric types.
SuperSoft is a heavier, more durable water-based ink that sits on top of the shirt for exceptional vibrancy without cracking or fading — but because it actually dyes into the fabric rather than sitting on top, you won't feel the print on the shirt at all.
Not sure which is the right fit for your project? Get in touch and we'll help you make the right call.