What is Flash in Screen Printing?

Have you ever seen a (ahem--cheaply made) screen printed shirt that starts peeling after a few washes? Well, shirts from EZ Corporate Clothing won't do that because we use a process called flashing. What is flashing? Let us explain.

Have you ever tried to paint a room that was already a bold color? Chances are you didn't paint a rich chocolate color over a flamingo pink. You probably first painted the flamingo pink wall white--maybe even using two coats--before doing your first coat of the chocolate brown. Not into home decorating? Say you wanted to dye your brunette hair a punk-rock pink. Would you put that pink dye straight on your chestnut tresses? Nope. For best results, you'd bleach your hair first.

Flashing is kind of like that coat of white paint or that bleached hair. We first print a white layer in the shape of your design before printing your desired color(s). This white paint or "flash" helps prevent peeling and fading of your design. We don't do this for all screen print orders though.

The most common reason we'd flash a garment is if you were printing a bold color on a dark shirt. Neon paints just about always need flashing. If you're going for a vintage look, we'd probably skip the flashing step. There's nothing you need to worry about though. Your EZ Corporate Clothing salesperson will know if your order requires a flash process.

Still have questions about the screen printing process? Give us a call at 1-877-304-1899 or email us at shop@ezcorporateclothing.com! -Michelle Giuseffi