Screen Printing Kingston - Custom T-Shirts & Apparel
Kingston's Screen Printing Experts - High-Quality Custom Apparel for Teams, Events & Businesses
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How It Works
Getting custom screen printing for Kingston is easy! Just 3 simple steps.
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Browse t-shirts, hoodies, polos, hats, and more from Gildan, Bella+Canvas, Next Level, and Champion.
Add Your Design
Upload your logo or artwork. Choose your screen printing colours. Get free design help from our expert team.
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We screen print and ship to Kingston in 10 business days. Rush delivery available in 5-7 business days.
Takes less than 5 minutes to design and order
Popular Products for Screen Printing in Kingston
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See What Kingston Customers Say About Our Screen Printing
Ordered 150 screen printed shirts for our downtown Kingston brewery. Vibrant 3-colour prints that our customers love. We reorder every season and quality is always excellent.
Screen printed Kingston Frontenacs fan shirts for game nights at the Leon Centre. Blue and gold colours that really pop. Durable prints that last the entire OHL season.
We outfit 15+ minor hockey teams with screen printed warm-up shirts every season. Consistent quality across hundreds of shirts and great bulk pricing for Kingston families.
Screen printing 400+ volunteer shirts for the Kingston Canadian Film Festival was seamless. Soft water-based prints comfortable for the long festival weekend. Second year ordering.
Faculty and club shirts for Queen's University engineering students. Crisp screen printing on premium Bella+Canvas blanks. Professional results every time.
Staff shirts for Fort Henry events and historic site tours. Professional screen printing quality with heritage-appropriate designs. Outstanding service and fast turnaround.
Soccer supporter gear for our Kingston club. Bold screen printing colours that hold up through the entire outdoor season. Great value on our group order.
Corporate polo shirts for Kingston Chamber of Commerce events. Professional quality and exact Pantone brand colour matching. T-Shirt Elephant delivered perfectly.
Gym shirts for CrossFit Kingston that handle intense workouts. Bold screen printing that does not fade or crack after hundreds of washes. Excellent value.
School spirit wear for multiple Limestone District schools. Great bulk screen printing pricing and consistent quality across all orders. The schools love the results.
Ordered 150 screen printed shirts for our downtown Kingston brewery. Vibrant 3-colour prints that our customers love. We reorder every season and quality is always excellent.
Screen printed Kingston Frontenacs fan shirts for game nights at the Leon Centre. Blue and gold colours that really pop. Durable prints that last the entire OHL season.
We outfit 15+ minor hockey teams with screen printed warm-up shirts every season. Consistent quality across hundreds of shirts and great bulk pricing for Kingston families.
Screen printing 400+ volunteer shirts for the Kingston Canadian Film Festival was seamless. Soft water-based prints comfortable for the long festival weekend. Second year ordering.
Faculty and club shirts for Queen's University engineering students. Crisp screen printing on premium Bella+Canvas blanks. Professional results every time.
Staff shirts for Fort Henry events and historic site tours. Professional screen printing quality with heritage-appropriate designs. Outstanding service and fast turnaround.
Soccer supporter gear for our Kingston club. Bold screen printing colours that hold up through the entire outdoor season. Great value on our group order.
Corporate polo shirts for Kingston Chamber of Commerce events. Professional quality and exact Pantone brand colour matching. T-Shirt Elephant delivered perfectly.
Gym shirts for CrossFit Kingston that handle intense workouts. Bold screen printing that does not fade or crack after hundreds of washes. Excellent value.
School spirit wear for multiple Limestone District schools. Great bulk screen printing pricing and consistent quality across all orders. The schools love the results.
Everything You Need to Know About Screen Printing in Kingston
Kingston's trusted screen printing partner since 2012
Screen printing Kingston is the gold standard for producing durable, vibrant custom apparel in bulk quantities. Kingston — the Limestone City — sits at the confluence of Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, and the Rideau Canal, and its rich heritage as a military garrison town and university hub has shaped a community with deep roots in tradition, education, and service. From Queen's University departments outfitting thousands of students for Homecoming weekend to Royal Military College (RMC) units ordering precision-branded parade gear, from Princess Street shop owners creating branded merchandise to waterfront tourism operators preparing for another busy season on the 1000 Islands, screen printing delivers consistent, professional results that outlast every other decoration method at scale. Whether you need 24 t-shirts for a campus club or 500 pieces for a Kingston waterfront festival, this method is built for the job.
How Screen Printing Works
Screen printing uses a fine mesh screen stretched over a frame, with a stencil (called an emulsion) blocking areas where ink should not pass through. Ink is pushed through the open areas of the mesh using a squeegee, depositing a precise layer of colour directly onto the fabric. Each colour in your design requires its own screen. After printing, the garment passes through a conveyor dryer that heat-cures the ink at approximately 320°F, bonding it permanently to the fabric fibres. This heat-curing process is what gives screen printed apparel its legendary durability — prints that hold up through Kingston's bitter Lake Ontario winters, humid summers, and everything in between, wash after wash without fading or cracking.
Why Screen Printing Is the Industry Standard
Screen printing has been the dominant method for custom screen printing on apparel for over 50 years — and for good reason. The ink sits on top of the fabric in a thick, opaque layer that produces colours far more vibrant than digital printing methods. Pantone colour matching ensures your brand colours are reproduced exactly, print after print — a critical requirement for Kingston's universities, military institutions, and growing roster of professional businesses that maintain strict brand guidelines. At higher quantities, the per-unit cost drops significantly because the major expense is screen setup — once the screens are made, each additional print costs only pennies in ink and labour. This is why screen printing Kingston organizations rely on this method for everything from Queen's Gaels spirit wear to RMC regimental merchandise and downtown Kingston retail branding.
When to Choose Screen Printing
Screen printing is the ideal choice when you are ordering 12 or more pieces with a design that uses 1 to 8 spot colours. It excels at bold logos, text-based designs, and graphic artwork with clean edges. If your design uses fewer than 8 colours and your order quantity exceeds two dozen pieces, screen printing will almost always be the most cost-effective and durable option available. For Kingston's massive student population — where bold tricolour designs, residence crests, and faculty logos dominate campus life at Queen's — screen printing produces the vivid, long-lasting results that students, clubs, and athletic teams demand on their apparel year after year.
Screen Printing in Kingston
Kingston businesses, sports teams, schools, and organizations have relied on screen printing Kingston services from T-Shirt Elephant since 2012. From the historic limestone buildings lining Princess Street and the bustling waterfront district to the Queen's University campus, CFB Kingston, and the surrounding communities of Amherstview, Gananoque, and Napanee, our in-house production facility handles orders for customers across the entire Kingston region. Every order is printed locally and quality-checked before it ships — no outsourcing, no middlemen. Kingston is a city built on heritage, discipline, and academic excellence, and our team delivers the same standard of quality on every print. With Kingston's strategic location between Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal along the Highway 401 corridor, customers also benefit from fast, affordable shipping on every order.
Choosing the right decoration method is one of the most important decisions for any custom screen printing project. Each method has distinct strengths, and the best choice depends on your order quantity, design complexity, and the type of garment you are printing on. Here is how the three main methods compare for Kingston customers — whether you are a Queen's student club printing orientation week shirts, an RMC unit ordering parade apparel, or a 1000 Islands tourism operator producing branded gear for another busy season.
Screen Printing Advantages
Screen printing Kingston is unmatched for bulk orders. It delivers the most vibrant, opaque colours on both light and dark garments. The ink is thick and durable — it will not crack, peel, or fade for the lifetime of the garment when properly cured. Screen printing is most cost-effective at quantities of 24 or more pieces and works best with designs using 1 to 8 spot colours. It is the preferred method for team uniforms, corporate staff apparel, event t-shirts, and promotional merchandise across Kingston, Amherstview, Gananoque, and the wider Frontenac County region. Military units at CFB Kingston and RMC ordering hundreds of branded training shirts consistently choose screen printing for its toughness and per-unit value.
DTG Printing Advantages
Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing uses inkjet technology to spray water-based ink directly into the fabric. It produces full-colour, photographic-quality prints with a soft hand feel. DTG is ideal for small orders of 1 to 23 pieces where screen printing setup costs would make the per-unit price too high. Kingston artists selling at the Memorial Centre craft markets, Princess Street boutiques prototyping merch concepts, and Queen's University student clubs ordering limited-edition designs all benefit from DTG's low minimum quantities. However, DTG prints do fade slightly over repeated washing and are less vibrant on dark garments compared to screen printing.
Embroidery Advantages
Embroidery stitches your design directly into the fabric using commercial thread, creating a textured, premium finish that communicates quality and professionalism. It is the top choice for corporate logos on polos, jackets, and hats. Embroidery is extremely durable and will not fade or crack. It works at any quantity — from a single executive polo to 500 staff uniforms for Kingston Health Sciences Centre or a regiment at RMC. Kingston's military community, healthcare sector, and professional services firms frequently choose embroidery for its polished, distinguished appearance on corporate and institutional apparel.
| Method | Best For | Min. Qty | Durability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Printing | 24+ pieces, 1-8 colours | 12 recommended | Excellent — lasts garment lifetime |
| DTG Printing | 1-23 pieces, full colour | 1 piece | Good — fades slightly over time |
| Embroidery | Logos, polos, hats | 1 piece | Excellent — permanent |
Our Recommendation for Kingston
For most Kingston orders — corporate staff apparel, team uniforms, event shirts, and promotional giveaways — screen printing offers the best combination of durability, vibrancy, and value. If you need a small run of full-colour prints, DTG is your best option. For premium corporate branding on polos and outerwear, embroidery is the way to go. Many of our Kingston clients combine methods — screen-printed Homecoming event shirts paired with embroidered staff polos for year-round university department wear. Not sure which method fits your project? Contact us with your artwork and quantity, and we will recommend the most cost-effective approach.
Understanding screen printing Kingston pricing is straightforward once you know how costs are structured. Unlike some shops that bury fees in fine print, T-Shirt Elephant provides transparent, all-inclusive quotes with no hidden charges. Your total cost depends on three main factors: the blank garment, the number of ink colours, and your order quantity. Kingston customers — from Queen's University student clubs working within tight budgets to large military institutions processing orders through formal procurement — appreciate our clear, upfront pricing structure.
How Screen Printing Pricing Works
Screen printing pricing is based on the number of colours in your design and the number of print locations on the garment. Each colour requires a separate screen to be created — this is a one-time setup cost that gets spread across your entire order. The more pieces you order, the lower the per-unit setup cost becomes. Additional print locations (front, back, sleeve) each require their own set of screens, which adds to the total cost. The blank garment cost is added on top of the printing fee. For Kingston organizations ordering matching sets for multiple departments or units — like Queen's University faculties coordinating across campus or CFB Kingston units outfitting multiple platoons — consolidating into a single order unlocks better pricing across the board.
Volume Discounts
Our custom screen printing pricing includes built-in volume breaks that reward larger orders. At 24 pieces, you begin to see meaningful savings compared to smaller runs. At 48 pieces, the per-unit cost drops further. Orders of 72+ pieces unlock our mid-volume pricing tier, and at 144+ pieces, you receive our best bulk rates. These volume breaks apply to all garment types — t-shirts, hoodies, tank tops, and long sleeves — for customers across Kingston, Amherstview, Gananoque, Napanee, and the wider Frontenac County region. University clubs with tight budgets can pool orders across multiple residences or faculties to hit higher quantity tiers and maximize their per-unit savings.
Example Price Calculation
Here is a real-world example: 50 Gildan 5000 t-shirts with a 2-colour front print will cost approximately $8-10 per shirt, including the blank garment and printing. A single-colour print on the same order would be even less. Adding a 1-colour back print would add approximately $2-3 per shirt. These prices are competitive with — and often lower than — other screen printing Kingston providers because we produce everything in-house with no outsourcing or middleman markups. Kingston's position along the Highway 401 corridor between Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal means shipping is fast and affordable.
Get a Free Quote
Every project is unique, and we are happy to provide a detailed, no-obligation quote for your Kingston order. Simply send us your artwork (or even a rough sketch), tell us the garment you want, the number of pieces, and the number of colours — and we will have a quote back to you within 24 hours. There are no setup fees on reorders, and we store your screens for future use at no charge. For military, university, and institutional clients across Kingston, we can provide formal quotes compatible with standard procurement processes and purchase order workflows.
The garment you choose for your screen printing Kingston project has a direct impact on print quality, comfort, and overall value. Kingston's four-season climate demands versatility — from heavyweight hoodies for walking the Queen's campus in a January windchill to lightweight tees for summer festivals along the waterfront. As a university town, hoodies are king in Kingston — students live in them from September through April, and they are the single most popular garment category we print for the Kingston market. T-Shirt Elephant carries hundreds of blank styles from the industry's top brands, and our production team knows exactly which fabrics take ink best for every season in the Limestone City.
Budget-Friendly Options
The Gildan 5000 is the workhorse of the custom screen printing industry. This 5.3 oz 100% cotton t-shirt is available in over 60 colours, prints beautifully, and is the most affordable blank on the market. It is the go-to choice for event giveaways, promotional shirts, and large-volume orders across Kingston. Queen's student clubs ordering hundreds of orientation week shirts, RMC cadets producing squadron t-shirts, and Kingston tourism operators printing summer staff uniforms consistently choose the Gildan 5000 for its reliability and value. For a slightly lighter option, the Gildan 64000 SoftStyle offers a more modern fit at a similar price point.
Premium Retail-Feel Options
When you want your screen printed apparel to look and feel like something from a retail store, the Bella+Canvas 3001 is the top choice. This 4.2 oz combed ringspun cotton tee has a soft, smooth surface that produces sharp prints with a premium hand feel. It is the preferred blank for Kingston brands, merch lines, and any project where the shirt itself needs to impress — from Princess Street boutique collections to independent artist merchandise sold at Kingston's markets and festivals. The Next Level 3600 is another excellent premium option with a slightly heavier weight and ultra-soft CVC blend.
Hoodies and Sweatshirts
Kingston is a hoodie town. With Lake Ontario winds howling across campus and temperatures dropping well below freezing for months at a time, hoodies are essential gear for Queen's students, RMC cadets, and Kingston residents from October through April. The Gildan 18500 is Kingston's most popular hoodie for screen printing — it is an 8 oz 50/50 blend that handles the bitter cold coming off the lake while providing a smooth print surface for bold tricolour Queen's designs and custom graphics. For a premium hoodie, the Champion S700 and Bella+Canvas 3719 offer a softer feel and more modern fit. Crewneck sweatshirts like the Gildan 18000 are popular for residence floors, intramural teams, and faculty groups across Kingston's campuses.
Polos and Corporate Wear
For corporate uniforms and professional settings, Kingston businesses and institutions frequently order screen-printed or embroidered polos. The Gildan 8800 DryBlend polo is a budget-friendly option for staff uniforms, while the Port Authority K500 provides a more tailored, upscale look for client-facing roles. Kingston's healthcare sector — anchored by Kingston Health Sciences Centre — its government offices, military operations at CFB Kingston, and the city's growing hospitality and tourism industry all rely on branded polos to maintain a consistent, polished image across staff. We also carry performance polos with moisture-wicking fabrics, ideal for Kingston's tourism and hospitality workers during the busy summer season along the waterfront and through the 1000 Islands.
Printing on dark-coloured garments requires a different approach than printing on white or light-coloured fabrics. If you have ever seen a faded, dull print on a black t-shirt, the shop likely skipped a critical step. At T-Shirt Elephant, we use professional underbase techniques to ensure every screen printing Kingston order on dark garments comes out vibrant, opaque, and long-lasting — whether you are printing Kingston Frontenacs blue and gold fan gear or Queen's tricolour designs on dark navy and black apparel.
The Underbase Technique
When printing on dark fabrics, we first lay down a white ink base layer (called an underbase) before printing your design colours on top. This white layer acts as a primer — it blocks the dark fabric colour from showing through and gives the top colours a bright, clean surface to sit on. Without an underbase, colours like red, yellow, and gold would appear muddy and translucent on a black or navy garment. The underbase is what separates professional screen printed apparel from amateur work, and it is especially critical for Kingston sports teams and university groups that need exact colour matching on dark garments — like the Queen's tricolour (red, gold, and blue) rendered with precision on a dark navy hoodie that students will wear proudly across campus and beyond.
Colour Vibrancy on Dark Fabrics
With a properly applied underbase, your design colours will appear nearly as vibrant on a black t-shirt as they do on a white one. Our production team calibrates ink opacity and underbase coverage for each design to ensure maximum colour pop. Bright whites stay crisp, reds stay bold, and golds stay true — even after dozens of washes. This level of colour accuracy is especially important for screen printing Kingston customers who need to match specific brand or team colours on dark apparel, from the Frontenacs blue and gold to Queen's tricolour, RMC scarlet and navy, and the precise Pantone values that Kingston corporate brands and healthcare institutions require across all printed materials.
Cost Considerations
The underbase counts as an additional colour in your print, which means a 2-colour design on a dark garment technically requires 3 screens (1 underbase + 2 design colours). This adds a small amount to the per-unit cost compared to the same design on a white garment. However, the cost difference is minimal on larger orders because the screen setup fee is spread across more pieces. We always factor the underbase into our quotes so there are no surprises — Kingston customers receive fully transparent pricing whether they are ordering on light or dark garments.
Popular Dark Garments in Kingston
Black is by far the most popular garment colour for screen printing Kingston orders — followed by navy, charcoal, dark heather, and forest green. Queen's students overwhelmingly favour dark navy hoodies printed with the iconic tricolour crest, while Kingston Frontenacs fans order black and blue gear to match the team's colour scheme. RMC units frequently request dark garments with scarlet and gold accents for squadron and regimental apparel. Corporate and professional clients across Kingston favour navy and charcoal polos for their polished, authoritative appearance. Dark hoodies are a winter staple across Queen's campus and throughout the city, and custom-printed dark tees are the default for concert merchandise at venues like the Grand Theatre and the Ale House. Whatever dark colour you choose, our underbase process guarantees your design will stand out with professional-grade vibrancy.
One of the most common questions we receive from Kingston customers is how the number of colours in a design affects the screen printing process and cost. Understanding multi-colour printing helps you make smarter design decisions that balance visual impact with budget — whether you are ordering 24 event tees for a Queen's Homecoming tailgate or 500 promotional shirts for a Kingston waterfront festival. Kingston's university clubs and sports teams often have multi-colour crests and logos, so knowing how colour count works helps optimize those designs for the best print value.
How Multi-Colour Printing Works
In custom screen printing, each colour in your design requires its own screen. A 1-colour logo uses one screen, a 3-colour design uses three screens, and so on. During production, each screen is loaded onto a separate station of our rotary press. The garment rotates from station to station, receiving one colour at a time in precise sequence. Registration — the alignment of each colour layer — is critical for sharp, professional results. Our automated presses maintain registration accuracy within 1/1000th of an inch across entire production runs. For screen printing Kingston orders with detailed university crests, military insignias, and multi-colour team logos, this precision ensures every line and colour lands exactly where it should.
Spot Colour vs Process Colour
Spot colour printing uses pre-mixed Pantone inks to produce exact, solid colours — this is the standard approach for logos, text, and graphic designs with defined colour areas. Process colour (CMYK) printing uses four halftone screens (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) to simulate a full spectrum of colours, similar to how a magazine is printed. Most screen printing Kingston orders use spot colours for the best vibrancy and brand accuracy. Queen's University, RMC, and Kingston's institutional clients particularly benefit from Pantone spot colour matching, which ensures their official brand colours are reproduced with absolute precision across every printed piece — critical when institutional identity standards are strictly enforced.
Halftone and Gradient Effects
Halftone printing uses tiny dots of varying sizes to create the illusion of gradients, shading, and tonal transitions within a single ink colour. This technique allows a 2-colour design to appear as though it uses many more colours — adding depth and dimension without increasing the screen count. Simulated process printing combines halftones from 6 to 8 spot colour screens to produce near-photographic results that rival full-colour digital prints in detail and richness. Kingston's creative community — including fine arts graduates from Queen's, independent designers, and local artists — frequently use halftone techniques to bring complex illustrations to life on apparel without blowing their colour budget.
Optimizing Your Design for Best Value
The most cost-effective screen printing Kingston designs use 1 to 3 spot colours. Each additional colour adds a setup fee plus a small per-unit printing charge. If your design currently uses 5 or more colours, our art team can often simplify it to 3 colours without losing visual impact — saving you money while maintaining a professional look. For Kingston sports teams with multi-colour crests and university clubs with detailed faculty logos, we can optimize colour separations to reduce the screen count while preserving the bold look your members and fans expect. We provide this design optimization as a free service on every order for Kingston and surrounding area customers.
The type of ink used in your screen printing Kingston order affects the look, feel, and durability of the finished print. The two primary ink categories — plastisol and water-based — each offer distinct advantages. Understanding the difference helps you choose the right option for your project, whether you are printing durable training gear for an RMC squadron or retail-quality merchandise for a downtown Kingston boutique on Princess Street.
Plastisol Ink — The Industry Standard
Plastisol ink is a PVC-based ink that sits on top of the fabric surface rather than soaking into it. It produces thick, opaque, vibrant colours that pop on both light and dark garments. Plastisol is the most widely used ink in custom screen printing worldwide because it is versatile, colour-accurate, and extremely durable — prints will not crack or fade for the lifetime of the garment. It works on virtually any fabric type including cotton, polyester, and blends. The vast majority of screen printing Kingston orders use plastisol ink, particularly military, institutional, and corporate clients who need prints that maintain their professional appearance through years of regular wear and heavy-duty laundering. For Kingston's military community at CFB Kingston and RMC, where apparel endures rigorous physical training and field exercises, plastisol's toughness is the only option that makes sense.
Water-Based Ink — Premium Soft Feel
Water-based ink soaks into the fabric fibres rather than sitting on top, creating a print with virtually no texture — you feel the fabric, not the ink. This produces the soft, breathable hand feel that retail brands use for premium t-shirts and fashion apparel. Water-based inks work best on light-coloured 100% cotton garments, where they produce a vintage, broken-in look straight out of the dryer. Kingston's downtown retail scene drives steady demand for water-based prints — Princess Street shops, Kingston Public Market vendors, independent artists, and waterfront tourism boutiques frequently choose water-based inks to give their custom apparel that retail-quality softness that customers actually want to wear and keep long after their Kingston visit.
Discharge Printing — Ultra-Soft on Darks
Discharge printing is a specialized water-based technique that actually removes the dye from dark-coloured fabric and replaces it with a new colour. The result is an ultra-soft print on dark garments with zero ink texture — the printed area feels identical to the unprinted fabric. Discharge works best on 100% cotton garments in dark colours like black, navy, and charcoal. It is the premium choice for fashion-forward brands and merch creators in Kingston and across Eastern Ontario who want that high-end retail feel on dark garments without any of the stiffness that traditional plastisol can produce.
Which Ink Type Should You Choose?
For most screen printing Kingston orders — military and institutional apparel, team uniforms, event shirts, and promotional products — plastisol ink is the best all-around choice. It is durable, vibrant, and works on any colour garment. Kingston's military, healthcare, and education sectors benefit from plastisol's longevity and wash resistance, ensuring branded apparel looks professional for years even under demanding conditions. If you are producing retail merchandise, boutique collections, or any product where a soft hand feel is the top priority, water-based or discharge inks are worth the small premium. Our team will recommend the best ink type based on your garment, design, and end use.
Screen printing Kingston businesses rely on for corporate apparel, staff uniforms, and branded merchandise is one of our core specialties at T-Shirt Elephant. Kingston is a city shaped by three pillars — its military heritage, its world-class educational institutions, and its position as the gateway to the 1000 Islands. These industries, combined with a thriving downtown core, a growing healthcare sector, and an expanding tech scene, create diverse demand for custom printed apparel across every season.
Tourism and Hospitality
Kingston is the gateway to the 1000 Islands and one of Ontario's top tourism destinations, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to its waterfront, historic Fort Henry, the Kingston Penitentiary Tours, and the scenic cruises that depart from the harbour. Tourism and hospitality businesses — from waterfront restaurants and hotels to boat tour operators and Kingston's many heritage attractions built from the city's iconic limestone — rely on screen printing Kingston services for branded staff uniforms, souvenir merchandise, and seasonal promotional apparel. Custom-printed t-shirts, hoodies, and hats featuring Kingston landmarks are a staple of the tourism economy, and our team produces them in volume every spring and summer to keep up with visitor demand.
Healthcare and Education
Kingston Health Sciences Centre is one of Southeastern Ontario's largest healthcare networks, and its staff across Kingston General Hospital and Hotel Dieu Hospital order custom screen printing for department teams, awareness campaigns, charity events, and staff recognition programs throughout the year. Queen's University — with its massive student body, dozens of faculties, and world-renowned research programs — generates enormous demand for printed apparel. St. Lawrence College, the Limestone District School Board, and the Catholic District School Board round out Kingston's education sector, each requiring branded apparel for staff, students, athletics, and special events on an ongoing basis.
Military and Government
Kingston's military heritage runs deep. CFB Kingston is one of the largest military installations in Canada, and the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) has trained officers since 1876. Military units, squadrons, and support organizations at CFB Kingston and RMC represent one of the most consistent sources of screen printing Kingston orders — from regimental t-shirts and squadron hoodies to mess dinner apparel and deployment commemoration gear. Kingston is also home to numerous federal and provincial government offices, each requiring branded apparel for teams, events, and public-facing programs. Military and government procurement processes often require formal quotes and purchase orders, and our team is fully equipped to handle these workflows efficiently.
Downtown Kingston Small Businesses
Princess Street is the beating heart of downtown Kingston — a vibrant corridor of independent shops, restaurants, cafes, and professional services that gives the Limestone City its unique character. From craft breweries and farm-to-table restaurants to fitness studios, tech startups, and specialty retail stores, downtown Kingston's small businesses order screen printing Kingston staff uniforms, branded merchandise, and promotional apparel year-round. The growing tech and innovation sector, Kingston's real estate and professional services firms, and the tradespeople and contractors serving the city's heritage building restoration industry all rely on custom printed apparel to build their brand presence in the community.
Kingston is a deeply passionate sports city with a proud athletic identity anchored by its OHL franchise, two major university programs, and a massive grassroots community of recreational and competitive leagues. T-Shirt Elephant has been the screen printing Kingston sports teams trust for over a decade, producing team uniforms, warm-up apparel, and fan merchandise for organizations at every level — from OHL game night gear at the Leon's Centre to intramural jerseys on the Queen's campus and sailing club apparel down at the Kingston waterfront.
Frontenacs and OHL Hockey
The Kingston Frontenacs are the heartbeat of junior hockey in the Limestone City. OHL game nights at the Leon's Centre bring out thousands of fans dressed in blue and gold, and the demand for custom Frontenacs-inspired fan apparel runs year-round. Our custom screen printing services produce fan shirts, watch party gear, and custom designs for supporter groups, corporate hospitality events, and minor hockey organizations across Kingston that feed into the Frontenacs development pipeline. Kingston's hockey culture extends well beyond the OHL — from adult recreational leagues and shinny groups to the house league and rep programs that keep arenas across the city packed from October through March. Custom-printed blue and gold is everywhere when puck drops in Kingston.
Queen's Gaels University Athletics
Queen's University athletics is woven into the fabric of Kingston life. The Gaels compete in the OUA across every major sport, and Queen's Homecoming is one of the largest university events in Canada — a weekend that transforms the entire city and generates massive demand for screen printing Kingston spirit wear, event shirts, and faculty merchandise. The tricolour is everywhere during Homecoming, and custom-printed Queen's apparel flies off the shelves. Beyond Homecoming, Queen's intramural sports, residence competitions, and the hundreds of student clubs on campus create a steady, year-round pipeline of screen printing orders. RMC Paladins — competing in OUA athletics with fierce rivalry against the Gaels — add another layer to Kingston's university sports culture, with cadets ordering squadron athletic gear, inter-wing competition shirts, and Paladins fan merchandise throughout the academic year.
Team Uniform Packages
T-Shirt Elephant offers complete uniform packages for Kingston sports teams — jerseys, shorts, warm-up tops, and matching accessories all printed with your team logo, colours, and player details. We provide bulk team pricing that makes outfitting an entire roster affordable, and we handle individual player names and numbers efficiently using our multi-station production process. Coaches and team managers across Kingston appreciate our streamlined ordering process and fast turnaround times. Kingston's recreational leagues — soccer, baseball, basketball, rugby, ultimate frisbee, and the city's thriving road running community including the Kingston Road Runners — order team apparel in large volumes every season. Kingston's location on Lake Ontario also supports a vibrant sailing and dragon boat community, with clubs ordering custom crew gear for regattas and competitions. Whether you are outfitting a 15-player house league team or a 200-member multi-division sports club, our screen printing Kingston team packages scale to meet your needs.
Fan Merchandise and Spirit Wear
Team spirit extends beyond the players. Parents, fans, and supporters want to wear their team colours in the stands at the Leon's Centre, on the sidelines at Richardson Stadium, and at community fields and rinks across Kingston — and screen printing Kingston fan merchandise is one of our most popular order types. Custom t-shirts, hoodies, toques, and hats with team logos and slogans build community pride and help organizations raise funds through merchandise sales. We work with sports organizations across Kingston to produce spirit wear that fans are proud to wear at the game and around town. From Frontenacs blue and gold to Queen's tricolour, RMC scarlet and navy, and the colours of dozens of local minor sports organizations, our team handles fan gear at every scale.
Kingston's packed calendar of events, festivals, and university traditions creates year-round demand for custom screen-printed apparel. From massive campus celebrations to world-class cultural festivals, T-Shirt Elephant helps Kingston event organisers outfit their teams, volunteers, and attendees with high-quality custom gear.
Queen's Homecoming and University Events
Queen's Homecoming is one of the largest annual events in Kingston, drawing thousands of alumni and students into the streets every autumn. Faculties, residence floors, and student clubs order custom screen-printed hoodies, t-shirts, and tank tops to represent their groups. Frosh week, orientation events, and year-end galas also drive significant volume throughout the academic year at both Queen's and St. Lawrence College.
Film and Music Festivals
The Kingston Canadian Film Festival and Limestone City Blues Festival are signature cultural events that rely on branded volunteer shirts, crew gear, and merchandise. Kingston Buskers Rendezvous and the Kingston WritersFest similarly need custom apparel for staff and promotional sales. We produce runs of all sizes on tight festival timelines.
Fort Henry and Heritage Events
Fort Henry's Sunset Ceremonies attract visitors from across Ontario and beyond. Heritage events, 1000 Islands festivals, and Princess Street Promenade celebrations all benefit from custom screen-printed shirts that serve as both uniforms and keepsakes. Our durable prints hold up through long outdoor event days in any season.
Corporate Events and Fundraisers
Kingston's active charity and corporate community runs dozens of fundraising walks, golf tournaments, and gala events each year. Custom screen-printed shirts unify teams, promote sponsors, and give participants a lasting memento. We offer bulk pricing that keeps fundraiser budgets on track.
Getting your artwork right is the first step toward a sharp, professional screen print. Whether you have a polished vector file or a rough sketch on a napkin, T-Shirt Elephant's art team will make sure your design is print-ready at no extra charge.
Preferred File Formats
Vector files are ideal for screen printing. We accept AI, EPS, SVG, and PDF formats. Vector artwork scales to any size without losing quality, which means your design looks crisp whether it's on a pocket print or a full-back graphic. If you only have a raster file, PNG or PSD at high resolution will work.
Resolution and Size Requirements
For raster images such as photographs or pixel-based designs, we require a minimum of 300 DPI at the final print size. A low-resolution file will appear blurry or pixelated when printed. If you're unsure whether your file meets the requirement, send it over and our team will assess it for free.
Colour Separation for Screen Printing
Each colour in a screen-printed design requires a separate screen, so colour separation is a critical step. Our prepress team handles this process, converting your artwork into individual colour layers that align precisely during printing. Designs with fewer spot colours are more cost-effective, but we can handle complex multi-colour work as well.
Free Artwork Review and Cleanup
Every order includes a complimentary artwork review. We check resolution, colour count, and printability before production begins. If your file needs minor cleanup, vectorisation, or colour adjustments, we handle it at no charge. You'll receive a digital proof for approval before we print a single shirt.
Kingston's four-season climate, shaped by Lake Ontario and harsh Canadian winters, demands apparel that holds up. Screen printing is the most durable decoration method available, and with proper care, your custom gear will last for years through Kingston's snow, rain, and summer heat.
Why Screen Printing Is the Most Durable Method
Screen printing forces ink directly into the fabric fibres under pressure, creating a bond that outlasts heat transfers, sublimation, and vinyl. University students at Queen's and RMC put their gear through heavy use — from lecture halls to intramural sports to late-night study sessions — and screen-printed designs hold up wash after wash without cracking or fading.
Care Instructions
To maximise the life of your screen-printed apparel, wash inside out in cold water and tumble dry on low heat or hang to dry. Avoid bleach and ironing directly over the print. Following these simple steps keeps colours vibrant and prevents premature wear, even through Kingston's salt-heavy winter months.
Common Myths About Durability
Some people believe screen prints crack after a few washes — that's a sign of low-quality ink or improper curing, not a flaw in the method itself. Our production facility uses premium plastisol and water-based inks that are flash-cured at precise temperatures, ensuring every print meets professional durability standards.
Our Quality Guarantee
We stand behind every order. If a print fails under normal wear and washing conditions, we'll make it right. With over 100,000 orders delivered, our quality control process catches issues before they reach your door.
Ordering in bulk is the most cost-effective way to get custom screen-printed apparel in Kingston. Whether you're outfitting a Queen's frosh week committee or stocking merchandise for a downtown shop, our volume pricing makes large orders significantly more affordable per unit.
Volume Price Breaks
Our pricing drops as your quantity increases. A typical single-colour print might run $15 per shirt at 24 pieces, but drops to under $8 at 200+ pieces. Multi-colour designs see similar savings at scale. Use our online designer for instant pricing at any quantity, or request a custom quote for orders over 500 units.
Why Bulk Orders Cost Less
Screen printing has fixed setup costs — creating screens, mixing inks, and configuring the press. Once setup is complete, each additional shirt adds minimal cost. That's why the per-unit price drops sharply as quantity increases, making screen printing the clear choice for large runs over methods like DTG or heat transfer.
Re-Order Discounts
We keep your screens and artwork on file, so re-orders skip the setup process entirely. Kingston businesses, school boards, and university clubs that re-order seasonally benefit from reduced pricing and faster turnaround since we already have everything dialled in from the first run.
University Club and Frosh Week Orders
Queen's alone has hundreds of student clubs, each needing custom gear for recruitment, competitions, and social events. Frosh week generates some of the largest single orders we see from Kingston, with orientation committees ordering matching shirts for thousands of incoming students. We handle the volume and the deadline pressure.
Kingston is one of Canada's most concentrated education markets, home to major post-secondary institutions and two public school boards. Custom screen-printed apparel is a constant need for athletics, clubs, graduation, spirit wear, and fundraising across every level.
Queen's University — Kingston's Largest Market
With over 25,000 students, Queen's University is the single largest driver of custom apparel demand in Kingston. Engineering jackets, faculty intramural jerseys, residence floor hoodies, club t-shirts, and AMS event gear generate orders year-round. We understand Queen's brand guidelines and Tricolour standards, and we work with student organisers on the tight timelines that campus life demands.
Royal Military College of Canada
RMC has a proud tradition and strict standards for branded apparel. Squadrons, sports teams, and graduating classes order custom screen-printed gear for PT sessions, mess dinners, and commemorative events. We produce military-grade durable prints that meet the expectations of Canada's premier military college.
St. Lawrence College
St. Lawrence College's Kingston campus serves thousands of students in applied arts, trades, and technology programs. Student associations, program cohorts, and athletic teams all order custom screen-printed apparel for events, competitions, and everyday campus wear.
Limestone District Schools
The Limestone District School Board and Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board together operate dozens of elementary and secondary schools across the Kingston region. Spirit wear days, athletic programs, graduation shirts, and school fundraisers create steady demand for affordable, high-quality screen-printed apparel throughout the school year.
Kingston's thriving local business scene, vibrant music community, and booming tourism industry create strong demand for custom-printed merchandise. From Princess Street retail shops to 1000 Islands tour boats, T-Shirt Elephant produces branded merchandise that sells and promotes.
Brewery and Restaurant Merchandise
Kingston Brewing Company, Stone City Ales, and the city's growing craft beer and restaurant scene rely on branded merchandise as both a revenue stream and a marketing tool. Screen-printed t-shirts, hoodies, and hats featuring brewery logos and seasonal designs are popular sellers at taprooms and patios across the Limestone City.
Tourism and 1000 Islands Merchandise
The 1000 Islands region draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, and Kingston sits at its gateway. Tour operators, Kingston Penitentiary Tours, the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes, and waterfront gift shops all stock custom screen-printed souvenirs. We produce the kind of quality merch that tourists actually want to wear long after they leave Kingston.
Band and Artist Merchandise
Kingston has a rich live music scene anchored by venues like The Mansion and ALE. Local bands, touring artists, and festival performers need merch that looks professional and sells at the table. Screen printing delivers the bold, vibrant graphics that stand out under stage lights, and our fast turnaround means bands can order before a weekend show.
Downtown Kingston Retail
Independent shops along Princess Street and in the downtown core use custom-printed apparel to build brand identity and generate additional revenue. Whether it's a boutique, bookstore, or café, branded merchandise turns loyal customers into walking advertisements across Kingston and beyond.
Kingston's deep connection to Lake Ontario and the Cataraqui River makes environmental responsibility a genuine community value. T-Shirt Elephant offers sustainable screen printing options that align with Kingston's environmental stewardship and Queen's University's ambitious sustainability initiatives.
Water-Based Inks and Low-VOC Options
We offer water-based inks as an alternative to traditional plastisol. Water-based inks contain no PVC or phthalates, produce lower volatile organic compound emissions during curing, and deliver a soft hand feel that's popular for retail-quality merchandise. They're an excellent choice for environmentally conscious organisations and brands in Kingston.
Organic and Recycled Garment Options
Our blank garment catalogue includes certified organic cotton t-shirts, hoodies made from recycled polyester, and blended fabrics that reduce environmental impact. These options are popular with Queen's sustainability clubs, Kingston environmental nonprofits, and local businesses that want their merchandise to reflect their values.
Sustainable Blank Brands
We carry eco-friendly lines from brands like Bella+Canvas, which uses reduced-water dyeing processes, and Next Level, which sources responsibly grown cotton. These blanks meet high sustainability standards without sacrificing the fit, softness, or durability that Kingston customers expect from their custom apparel.
Kingston's Environmental Commitment
From the city's climate action plan to Queen's commitment to carbon neutrality, Kingston takes sustainability seriously. Choosing eco-friendly screen printing options supports that mission. Whether you're ordering for a campus green initiative, a waterfront cleanup event, or a business that values responsible sourcing, we have sustainable options to match.
Kingston deserves a screen printing partner that delivers consistent quality, fast turnaround, and real Canadian production. T-Shirt Elephant has earned the trust of thousands of customers across Eastern Ontario with in-house manufacturing and a commitment to getting every order right.
In-House Canadian Production
Every order is printed in our own Canadian facility — no outsourcing, no overseas middlemen. That means we control quality from artwork to shipping, and we can respond quickly when Kingston customers need rush orders or last-minute changes. In-house production also means your money supports Canadian jobs and manufacturing.
Serving Kingston Since 2012
We've been printing custom apparel for Kingston businesses, schools, and organisations since 2012. Over that time, we've built lasting relationships with Queen's student clubs, RMC squadrons, Kingston breweries, and downtown retailers who come back season after season because we deliver on our promises.
100,000+ Orders Delivered
With over 100,000 orders completed and shipped, we've refined every step of our process. Our production team handles everything from single-colour prints to complex multi-location designs with the consistency and efficiency that only comes from high-volume experience. Kingston customers benefit from that expertise on every order.
Get Started Today
Ready to order custom screen-printed apparel in Kingston? Use our online designer to build your design, upload your artwork, and get an instant quote. We ship directly to Kingston, Gananoque, Brockville, Napanee, Belleville, Smiths Falls, Perth, Amherstview, Bath, and Sydenham — fast and affordable from our Ontario production facility. Start your order today and see why Kingston trusts T-Shirt Elephant.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Screen Printing in Kingston
Everything you need to know about ordering custom screen printing for Kingston businesses, universities, and events
Screen printing pushes ink through a mesh stencil onto fabric. Each colour requires a separate screen. The ink is heat-cured for extreme durability. It is the most cost-effective method for bulk orders — once screens are made, printing is fast and affordable for Kingston businesses.
We screen print up to 8 colours, though most Kingston orders use 1-4 colours. Each colour requires separate screen setup, so pricing increases with colour count. For photographic or unlimited-colour designs, we recommend DTG printing instead.
We recommend a minimum of 12 pieces for screen printing to make setup costs worthwhile. For smaller orders, DTG printing has no minimum. You can mix sizes within your order as long as the design stays the same.
Screen printing is the most durable decoration method available. Properly cured ink lasts the lifetime of the garment. Kingston's four-season Lake Ontario climate demands tough apparel — screen printed garments hold up through freezing winters and humid summers without cracking, peeling, or fading.
Plastisol sits on top of the fabric with vibrant, opaque colours — great for bold graphics and dark garments. Water-based soaks into the fibres for an ultra-soft, retail-quality feel popular for Kingston's boutique shops and downtown Princess Street retailers. Water-based works best on light 100% cotton.
Yes! For dark garments, we print a white underbase first, then apply colours on top. This ensures vibrant, opaque colours on black, navy, charcoal, and other dark shirts popular with Kingston teams and businesses.
Pricing depends on quantity, number of colours, and print locations. Single-colour on 50 shirts runs $8-12 each; 500 shirts could be $4-6 each. Volume discounts at 24+, 48+, 72+, and 144+ pieces. Request a free quote with your Kingston project details.
Standard turnaround is 10 business days from artwork approval. Rush orders available in 5-7 business days for an additional fee. Kingston customers should order 3-4 weeks ahead for Queen's Homecoming, Frosh Week, and major events.
Vector files (AI, EPS, PDF) are ideal for screen printing as they allow clean colour separation. High-resolution PNG or PSD (300+ DPI) also work. Our design team can convert your logo for screen printing free of charge.
Yes! We mix custom Pantone (PMS) colours to match your brand exactly. For orders over 100 pieces, we keep colour formulas on file for consistent matching on future Kingston orders. No extra charge for PMS colour matching.
Yes! We ship across Kingston and all of Ontario. Free shipping on orders over $250. Most Kingston orders arrive within 2-3 business days of completion. We also ship nationwide across Canada.
Screen printing is more cost-effective for 12+ pieces with 1-8 spot colours and offers superior durability. DTG (direct-to-garment) is better for small orders or photographic images with unlimited colours. Many Kingston customers use both methods for different projects.
Yes! We screen print on hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, zip-ups, and quarter-zips. Hoodies are a staple for Kingston's large university student population and the city's four-season Lake Ontario climate. The Gildan 1850 hoodie is our most popular choice.
Yes! Rush production in 5-7 business days is available for an additional fee. Contact [email protected] before placing your rush order to confirm availability and timeline.
We carry all major brands: Gildan, Bella+Canvas, Next Level, Champion, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, ATC, and Athletic Knit. From budget-friendly Gildan 5000 at $4.95 to premium Bella+Canvas 3001 — we have the right blank for every Kingston project.
Yes! Front and back printing is very common. We can also print on sleeves, inside neck labels, and at the hem. Each print location requires separate screen setup, so costs increase with additional locations.
Standard print area is up to 14 inches wide by 17 inches tall for adult garments. Oversized prints and all-over printing are available with sublimation. Our team will advise on optimal print size for your design.
Discharge printing removes the dye from dark garments and replaces it with colour, leaving an ultra-soft, no-hand-feel print. It works best on 100% cotton in dark colours. Popular for premium merchandise and retail-quality screen printing.
Yes! We use specialized inks for polyester and performance fabrics that bond properly and will not crack or peel. Important for Kingston sports teams ordering moisture-wicking jerseys and athletic wear for Frontenacs, Queen's Gaels, and RMC Paladins fan groups.
Yes! Every order includes free professional design assistance. Our team helps with logo cleanup, colour separation, artwork resizing, and design optimization for screen printing. No extra charge for Kingston customers.
Halftone printing uses tiny dots of varying sizes to create the illusion of gradients, shading, and tonal range using spot colours. It allows effects like photo-like images without the cost of full process printing. Popular for vintage and distressed designs.
Yes! We screen print on tote bags, hoodies, sweatshirts, polo shirts, tank tops, aprons, and more. For hats and caps, we offer embroidery. Browse all products to see the full range available for Kingston orders.
Yes! We keep your screens on file for easy re-ordering. Repeat orders skip the screen setup fee entirely, saving you money on future runs. This is especially popular with Kingston businesses and organizations that reorder for Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Queen's Homecoming, and Limestone City Blues Festival.
We ship to all of Kingston and Ontario: downtown Kingston, Princess Street, Williamsville, Portsmouth Village, Inner Harbour, Gananoque, Brockville, Napanee, Belleville, Smiths Falls, Perth, Amherstview, Bath, and Sydenham. We also serve Queen's University, Royal Military College, St. Lawrence College, and Limestone District School Board. Free shipping on orders over $250 across Canada.
Still have questions about screen printing in Kingston?
Our team is ready to help with your Kingston screen printing order!
