Screen Printing Ottawa - Custom T-Shirts & Apparel
Ottawa's Screen Printing Experts - High-Quality Custom Apparel for Teams, Events & Businesses
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How It Works
Getting custom screen printing for Ottawa is easy! Just 3 simple steps.
Choose Your Product
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.
Receive Your Order
We screen print and ship to Ottawa 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 Ottawa
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See What Ottawa Customers Say About Our Screen Printing
Ordered 300 screen printed shirts for our ByWard Market brewery. Vibrant 3-colour prints that our customers love to wear. We reorder every season and quality is always excellent.
Screen printed Senators fan shirts for our Ottawa watch party group. Perfect red, black, and gold colours that pop. Durable prints that survive every playoff push.
We outfit 20+ minor hockey teams with screen printed warm-up shirts every season. Consistent quality across hundreds of shirts and great bulk pricing for Ottawa families.
Screen printing 800+ volunteer shirts for Ottawa Bluesfest was seamless. Soft water-based prints comfortable for long summer festival days. Fourth year using T-Shirt Elephant.
Faculty and club shirts for Carleton University engineering students. Crisp screen printing on premium blanks. Professional results that represent our department well.
Staff and volunteer shirts for Winterlude events along the Rideau Canal. Professional screen printing quality that stands up to Ottawa winter conditions. Outstanding service.
Ottawa Redblacks fan gear for our game day crew. Bold screen printing colours that pop in the stands at TD Place. Great value on our 100-shirt group order.
Corporate polo shirts for Ottawa Board of Trade and government events. Professional quality and exact Pantone brand colour matching every single time.
Gym shirts for our Glebe CrossFit that handle intense workouts. Bold screen printing that does not fade or crack after hundreds of washes. Excellent value.
School spirit wear for multiple Ottawa-Carleton schools. Great bulk screen printing pricing and consistent quality across all orders. The schools love the results.
Ordered 300 screen printed shirts for our ByWard Market brewery. Vibrant 3-colour prints that our customers love to wear. We reorder every season and quality is always excellent.
Screen printed Senators fan shirts for our Ottawa watch party group. Perfect red, black, and gold colours that pop. Durable prints that survive every playoff push.
We outfit 20+ minor hockey teams with screen printed warm-up shirts every season. Consistent quality across hundreds of shirts and great bulk pricing for Ottawa families.
Screen printing 800+ volunteer shirts for Ottawa Bluesfest was seamless. Soft water-based prints comfortable for long summer festival days. Fourth year using T-Shirt Elephant.
Faculty and club shirts for Carleton University engineering students. Crisp screen printing on premium blanks. Professional results that represent our department well.
Staff and volunteer shirts for Winterlude events along the Rideau Canal. Professional screen printing quality that stands up to Ottawa winter conditions. Outstanding service.
Ottawa Redblacks fan gear for our game day crew. Bold screen printing colours that pop in the stands at TD Place. Great value on our 100-shirt group order.
Corporate polo shirts for Ottawa Board of Trade and government events. Professional quality and exact Pantone brand colour matching every single time.
Gym shirts for our Glebe CrossFit that handle intense workouts. Bold screen printing that does not fade or crack after hundreds of washes. Excellent value.
School spirit wear for multiple Ottawa-Carleton 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 Ottawa
Ottawa's trusted screen printing partner since 2012
Screen printing Ottawa is the gold standard for producing durable, vibrant custom apparel in bulk quantities. As Canada's capital city, Ottawa generates enormous demand for custom printed apparel — from federal government departments ordering staff shirts to Ottawa Senators fans looking for custom hockey merchandise. Whether you need 24 t-shirts for a Parliament Hill charity run or 500 pieces for a Canada Day celebration on the lawns of the National War Memorial, screen printing delivers consistent, professional results that outlast every other decoration method at scale.
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 Ottawa's bitter winters and humid summers alike, 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 federal government departments and Crown corporations that must adhere to 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 Ottawa organizations rely on this method for everything from bilingual event shirts to Sens fan gear.
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 Ottawa's bilingual organizations that need both English and French versions of a design, screen printing handles multi-language layouts with precision and consistency across every garment in the run.
Screen Printing in Ottawa
Ottawa businesses, government departments, sports teams, schools, and organizations have relied on screen printing Ottawa services from T-Shirt Elephant since 2012. From federal offices in the downtown core and Crown corporations in Gatineau to tech companies in Kanata and community teams in Barrhaven, our in-house production facility handles orders for customers across the National Capital Region and eastern Ontario. Every order is printed locally and quality-checked before it ships — no outsourcing, no middlemen. Ottawa is a city that demands professionalism and bilingual capability, and our team delivers on both.
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 Ottawa customers — whether you are a federal department outfitting a team, a Kanata tech company ordering branded hoodies, or a festival organizer preparing for Bluesfest.
Screen Printing Advantages
Screen printing Ottawa 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, government staff apparel, event t-shirts, and promotional merchandise across Ottawa and the National Capital Region. Federal departments ordering hundreds of bilingual shirts for national campaigns consistently choose screen printing for its precision 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. Ottawa artists selling at the ByWard Market, tech startups prototyping merch concepts, and embassy cultural offices ordering limited-edition commemorative shirts 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 an Ottawa government department or Crown corporation. The diplomatic community in Ottawa frequently chooses embroidery for its polished, distinguished appearance on formal and business-casual 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 Ottawa
For most Ottawa orders — government 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 Ottawa clients combine methods — screen-printed Canada Day event shirts paired with embroidered staff polos for year-round 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 Ottawa 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. Ottawa customers — from small non-profits to large federal departments with procurement requirements — 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 Ottawa organizations with bilingual requirements, designs that incorporate both English and French text in a single layout are more cost-effective than printing two separate versions.
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 Ottawa, Gatineau, Kanata, Orleans, and the wider National Capital Region. Government departments ordering for multiple branches or divisions can consolidate quantities to unlock the best pricing tiers.
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 Ottawa providers because we produce everything in-house with no outsourcing or middleman markups.
Get a Free Quote
Every project is unique, and we are happy to provide a detailed, no-obligation quote for your Ottawa 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 government and institutional clients, we can provide formal quotes compatible with standard procurement processes.
The garment you choose for your screen printing Ottawa project has a direct impact on print quality, comfort, and overall value. Ottawa's climate demands versatility — from heavyweight hoodies that handle minus-thirty Winterlude weekends to lightweight tees for sweltering July days on the Rideau Canal. 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 capital.
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 Ottawa. Federal departments and Crown corporations ordering shirts for team-building events, awareness campaigns, and staff appreciation days 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 Ottawa brands, merch lines, and any project where the shirt itself needs to impress — from Kanata tech company swag to ByWard Market boutique merchandise. The Next Level 3600 is another excellent premium option with a slightly heavier weight and ultra-soft CVC blend.
Hoodies and Sweatshirts
Ottawa winters are legendary, and hoodies are essential gear from October through April. The Gildan 18500 is Ottawa's most popular hoodie for screen printing — it is an 8 oz 50/50 blend that holds up to the capital's harsh winters while providing a smooth print surface. 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 Winterlude events, school spirit wear, and corporate orders across Ottawa, Gatineau, and surrounding communities. When Rideau Canal skateway season arrives, custom-printed hoodies become walking billboards for Ottawa businesses and teams.
Polos and Corporate Wear
For corporate uniforms and professional settings, Ottawa businesses and government offices 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. Ottawa's government culture embraces casual Fridays, and branded polos have become the standard — professional enough for meetings on the Hill yet comfortable enough for the rest of the week. We also carry performance polos with moisture-wicking fabrics, ideal for Ottawa's hospitality, tech, and public service sectors.
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 Ottawa order on dark garments comes out vibrant, opaque, and long-lasting — whether you are printing Ottawa Senators red and black fan gear or Redblacks merchandise in the team's signature colours.
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 light blue 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 Ottawa sports teams and organizations that need exact colour matching on dark garments.
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 blues stay true — even after dozens of washes. This level of colour accuracy is especially important for screen printing Ottawa customers who need to match specific brand or team colours on dark apparel, from Senators red and gold to government department colour palettes that must remain consistent 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 — Ottawa customers receive fully transparent pricing whether they are ordering on light or dark garments.
Popular Dark Garments in Ottawa
Black is by far the most popular garment colour for screen printing Ottawa orders — followed by navy, charcoal, dark heather, and forest green. Ottawa sports teams frequently order black warm-up shirts and hoodies to match the Senators and Redblacks colour schemes, while government and corporate clients favour navy and charcoal polos for their professional appearance. Dark hoodies are a winter staple in Ottawa, and custom-printed dark tees are the default for concert merch at venues like the Canadian Tire Centre and TD Place. 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 Ottawa 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 Parliament Hill ceremony or 500 bilingual promotional shirts for a federal campaign. Ottawa's bilingual requirements often mean designs carry two text versions, and knowing how colour count works helps optimize those layouts for the best 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 Ottawa orders with bilingual text, both language versions can share the same colour screens as long as the ink colours are identical, keeping costs efficient.
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 Ottawa orders use spot colours for the best vibrancy and brand accuracy. Government departments and Crown corporations with strict Federal Identity Program guidelines particularly benefit from Pantone spot colour matching, which ensures their official colours are reproduced with absolute precision.
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. Ottawa festival organizers and event planners frequently use halftone techniques to create visually striking shirt designs on a modest colour budget.
Optimizing Your Design for Best Value
The most cost-effective screen printing Ottawa 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 bilingual designs, we recommend using a single ink colour for all text (English and French) to keep the colour count low while meeting both official language requirements. We provide this design optimization as a free service on every order for Ottawa and National Capital Region customers.
The type of ink used in your screen printing Ottawa 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 staff uniforms for a government department or retail-quality festival merchandise for Ottawa Bluesfest.
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 Ottawa orders use plastisol ink, particularly government departments and corporate clients who need prints that maintain their professional appearance through years of regular wear and industrial laundering.
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. Ottawa festival organizers, ByWard Market boutiques, and merch creators for Ottawa music venues frequently choose water-based inks to give their custom apparel that retail-quality softness that recipients actually want to wear.
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 companies in Ottawa, Gatineau, 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 Ottawa orders — government apparel, corporate uniforms, team gear, event shirts, and promotional products — plastisol ink is the best all-around choice. It is durable, vibrant, and works on any colour garment. Government and Crown corporation orders benefit from plastisol's longevity and wash resistance, ensuring branded apparel looks professional for years. If you are producing retail merchandise, festival merch, 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 Ottawa businesses rely on for corporate apparel, staff uniforms, and branded merchandise is one of our core specialties at T-Shirt Elephant. Ottawa is unlike any other Canadian city — the federal government is the largest employer, the tech sector is booming in Kanata North, the diplomatic community is global in scope, and the tourism industry serves millions of visitors each year. Each sector has unique requirements for custom printed apparel, and our team understands them all.
Government and Public Sector
Federal government departments, Crown corporations, and public sector agencies represent a significant portion of our screen printing Ottawa business. We produce bilingual staff shirts, interdepartmental team-building apparel, awareness campaign merchandise, and event gear for organizations across the National Capital Region. Our Pantone colour-matching capabilities ensure compliance with the Federal Identity Program, and we understand the procurement timelines and approval processes that government orders require. From the Department of National Defence to Canada Revenue Agency, Ottawa's public sector trusts us to deliver professional-quality prints on time and within budget.
Tech Sector and Kanata North
Ottawa's tech corridor — anchored by Kanata North, home to over 540 companies — generates constant demand for branded apparel. Shopify's Ottawa headquarters, along with hundreds of other tech firms, uses custom screen printing for employee onboarding kits, hackathon shirts, conference swag, and company culture merchandise. Tech companies value premium blanks like the Bella+Canvas 3001 and soft-feel printing techniques because their teams expect apparel that feels as modern as the products they build. We offer dedicated accounts for tech companies with recurring orders, storing artwork and screen setups for fast reorders.
ByWard Market and Tourism
The ByWard Market is Ottawa's retail and tourism hub, and businesses in the area — from restaurants and bars to gift shops and galleries — rely on screen printing Ottawa services for staff uniforms, promotional merchandise, and souvenir apparel. Tourism operators, hotel chains, and hospitality businesses across the capital order custom-printed shirts, aprons, and tote bags that keep their brand visible to the millions of tourists who visit Ottawa's Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal, and the National Gallery each year. We produce rush orders for seasonal tourism peaks and help businesses maintain consistent branded apparel year-round.
Bilingual and Diplomatic Community
Ottawa is Canada's bilingual capital, and the diplomatic community adds even more linguistic diversity. Our screen printing Ottawa services handle bilingual and multilingual designs with precision — English and French layouts are our standard, and we regularly produce apparel for embassies, high commissions, and international organizations headquartered in the National Capital Region. Whether your design requires side-by-side bilingual text, front-and-back language separation, or multilingual layouts for diplomatic events, our art team ensures every character, accent, and special character is reproduced correctly. The diplomatic community also orders custom apparel for national day celebrations, cultural events, and staff functions throughout the year.
Ottawa is a passionate sports city with deep roots in hockey, football, and a growing roster of professional and amateur teams across every major sport. T-Shirt Elephant has been the screen printing Ottawa sports teams trust for over a decade, producing team uniforms, warm-up apparel, and fan merchandise for organizations at every level of competition — from minor hockey associations in Kanata to dragon boat teams racing on Dow's Lake.
Hockey and Winter Sports
Hockey is in Ottawa's DNA. The Ottawa Senators represent the city in the NHL, and the Ottawa 67s carry the OHL banner — but the true heartbeat of Ottawa hockey lives in the hundreds of minor hockey, house league, and recreational teams that fill rinks across the city every winter. Our custom screen printing services outfit teams from Ottawa Minor Hockey associations to adult rec leagues in Nepean, Kanata, Barrhaven, and Orleans. We print practice jerseys, warm-up hoodies, team t-shirts, and parent fan gear for hockey organizations throughout the National Capital Region. Ringette, curling, and figure skating clubs also order custom printed apparel for their teams, competitions, and fundraising events. When the Rideau Canal Skateway opens each winter, custom-printed gear from local teams and organizations becomes a familiar sight on the world's largest skating rink.
CFL and Summer Sports
The Ottawa Redblacks bring CFL football to TD Place every summer, and Atletico Ottawa flies the Canadian Premier League flag for the capital's growing soccer community. Beyond the professional ranks, Ottawa's summer sports scene is enormous — soccer, baseball, softball, rugby, ultimate frisbee, lacrosse, and basketball leagues run across the city from May through September. The Ottawa Marathon, the Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival on the Rideau Canal, and countless charity runs generate thousands of custom screen printed apparel orders each season. We serve recreational leagues, competitive clubs, and event organizers across Ottawa, Gatineau, and the surrounding region with affordable, durable team apparel that holds up through an entire season of play.
Team Uniform Packages
T-Shirt Elephant offers complete uniform packages for Ottawa 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 Ottawa appreciate our streamlined ordering process and fast turnaround times. Whether you are outfitting a 15-player house league hockey team or a 200-member multi-division soccer club, our screen printing Ottawa 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 Canadian Tire Centre, TD Place, and community rinks across the capital — and screen printing Ottawa 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 Ottawa to produce spirit wear that fans are proud to wear at the game and around town. From Senators-inspired fan designs to custom Redblacks tailgate gear and local minor hockey spirit packs, our team handles fan merch at every scale.
Events and Festivals
Ottawa hosts some of Canada's biggest festivals and events, and custom screen-printed apparel is essential for staff uniforms, volunteer gear, and branded merchandise. Whether you're outfitting a crew for Ottawa Bluesfest, selling merch at the Ottawa Jazz Festival, or coordinating volunteers for the Canadian Tulip Festival, T-Shirt Elephant delivers high-quality custom event t-shirts on the timelines Ottawa's event organizers need.
Ottawa Bluesfest and Music Festivals
Ottawa Bluesfest draws hundreds of thousands of attendees every July, and custom merchandise is a major revenue stream for performers and sponsors alike. We produce festival staff shirts, VIP crew apparel, and branded merchandise with vibrant, long-lasting screen-printed designs. The same goes for the Ottawa Jazz Festival, CityFolk, and smaller venues across the capital.
Winterlude and Canada Day
From Winterlude ice sculpture crews bundled in custom hoodies to Canada Day on Parliament Hill volunteers in bold red and white tees, Ottawa's signature celebrations demand durable, eye-catching apparel. We also supply custom gear for the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival, and the Ottawa Marathon.
Corporate Events and Conferences
As Canada's capital, Ottawa hosts major corporate conferences, government summits, and trade shows year-round. Custom screen-printed polo shirts, branded tote bags, and staff uniforms ensure your team looks professional and cohesive at every event.
Charity Events and Fundraisers
Charity runs, galas, and community fundraisers across Ottawa rely on custom printed apparel for participant shirts, volunteer identification, and sponsor visibility. We offer volume discounts for non-profit organizations to help stretch every fundraising dollar further.
Artwork Requirements
Getting your artwork print-ready is the first step to outstanding custom screen-printed apparel. Our team provides a free artwork review on every order, so you never have to worry about whether your files are ready. We also handle bilingual artwork for Ottawa's English-French organizations and government clients.
Preferred File Formats
Vector files (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF) are ideal for screen printing because they scale to any size without losing quality. If you only have a raster image, we accept high-resolution PNG, PSD, and TIFF files. Avoid sending low-resolution JPEGs pulled from websites — these typically cannot be used for production.
Resolution and Size Requirements
For raster artwork, we require a minimum of 300 DPI at the actual print size. A design printed at 12 inches wide needs to be 3,600 pixels across at minimum. Higher resolution means sharper prints with cleaner edges and finer detail.
Colour Separation for Screen Printing
Colour separation is the process of breaking your design into individual ink layers — one screen per colour. Simpler designs with spot colours produce the boldest, most vibrant results. Our prepress team handles all colour separation in-house, including simulated process printing for photographic or gradient-heavy designs.
Free Artwork Review and Cleanup
Upload your design in any format and our team will review it at no charge. We provide free minor cleanup, vectorization, and recommendations to optimize your artwork for screen printing. For Ottawa's many bilingual organizations, we ensure both English and French text renders cleanly at every print size.
Durability and Care
Ottawa's climate swings from -30°C winters to +35°C summers, which means your custom apparel needs to withstand extreme temperature shifts, outdoor festivals under blazing sun, and countless wash cycles through long Canadian winters. Screen printing is engineered for exactly this kind of durability.
Why Screen Printing Is the Most Durable Method
Screen-printed ink bonds directly into the fabric fibres, creating a thick, resilient layer that resists cracking, peeling, and fading far longer than heat transfers or direct-to-garment printing. Plastisol inks are especially durable — they flex with the garment and maintain colour vibrancy through hundreds of washes, making them ideal for Ottawa's demanding outdoor conditions.
Care Instructions
To maximize the life of your custom screen-printed apparel, wash garments inside out in cold water, tumble dry on low heat or hang to dry, and avoid ironing directly over the printed design. Following these simple steps ensures your prints stay sharp and vibrant for years.
Common Myths About Durability
Some people assume printed shirts crack after a few washes — that's true of cheap heat transfers, not professional screen printing. Properly cured screen-printed designs outlast the garment itself. We cure every print at precise temperatures using industrial conveyor dryers to guarantee adhesion and flexibility.
Our Quality Guarantee
Every order from T-Shirt Elephant is backed by our quality guarantee. If a print defect appears under normal wear and washing conditions, we will reprint or replace the affected garments. We stand behind every shirt that leaves our production facility.
Bulk and Volume Discounts
The more you order, the less you pay per unit. Screen printing is inherently cost-effective at scale because the major expense — creating the screens — is a one-time setup cost. Once your screens are built, each additional shirt costs only ink and labour, which means bulk orders unlock significant savings for Ottawa businesses, government departments, and organizations.
Volume Price Breaks
| Quantity | 1-Colour Print | 2-Colour Print | 3+ Colour Print |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24-49 | $12.99/ea | $14.99/ea | $16.99/ea |
| 50-99 | $9.99/ea | $11.99/ea | $13.99/ea |
| 100-249 | $7.99/ea | $9.49/ea | $11.49/ea |
| 250-499 | $6.49/ea | $7.99/ea | $9.99/ea |
| 500+ | $5.49/ea | $6.99/ea | $8.49/ea |
Prices include garment and print. Exact pricing depends on garment style, ink colours, and print locations. Contact us for a custom quote.
Why Bulk Orders Cost Less
Screen setup is a fixed cost — whether you print 50 shirts or 500, the screens are the same. At higher volumes, that setup cost is spread across more units, and our production runs become more efficient. That's why bulk custom t-shirts in Ottawa offer the best value per piece.
Re-Order Discounts
We store your screen setups on file, so re-orders skip the setup process entirely. This means faster turnaround and lower costs on repeat orders — ideal for Ottawa businesses that need seasonal staff uniforms, annual event shirts, or ongoing promotional apparel.
Government and Institutional Procurement
As Canada's capital, Ottawa is home to federal government departments, Crown corporations, and municipal agencies that require large-volume apparel orders. We accept purchase orders (POs), offer net-30 terms for qualified accounts, and meet the procurement requirements of large departmental orders across the National Capital Region.
Schools and Universities
Ottawa's educational institutions — from elementary schools to major universities — rely on custom screen-printed apparel for spirit wear, team uniforms, club merchandise, and graduation keepsakes. We work with Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, Algonquin College, La Cité collégiale, and school boards across the region to deliver high-quality prints on student-friendly budgets.
School Spirit Wear Programs
Custom spirit wear builds school pride and community identity. We supply the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the Ottawa Catholic School Board, and the Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario with screen-printed t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatpants for spirit days, athletic programs, and school stores. Bilingual printing is available for Ottawa's French-language and dual-track schools.
University Clubs and Organizations
Carleton University and uOttawa are home to hundreds of student clubs, faculty associations, and Greek organizations that need custom apparel. From engineering society hoodies to intramural team jerseys, we handle orders of every size with student-friendly pricing and fast turnaround during frosh week and homecoming season.
Graduation Apparel
Commemorate graduation with custom class shirts, faculty hoodies, and keepsake apparel. We produce graduation gear for programs across Algonquin College, La Cité, and Ottawa's universities — printed with class years, program names, and inside jokes that make the shirts worth keeping for decades.
Purchase Orders for Ottawa Schools
We understand that schools and school boards operate on purchase order (PO) systems with specific procurement timelines. T-Shirt Elephant accepts POs, provides formal quotes for budget approval, and works within the administrative processes that Ottawa's public and Catholic school boards require.
Custom Merchandise
Ottawa's vibrant local business scene — from ByWard Market boutiques to Elgin Street restaurants — thrives on custom branded merchandise. Screen-printed apparel turns your brand into a walking billboard, builds customer loyalty, and creates an additional revenue stream for shops, breweries, bands, and cultural institutions across the capital.
Brewery and Restaurant Merchandise
Ottawa's craft brewery scene is booming, and branded merchandise is part of the experience. We produce custom t-shirts, hoodies, and hats for breweries like Dominion City Brewing, Beyond the Pale, and Flora Hall Brewing. Restaurants along Elgin Street, in Westboro, and throughout the ByWard Market also rely on screen-printed staff uniforms and retail merch that customers love to wear.
Band and Artist Merchandise
Ottawa's music scene — anchored by the National Arts Centre and venues like Bronson Centre and The 27 Club — generates constant demand for band merch. We print bold, high-quality designs on soft-hand tees that fans actually want to buy. Fast turnaround means your merch is ready before your next show.
Museum and Gift Shop Merchandise
The Canadian Museum of History, the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian War Museum, and the Canada Aviation and Space Museum all operate gift shops stocked with branded apparel. We produce custom screen-printed merchandise that meets the quality standards these national institutions require.
Boutique Clothing Lines
Independent designers and Ottawa-based clothing brands use our screen printing services to produce small-batch and large-run apparel lines. From streetwear labels to community-focused brands, we provide the production quality and consistency needed to build a clothing line from the ground up.
Eco-Friendly Options
Sustainability matters to Ottawa — and to us. The City of Ottawa and the federal government both maintain green procurement policies that prioritize environmentally responsible suppliers. T-Shirt Elephant offers a full range of eco-friendly screen printing options, from sustainable inks to organic and recycled garments, so your custom apparel aligns with your environmental values.
Water-Based Inks and Low-VOC Options
Water-based screen printing inks contain no PVC or phthalates and produce significantly lower volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions than traditional plastisol inks. They deliver a soft, breathable hand feel that's ideal for eco-conscious brands and government orders. We also offer low-VOC plastisol alternatives for applications that require maximum durability.
Organic and Recycled Garment Options
We stock blank apparel made from 100% organic cotton, recycled polyester, and organic-recycled blends. These garments are certified by standards like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and GRS (Global Recycled Standard), ensuring genuine environmental credentials — not just greenwashing.
Sustainable Blank Brands
Our eco-friendly garment partners include Bella+Canvas (committed to reduced water and carbon footprints), Next Level Apparel (sustainable manufacturing), and Stanley/Stella (GOTS-certified organic). We help you choose the right sustainable blank for your budget, print method, and environmental goals.
Ottawa Government Green Procurement
Federal departments and the City of Ottawa increasingly require suppliers to meet green procurement standards. We provide documentation on ink composition, garment certifications, and manufacturing practices to support your procurement submissions. Our eco-friendly options satisfy the environmental criteria that Ottawa's public sector demands.
Why Ottawa Trusts T-Shirt Elephant
When Ottawa businesses, schools, and organizations need custom screen-printed apparel, they trust T-Shirt Elephant because we deliver consistent quality, competitive pricing, and reliable service — every single order. With 100% in-house Canadian production and over a decade of experience serving the National Capital Region, we've earned the trust of thousands of customers across Ottawa, Gatineau, and Eastern Ontario.
In-House Canadian Production
Every order is printed in-house at our Canadian facility — never outsourced overseas. This gives us complete control over quality, turnaround time, and consistency. When you order from T-Shirt Elephant, your shirts are printed by our team on our presses, and we inspect every piece before it ships to Ottawa.
Serving Ottawa Since 2012
We've been supplying custom screen-printed apparel to Ottawa and the surrounding region since 2012. From Kanata tech companies to Orléans sports leagues, Barrhaven schools to Nepean community groups — and communities across Eastern Ontario including Gloucester, Stittsville, Kemptville, Smiths Falls, Cornwall, and Kingston — we know this market and we deliver.
100,000+ Orders Delivered
With over 100,000 orders completed and counting, we've built our reputation on doing the work right, on time, every time. Our repeat customer rate speaks for itself — Ottawa organizations come back because they know exactly what they're getting: sharp prints, quality garments, and hassle-free service.
Get Started Today
Ready to order custom screen-printed t-shirts in Ottawa? Start with our online designer, request a free quote, or contact our team directly. Whether you need 24 shirts or 5,000, we'll guide you through garment selection, artwork prep, and production — and deliver your order fast with free shipping on orders over $149 anywhere in the Ottawa region.
Explore More Custom Apparel Resources
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Ordering for Groups & Teams
Collect sizes, manage preferences, keep everyone happy
Sizing by Brand Guide
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Frequently Asked Questions About Screen Printing in Ottawa
Everything you need to know about ordering custom screen printing for Ottawa businesses, government, 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 Ottawa businesses.
We screen print up to 8 colours, though most Ottawa 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. Ottawa's extreme seasonal swings from -30 to +35 demand 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, dark garments, and plastisol for government/corporate durability. Water-based soaks into the fibres for an ultra-soft, retail-quality feel. 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa project details.
Standard turnaround is 10 business days from artwork approval. Rush orders available in 5-7 business days for an additional fee. Ottawa customers should order 3-4 weeks ahead for Canada Day, Bluesfest, 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 Ottawa orders. No extra charge for PMS colour matching.
Yes! We ship across Ottawa and all of Ontario. Free shipping on orders over $250. Most Ottawa 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 Ottawa customers use both methods for different projects.
Yes! We screen print on hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, zip-ups, and quarter-zips. Hoodies are popular for Ottawa's cold winters and Winterlude outdoor events. 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa sports teams ordering moisture-wicking jerseys and athletic wear for Senators, Redblacks, and Atletico Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa businesses and organizations that reorder for Bluesfest, Winterlude, Tulip Festival, and Canada Day.
We ship to all of Ottawa and Ontario: Gatineau, Kanata, Orleans, Barrhaven, Nepean, Gloucester, Stittsville, Kemptville, Smiths Falls, Cornwall, and Kingston. We also serve Carleton University, University of Ottawa, Algonquin College, and Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. Free shipping on orders over $250 across Canada.
Still have questions about screen printing in Ottawa?
Our team is ready to help with your Ottawa screen printing order!
