Arcade Screen Print

We are a big picture operator – we care and promote artistic talent whether it is us or freelancers or complete unknowns in our exhibitions. We provide quality t-shirts at varying price brackets as we support your ideas and want your event or brand to be successful – we will even provide facilitate Australian Made custom shirts for you against a very strong tide just because we believe in Australian skills and producers.

Our inks are approved for use on lingerie and infants and baby wear – 95% of our industry do not have this approval.

Business Un-usual is usually how it goes around here as we become the go to people in Sydney for odd prints that machine based printers can’t do – we’ve printed everything from 50 piece poster exhibitions to Carmen at the Opera house to souvenir tote bags.

As printers concerned with your visual communications we look forward to your project.

Service information - Apparel that really fits

Choose from multiple blanks brands or supply your own.

When a shirt fits, you look and feel good.

Product Support - Technically advanced Inks

100% water-based ink

Australian made

We follow you - Art that spreads to your tribe

Your art in your world on your shirts.

WATER BASED VS PLASTISOL INKS

The Eco Friendly solution

Many of our competitors (95% of the industry) use plastisol inks (Petro chemical / plastic based) as opposed to waterbased, they are based on PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride; think traffic cones + clear plastic tablecloths in cheap restaurants) + contain phthalate plasticisers. PVC also gives off Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM; which is classified carcinogenic) while heat curing. While the phthalates can do bad things to your skin when you wear them + leach out in the wash + get into the water waste streams + then do bad things to fish + other aquatic life mimicking estrogen.

As an eye opening mini fact … we print a lot for other industries including Interior Designers and Architects where only waterbased inks are allowed as they need to show low chemical emissions in enclosed spaces. It’s actually illegal to print underwear and infants clothing with plastisol inks.

SOFTER FEEL

Coming from a fashion background we also strive for a soft feel. T-shirts aside / toxicity aside – when you sit back and think about printing on a dress or a silk or linen shirt, you can’t really do that sort of thing with plastisol inks. It becomes apparent how artificial it is in that environment and customer base expectation is simply another category being promotional as opposed to apparel.

LONGER LIFE

The key to all branding is brand expectation and once met becomes longevity in the market. Or at least the value of continued exposure from a shirt that fits well and is printed with a design that looks good and delivers your idea longer is a good thing. There is nothing cooler than seeing someone in your shirt 4 years later – that’s value for everyone. Granted some ideas are about cheap and fast but you need to be happy with that idea as that is how your brand is perceived.

Quality first.

More information is available at the Permaset website.

Permaset Inks –  Quality First

We use Permaset Australian Made water based inks for these reasons. We have tested all inks available to our knowledge in Australia and feel that Permaset are the best for green credentials, pigment stability and versatility. Permaset inks have the Class 1 Oketex rating for formaldehyde and most have a full rating of 8/8 in the Blue Wool scale (highest possible) and none under 6/8 – even the reds. This allows us to print and sell inks that are approved for use in baby wear and lingerie being the 2 most sensitive categories and also to print hard core band T-shirts with the same inks with total peace of mind.

WASH-UP

Using these inks also allows us to wash screens, squeegees with very environmentally friendly cleaning products that can wash down a drain without freaking out the fish in local waterways (Cooks River into Botany Bay). Our whole cleaning process is done in water and mild chemicals based on plant extracts with no perfumes or preservatives.

CARBON FOOTPRINT

We then look at our carbon footprint when it comes to importing part or all of our inks. As our inks are made in Brookvale on the Northern Beaches of Sydney they carry less carbon loading as opposed to many ink brands exported to Australia from the U.S.

Ultimate 5 Minute T-Shirt Guide

Welcome to Arcade!

Subscribe to Arcade's news and receive our Free "Ultimate 5 Minute T-Shirt Guide" PDF

You have Successfully Subscribed!