INKSWELL FAQ & Important info - THe nitty gritty

 
 

Artwork

How should art be supplied?

Files should be delivered in ai / eps or psd / tiff formats at 300dpi. Fonts and strokes must be converted to outlines. 
File quality is essential for print quality. If you’re unable to provide your artwork in these formats, we are able to work with what you have for a fee based on the scope of work, please reach out with questions.

Do you offer design services?

Yes we do. Inkswell is run by graduates of Graphic Design. We love to get involved in the design process, so please don’t hesitate to ask. Our fee will vary on the job specifics.

 
 

Production

Do you have a minimum order quantity?

General minimum order quantities (MOQ) are the lowest quantity of a product we will produce. We use the term "General" because each job is unique and we'll make a judgment call on what a specific minimum will be based on numerous factors (artwork, difficulty of job, customer experience, lead time, garment type, and many more). All minimums below include fixed dimensions, print location, print colors (ink or thread), garment material type, and possibly garment color. Garment size isn't a factor unless it demands a change in fixed art size due to smaller sized garments.

SCREEN PRINTING: MOQ: 24pcs per design | 3+ colors: 36pcs | 3+ locations: 50pcs

EMBROIDERY: MOQ: 12pcs per design

DIRECT-TO-FILM TRANSFERS (DTF): MOQ: 12pcs per design

EMBROIDERED OR WOVEN PATCHES: MOQ: 50pcs per design

LEATHER PATCHES: MOQ: 24pcs per design

What is your turnaround time?

We usually aim for a 10-15 business day turnaround upon full payment and artwork approval. This may vary based on your project and at particularly busy or quiet times. If you require our help urgently, please let us know and we may be able to expedite the process with an additional rush fee.

What is the maximum colors you can print?

The maximum amount of colors we can print onto fabric is 6 (we use a 6-color carousel). However, we are able to to print in CMYK, Spot, and Half-tone processes, enabling us to print full color/depth images where necessary.

Do you print samples?

Unfortunately we cannot offer a sample service. We have a gallery of previous print jobs which demonstrate the finish you can expect, as well as a sample rail at our studio for customers to peruse.

 
 

inks

What inks do you use?

We print exclusively with environmentally friendly inks in our fabric-based projects. Our selection includes Plastisol, Water-Based, Soft Hand, Puff, Metallic, Glitter, and Glow in the Dark inks. If you are looking for an ink that is not listed, contact us—we're likely able to accommodate.

How do you color match?

Our color matching is done manually using our Pantone matching system. We take our time to ensure we’re dead on, but please be aware some variation may occur due to the nature of the process. If you want an exact Pantone match, please provide the Pantone Coated color. Each Pantone color match will be a $50 fee.

 

EMBROIDERY

What items work best for Embroidery?

The most popular items for embroidery are hats, beanies, jackets, sweatshirts, and polos.

How is Embroidery priced?

Our embroidery services are priced per unit, based on stitch count, with tiered pricing. Pricing minimums cannot be combined for orders with hats and flat items.

 

Customer-supplied

Here at Inkswell, our business model is focused around the highest quality decorating & garments; while providing a safe, eco-friendly, fair-pay work environment.

To provide this service, we do pad our garment prices to cover the proper handling & care for your jobs. Our pricing matrices were built on the profits that come with the sourcing of garments for our customers. This is an industry-standard for non-contract print shops, and it's something that allows us to stay competitive.

Inkswell can provide a huge range of items and brands but we understand that sometimes you need something specific that we cannot order at wholesale pricing.

9 THINGS TO CONSIDER WITH PROVIDED GARMENTS:

  • You're not saving any money by providing the garments, as printing & embroidery costs are adjusted for jobs like this.

  • You're taking on more risk due to potential higher 'spoilage' and damages.

  • Items have to be counted and sorted before delivery.

  • Customers supply a breakdown of colors, sizes, and styles.

  • No individually bagged items.

  • No reprints.

  • Misprints over the spoilage rate only incur a credit for the print cost (not the garment cost).

  • Inkswell isn't responsible for manufacturer defects.

FEES:

  • Failure to send us accurate counts or mark your orders correctly may result in a charge of $25+ handling fee per order.

  • Bagged garments carry a charge of $1.00 per garment for unbagging.

 

Spoilage policy

Spoilage is an unfortunate, yet common occurrence in the custom screen printing, embroidery, and garment decoration world.

What is Spoilage exactly? A supplier/manufacturer issue or production mistake that causes a garment to fall below the acceptable quality level.

What does this mean for your job with us?

Here at Inkswell, our business model is focused around the highest quality printing & garments; but mistakes do happen - on both the manufacturer and production side.

Industry standard is a 3% spoilage rate - meaning that 3 out of 100 of all garments ordered will incur some form of damage during the production process. We tend to aim a bit higher, allowing only a 2% spoilage rate (or 1 garment; whichever is greater) without replacement or compensation.

If your job requires an extremely specific quantity/size breakdown, we recommend padding your order to ensure that you receive the correct amount - with a few extras at very least.

But I paid for 100 tees, and you delivered 98 - now what?

This spoilage rate of 2% (2 out of 100 tees) falls within our allowable spoilage rate, so you'd end up with 98 tees.

What happens if there's spoilage rate exceeds the 2% allowable rate?

Most of the time, you wouldn't know this happened as we tend to replace any garments that fall outside of the 2% range. However, there are some jobs that are too labor-intensive to reorder garments and set up twice.

In these cases, we'll go one of two ways:

  • Issue a credit for the amount of decorated damage.

  • We will credit the account towards a future order.