Screen printing in Sandy, Utah
Koala-Tees is a full-service screen printer in Sandy, helping businesses, schools, teams, churches, events, and organizations across the Salt Lake Valley create durable, professional custom apparel with fast turnaround, dependable production, and over 40 years of experience.
Sweet spot
Roughly 12-36+ pieces, depending on colors and artwork complexity.
Minimums
No minimum on garments ordered through us - runs under roughly 12-36 pieces usually print digitally instead, depending on colors and complexity. Contract runs start at 36 pieces.
Proofs
You approve a proof or mockup before production begins.
Rush options
Guaranteed turnarounds as fast as 3 business days on qualifying orders.
Since 1983
Printing in-house in Sandy, Utah for over 40 years.
Screen printing explained
Screen printing - also called silk screening or silk screen printing - is one of the most widely used methods for decorating custom apparel because it produces bold prints, strong wash durability, and highly consistent results across large orders. It is commonly used for business shirts, school apparel, event shirts, branded merchandise, workwear, uniforms, and team apparel that has to hold up to real use.
Unlike many digital print methods, screen printing uses real ink deposited directly onto the garment through a production setup designed for repeatability and consistency. Once a design is properly set up, screen printing becomes one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to produce custom apparel in quantity - including contract printing for bulk, customer-supplied garment orders.
Screen printing also allows specialty production techniques like puff printing, oversized prints, metallic inks, athletic-style prints, soft-hand finishes, and high-opacity underbases for printing on darker garments.
On the press
That’s a real order on our press in Sandy - ink laid down one color at a time and cured to lock in a finish built to hold up wash after wash. No drop-shipping and no middleman - orders run on our own presses, by our own crew.
Best applications
Screen printing is usually the best option for bulk t-shirt printing and any custom apparel that needs to last, across medium-to-large quantity orders or repeat production runs.
Better call: One shirt? DTG prints it beautifully - no screens to burn.
Better call: DTF delivers full color with zero per-color setup.
Better call: DTG is built for photo-level detail on cotton.
None of these mean going elsewhere - they just run on our DTG or DTF printers instead of the press. Same shop, same crew, way less setup.
Which method is right for you?
Every decoration method has a sweet spot. Here’s a general, honest comparison to help you narrow down the right option before you request a quote - we’re happy to walk through the details with you directly. For the full breakdown with real production photos, read our complete printing methods guide.
Not sure which fits your project? See our DTF & DTG printing page or our embroidery page for a closer look, or contact us and we’ll help you decide.
Popular uses
Whether you are outfitting employees, launching merchandise, running an event, or ordering team apparel, screen printing delivers a clean, consistent finish that holds up to real-world use.
Durable company shirts, hoodies, polos, construction apparel, and branded workwear designed for daily use and consistent presentation.
Spirit wear, fundraiser shirts, athletic apparel, booster club merchandise, event apparel, and student organization gear.
Merchandise for apparel brands, concerts, nonprofit organizations, gyms, restaurants, festivals, conferences, and community events.
Case studies
Real customer jobs on our own equipment - from a deadline run to fully color-separated artwork.
A 'Wendover Field 1943' sunset run on sand tees for the Historic Wendover Airfield - simulated-process printing that gets a near-CMYK effect from five screens: white, yellow, red (standing in for magenta), cyan, and black. The separation leans on the shirt color itself to keep the screen count down without losing the painterly effect.
Simulated-process printing in action - the separated file on screen next to the finished shirt. Look how close the print is to the artwork; that's our artists earning their keep.
A software company running a convention here in Salt Lake City needed branded tees in a hurry. That's their purple run coming off our conveyor dryer - screen printed, cured, and ready to fold and box.
A cinematic look at the squeegee in action - pushing white ink through the screen for Alta High School here in Sandy. One pull, one crisp print.
Why Koala-Tees
Koala-Tees is a real production shop in Sandy, Utah - not just an online order form. Since 1983, we’ve helped businesses, schools, organizations, and apparel brands navigate garment selection, artwork preparation, production timelines, and custom apparel ordering with dependable local service.
We focus on proper artwork setup, production consistency, color accuracy, and durable prints designed to hold up over time.
Need apparel quickly? We offer rush production options when scheduling and garment availability allow. Refer to our turnaround times section for more info.
We help customers choose garments, print methods, placements, quantities, and production strategies based on budget, use case, and deadline.
What customers say
Real Google reviews, quoted exactly as written.
Verified customer project
“Koala-Tees are the best, the people are great! I placed a small order with them to be embroidered and screen printed and they had my order completed before the expected date! I will always use them!!”
Cecil Hendren
Google review · Utah
“Andrew and Wendy are Awesome, Fast, Friendly and they do excellent work. I've worked with them for 20+ years, Koala Tees has done our Business uniforms, screened and embroidered, along with personal T's and Sweatshirts.”
Christene Johnson
Local Guide on Google
“Wendy and her crew are always great to work with. She screen printed the shirts for my new business and they look great! I appreciated that she did my order even though it was a small quantity of shirts. I'll use Koala Tees for all of my printed and embroidered items forever!”
Suzanne Nelson
Google review
Our process
We keep the process straightforward so you know exactly what happens from quote to finished apparel.
Select shirts, hoodies, polos, workwear, team apparel, or other garments based on your budget, print goals, and timeline.
We review your artwork, discuss print sizing and placement, and prepare the design for clean production results.
Before production begins, you approve a proof or mockup so everyone is aligned on the final result.
Your apparel moves through production, quality control, and final preparation for pickup or delivery.
Pricing & quotes
Screen printing pricing depends on your specific project, so we don’t publish flat rates online. Here’s what generally affects the cost - and for the full honest breakdown (including when digital printing beats screen printing), read our screen printing cost guide:
Each ink color in a screen-printed design generally needs its own screen and setup step, so simpler color counts are typically more efficient.
Screen printing's setup cost is spread across the run, so larger and repeat orders usually bring the per-piece price down.
Blank garment style, brand, and fabric weight affect the base cost before decoration is added.
Additional print locations (front, back, sleeve) each add their own setup and press time.
Artwork that needs color separation, vectorization, or sizing adjustments may involve extra prep before a design is ready to print.
The most accurate way to get pricing is to tell us your quantity, garment, colors, and print locations.
Start designing & get pricing
FAQ
Yes. Screen printing is one of the most common methods for business apparel because it creates durable, professional prints that work well across larger quantities and repeat orders.
It depends on the project. Screen printing is usually strongest for medium-to-large apparel runs and bold designs. Embroidery is ideal for hats, polos, jackets, and premium stitched branding, while DTF or DTG are often useful for smaller quantities or highly detailed full-color artwork.
Screen printing requires production setup before printing begins, including the digital artwork and digital separations, stenciling the screens, color setup, alignment, and press preparation. Because of that setup, it becomes much more efficient as quantities increase.
It depends on whose garments we’re printing. Garments ordered through Koala-Tees have no hard minimum on most styles - but because of the setup involved, screen printing usually makes the most sense around 12-36+ pieces depending on colors and artwork. Below that, DTG or DTF printing is often the better value. (Want true screen-printed ink below those quantities anyway? Just ask - we’ll quote it that way; it simply costs more per shirt on small runs.) Customer-supplied garments run as contract printing with a 36-piece minimum per design.
Contract screen printing is wholesale-style apparel production for brands, resellers, brokers, or customers supplying their own garments. Our standard contract printing minimum is typically 36 pieces per design.
Almost everything. Screen printing, embroidery, DTG, and DTF all run in our Sandy shop, and in-house is our default for every order. On rare occasions - a specialty process we don't run in-house, or protecting a tight deadline - we'll partner with a trusted shop to get your job done right.
Yes, we do. Refer to our turnaround times section for information on rush orders with a guaranteed turnaround deadline, or contact us to see if we can help.
Tell us what you need printed, your approximate quantity, and your timeline. We’ll help you choose the right garments and production method for your project.
| Monday | 8:30 AM - 5 PM |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 8:30 AM - 5 PM |
| Wednesday | 8:30 AM - 5 PM |
| Thursday | 8:30 AM - 5 PM |
| Friday | 8:30 AM - 2 PM |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
