Welcome to the Help Centre

Whether you're looking to fill in the gaps or make the most of a print, you'll find what you're looking for here in our Help Centre.
Click on a heading to jump ahead and find your answer:

Our services     Before you start     Placing an order     Shipping     Cost & payment     Garments     Existing customers

Our services

What types of custom printing do you offer?

We offer direct-to-garment (DTG) digital printingtraditional silk-screen printing, and embroidery. These are all retail-quality processes, providing professional, durable custom outcomes on a variety of different fabrics. 

What's the quality like? How does it look & feel?

We use state-of-the-art digital, screen & embroidery equipment, which means as long as the files you supply are high-resolution, the outcomes should be crisp and retail-standard. The look & feel will vary between processes, and we'll give a short overview here. Digital prints almost feel a part of the garment, with a soft malleable feel. Screen prints in general are very similar, with prints sitting atop the garment and a soft hand feel. Embroidery is a collection of machined threads, and are also soft-to-touch, while being above the garment, and a felt backing on the reverse. All prints have excellent washability and should last for years—make sure you care for them appropriately.

What else do you do?

Well, we have a huge range of promotional and specialty products, like custom-printed stubby-coolers, sportswear, totes, scarves, water bottles, usbs, umbrellas and so much more.

Before you get started

What's the difference between screen printing & digital printing (DTG)?

Digital, or direct-to-garment (DTG) printing is a process where essentially a large inkjet printer prints specialty ink directly onto garments (much like a home printer). It first applies a layer of pre-treatment solution, then a white underbase, and then all of the colours. The garment is then cured in a conveyor oven, at around 150°C for 10 minutes. 

The screen printing process is a little more laborious, and involves pressing ink through a specialty stencil. Each colour in the design is printed separately and exposed into a mesh stencil, and a white underbase is also applied to ensure colours can exist more purely on the garment. Screen prints are cured in a similar fashion to DTG.

Both processes produce comparable, retail-quality prints, and have different strengths and finished looks.

Which print method is right for my project?

Digital printing is superior at full-colour, photographic and customisable prints. It's suitable for natural fabrics such as cotton, silk, linen and hemp. Digital printing is the best option for you if you want a smaller run of 1-10 units, or if you have a photograhic or colourful design and want to get the best quality result. 

Screen printing is better for solid spot colours, such as matching Pantone colours in corporate logos. You can print on a varierty of fabrics such as polyester too. You can also order photographic and full colour prints as a screenprint too, but you won't get as much detail as a digital print for these designs. Screenprinting is more cost-effective in larger runs. 

The most suitable process for your project ultimately comes down to your design and the quantity you're after.

Placing an order

How do I use the Online Designer?

Our Online Designer is made to help you lay down your great ideas with a host of decorative options; text, designs (both from The Art Bar or your own), and alternating text (like team names). To read our in-depth How To guide, jump onto the dedicated guide here. 

How do I get the best print?

To make sure our print team can produce your timeless customised garments, here are a few hot tips for your next order:

  • Photo/image quality
    For crisp, vibrant images, you always want to submit high-resolution images. Keep in mind that pictures on the internet generally aren't great quality, so make sure you ask your designer, friend, grandchild or Google image search to give you the largest image size possible. We recommend 300dpi for the best print outcomes.
  • Illustrations & text
    If you're uploading your own, try and get us a vector version, although high-res images will also be great.
  • Colour use (screen printing)
    If you're screen printing, it's best to have a think about specifically which PMS colour(s) you'd like to print on.

We've been printing for seven years (and counting), so there's a fair bit of experience and muscle memory we apply to each and every print. If something doesn't look quite right, we'll get in touch to make sure you get the best outcome. If you have any specific requests or comments, please make a note of it so we know!

I have a background on my design that I don't want printed!

We recommend you could engage a freelance designer to make the changes before uploading, or you could remove it yourself, using a variety of free or paid apps. 

How do I know my intellectual property is safe?

We're legally bound by copyright & intellectual property laws to keep your work safe, and over the years  we've printed for many artists, businesses and events with great ideas. Our internal framework ensures your great ideas and designs are kept safe and secure. 

Shipping & delivery

What are your shipping options?

The way our service timeline works is Production time PLUS Shipping time, so turnaround time can vary greatly whether you're ordering a Same Day or Standard item, and Regular or Express shipping. Our shipping options are as follows:

Click Here For Australia Post Domestic Delivery Updates

How long do orders normally take?

Orders usually take 14 days from order till we ship out. If you need your order by a certain date, let us know, or order specifically from our Same Day range. Embroidery and Promotional items, such as books and umbrellas, can take a minimum 21 days.

Occasionally one of our suppliers may be out of stock, and they'll let us know when to expect it again. In this situation, we'll get in touch with you to see whether you'd like to wait, replace the item or print on something else.

We're always aiming to give you the best outcomes, and this means regular quality control checks. From time to time, a printed garment may not meet our standards, and we'll need to reorder the stock to complete your order. This may change your delivery date, but we'll keep you updated.

Do you ship internationally?

Yes, we do. 

Cost & payment

How much does an order cost? Can I get a quote?

Pricing for one-off t-shirts starts at $15 per shirt including printing, whilst bulk orders can cost around $5-$15 per shirt including screen printing, though it depends on the order quantity.

Using our Online Designer, you can easily put together your idea, and generate a live quote to guide your process. Alternatively, we'd love to hear from you, so email us and we can help with quotes and costing.

Can I get a bulk discount?

Yes! Our Online Designer automatically applies volume discounts to your order, all you have to do is enter the quantity, and the pricing will update.

For digital printing we offer these bulk discounts:

  • 5% off for 5 garments
  • 10% for 10 garments
  • 15% for 20 garments
  • 20% for 30 garments

And for screen printing we have a similar discount structure based upon the colours, and garments with screen setup built into the total order cost. Check out the bulk printing page for an example and more info, or email [email protected] if you need more help.

What if I don't have PayPal?

You don't need a PayPal account to checkout with our website, you can simply enter your Visa, Amex or Mastercard details into our checkout system which is completely secure. You can also pay via direct deposit (by checking the direct deposit option in checkout) or on the phone by calling 07 3854 0608.

Is it safe to pay online?

Our website checkout system is SSL secured, which means that a system is in place (using encryption) to secure & protect transactions.  Our online payments are hosted by the Commonwealth Bank and Braintree, and payments are also available through PayPal or a bank transfer, which means your hard-earned cash is always safe.

Garments & their life with you

How do I know the garment will fit me?

We always recommend you can check out the size information in the product info tab when you are designing online.

To get the perfect fit, ​grab a t-shirt that fits you really well and lay it flat on a table. Measuring from armpit to armpit will give you a size to compare with the size guides available on our website.

Can I bring my own to be printed on?

If you'd like to BYO, we have screen printing available for suitable designs, and there is a minimum order requirement of 20 items with the exact same design. make sure you place your order under the 'Bring Your Own' product tab in 'Bulk Orders'.

Once you have created the order, you can send the stock to us with your invoice number as a reference on the stock, so we know what stock belongs to what order, and we can print them for you.

How do I wash my printed garments?

To maximise the lifetime of your new custom items, make sure you follow the steps below, and if you've got the time, check our How To Care page, which is more in-depth printers tips. 

  • Delicate/gentle wash with cold water
  • Wash inside out
  • Only iron inside out (if you absolutely must)
  • Do not tumble dry
  • Do not dry in direct sunlight

How long will my printed garments last?

We're at the forefront of print technology. If you care for the garments well, they'll last for years to come.

What ethical standards are in place for the garments I'm printing on?

Our suppliers have stringent systems in place to ensure best practice for workers and the environement through the process of manufacturing premium products. To read more, please see the following links: AS Colour, Gildan, Ramo.

Existing customers

What's the current status of my order?

To get an update on your order, please login to our customer portal and view your order.

I've received my order, and something's not quite right. What can I do?

It's a bummer when things aren't quite right, so please get in touch and we'll get on to rectifying your order! 

My order is late, what can I do? 

We always aim to deliver your order on-time, but if you haven't heard from us and the due date on your invoice has passed, please email us and we'll be able to chase this up for you. If you have a date or event you need this for please get in contact with us before you place your order so we can confirm if we can get them to you on time.

I've got some feedback for The Print Bar, who should I talk to?

We really appreciate feedback! Positive or negative. We go through every piece of feedback with our team and create processes around it, so if you can email us at [email protected] we will use your feedback to improve our services for the future!

Didn't find the answer you're looking for?
Shoot us a message below or give us a call. We'd love to help!

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