Eco Friendly Shopping Bags: Setup Charges

All businesses are looking for the best way to promote their companies. They need an inexpensive and effective way to promote their brand. One of the best ways a company can do this is by using effective promotional products like eco friendly shopping bags. Reusable grocery bags work great to promote a business because the imprint area is large, it is something people are likely to use, and it is eco friendly.

Promotional Tote Bag with Logo Printing

When imprinting a logo on these eco friendly tote bags, the screen printer usually charges a “setup fee.” This setup fee covers the cost of making a screen, which is used to imprint the bags. This charge usually ranges from $15 to $50 per screen that is needed.

Each color that is printed needs a separate screen. This is the reason for having multiple screen charges when there are more than one color being printed on the tote bags. How exactly is a screen made?

Screens are traditionally made out of silk, which is covered with a light sensitive substance. The substance hardens when it is exposed to the right amount of light, so this process must take place in a dark room. It is a similar process to develop camera film.

Once the substance has dried to the screen, a transparency with the logo printed on, is placed over the screen and the light hardens all the areas that are exposed to the light. This leaves the area under the logo, which is printed on the transparency, still soft. Now, the screen can be washed out and the soft area under the logo is washed away.

The screen can now be placed on the tote bags and, using a special screen printing ink, can be pushed through the screen onto the bag. The hardened area prevents ink from going through those spots. The end result is a logo being printed on the tote bags.

The screen setup charge basically covers the cost of the screen and the materials and time used to make a screen. Sometimes screen printers will waive the screen setup fee, but the prices of the tote bags are typically higher. Reusable shopping bags are a great way for businesses to promote themselves. It is inexpensive, effective and eco friendly.