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Screen Printing in Vancouver and Canada Wide
Vintage Screen Printing That Feels Broken-In From Day One
Soft. Faded. Pressed into the fabric—not sitting on top.
Get that worn-in look and feel right out of the box.
Get that worn-in look and feel right out of the box.
Quote your project now.
When should I use vintage printing?
Vintage printing is best for designs where you want a softer, worn-in look rather than a bold, solid print. It works especially well on heathered or blended fabrics and is a great choice for fashion-style graphics, band tees, and lifestyle apparel.
If you’re looking for bright, solid colours or sharp contrast, standard screen printing may be a better option.
How much does vintage screen printing cost
Vintage screen printing is priced the same as standard screen printing.
Costs are based on the number of ink colours used in your design—not the size of the print or the vintage effect itself. There’s no added charge for achieving that soft, worn-in look.
You can get an instant quote on our website using the standard screen printing option.
When you submit your order, simply mention “vintage print” in the “Tell us about your artwork” section and let us know the level of fading or softness you’re after.
From there, we’ll take care of the rest.
We’ll provide digital mock-ups that simulate the vintage effect, so you can review and approve the exact look before production begins.
Vintage vs standard screen printing
✅ When to Use Vintage Screen Printing
Use vintage printing when you want a soft, worn-in, lived-in look
✔ Lifestyle brands
✔ Band merch / retro-inspired designs
✔ Large prints (full front, big graphics)
✔ Distressed or textured artwork
✔ Earth tones / muted colour palettes
✔ Soft, lightweight garments (50/50, triblends)
✔ Designs where feel matters as much as the look
✔ You want the print to blend into the fabric
✔ Band merch / retro-inspired designs
✔ Large prints (full front, big graphics)
✔ Distressed or textured artwork
✔ Earth tones / muted colour palettes
✔ Soft, lightweight garments (50/50, triblends)
✔ Designs where feel matters as much as the look
✔ You want the print to blend into the fabric
👉 Think: “This shirt should feel like I’ve owned it for 10 years”
❌ When NOT to Use Vintage Printing
Avoid vintage printing when you need bold, sharp, or exact results
✘ Bright, vibrant colours that need to pop
✘ Exact Pantone colour matching
✘ Corporate logos or brand-critical colours
✘ Small prints (like left chest logos)
✘ Fine details or thin line work
✘ Designs that rely on sharp contrast
✘ Performance / athletic garments where colour matters
✘ When you want the print to stand out from the fabric
✘ Exact Pantone colour matching
✘ Corporate logos or brand-critical colours
✘ Small prints (like left chest logos)
✘ Fine details or thin line work
✘ Designs that rely on sharp contrast
✘ Performance / athletic garments where colour matters
✘ When you want the print to stand out from the fabric
Best Garments for Vintage Printing
Vintage printing works best on lightweight, soft-feel garments—especially blends.
Styles like the CSW Sprint 50/50 Cotton/Polyester T-Shirt (S05650) or the BELLA+CANVAS Unisex Triblend Tee are ideal. These fabrics are designed to be soft, breathable, and easy to wear right from day one. We suggest you do a search on our site for blended tees, or 50/50 or triblend to find your best options.
Because these shirts are so lightweight and flowy, heavy ink deposits can feel out of place. Thick prints sit on top of the fabric and work against what the garment is designed to do.
Vintage printing solves that.
By reducing the ink and pressing it into the fabric, the print becomes soft, subtle, and barely there—perfectly matching the feel of the shirt itself.
The result is a lightweight, broken-in tee that looks and feels like it’s been in your rotation for 20 years.
How we achieve the vintage t-shirt look
To achieve that soft, worn-in vintage feel, we use a combination of high mesh screens and a clear ink reducer to minimize the amount of ink sitting on the surface of the garment.
Unlike traditional screen printing, we don’t build up layers of ink or flash it between passes. Instead, we push the ink deep into the fabric using high pressure on our automatic presses.
While the ink is still wet, the garment is passed through a heavy pressure roller, further embedding the ink into the fibers. At this point, the print is no longer sitting on top of the shirt—it becomes part of the fabric itself.
The result is a soft, breathable print that feels more like it’s been dyed into the garment than printed on it.
Because of this process, colours appear more faded and natural. We can control how worn-in the final result looks by adjusting the amount of reducer and the pressure used during printing.
Reduced Ink Opacity
That vintage look comes down to how much we reduce the ink.
By mixing in a clear reducer, we thin the ink so it presses into the fabric instead of sitting on top. More reduction means a softer feel and a more faded, worn-in appearance.
White ink is usually reduced by about 30%, while coloured inks vary depending on how bold or subtle you want the final result.
If you’re chasing a specific vintage look, we’ll guide you to the right balance.
Because the ink is reduced, colours won’t match Pantone exactly—they’ll appear softer and more natural
Distressed Effect
Enhance your vintage look by adding a distressed or “cracked” effect to your design. We offer a variety of distressed textures—just let us know, and we can apply the effect to your logo for an authentic, worn-in style.
Why use GetBold for vintage style screen printing
At GetBold, vintage-style printing is what we do best.
We’ve been screen printing for over 25 years, and honestly—these are still our favourite tees. This is how a t-shirt is meant to feel: soft, broken-in, and classic from day one.
Over the years, we’ve refined our techniques through constant testing and real-world experience. We’ve pushed the limits, dialed things in, and built a process that consistently delivers the exact vintage look our customers are after.
From artwork setup to final production, we take the time to properly proof and spec your design. That means you can move forward with confidence, knowing your shirts will turn out exactly how you envisioned.
We Made Them
