heck press screen printing and embroidery in wales

FAQ's

SCREEN PRINTING

WHAT IS SCREEN PRINTING?

Screen printing is a stencil-based print process.
Ink is pulled through your design using a squeegee to create a bold, durable print that actually lasts.

Each colour needs its own screen, so more colours = more screens = more cost.
Same goes for extra placements (front, back, sleeve etc.).

Standard minimum: 20 garments

Big full-colour jobs (6–8 screens): we recommend 100 units so it still works with your margins!

For screen printing, kindly send us:

  • Quantity
  • Garment colour(s)
  • Garment type (tee / hoodie / tote etc.)
  • Print size + placement
  • Mock-up (if you’ve got one — we’ll happily make one if not)


We are happy to make suggestions if you are not sure what you want, we have a huge number of garments we can get to fit your needs!

  • Standard tee: 13” x 18”
  • Larger prints (design dependent): 15” x 20”
  • Left chest: recommended max 4” x 4”
  • Tote: 11” x 11”
  • Inside neck: max 3” wide

Yes — but we need to confirm we can print on them first!

If you’re supplying garments:

  • Industry tolerance is 2–4% wastage
  • Please send spares if final quantities are imperative
  • If misprints happen, we refund the print cost (not garment cost)
  • We can’t be responsible for manufacturer faults in supplied garments


Handling fees apply to supplied garments:

  • Tees: £0.30 each ex VAT
  • Hoodies: £0.50 each ex VAT

EMBROIDERY

WHAT IS EMBROIDERY?

Embroidery is the process of stitching your design on to your chosen garment. We take your design and convert it into a file format which is read by one of our industrial embroidery machines and stitched out to the highest possible quality.

Embroidery creates a professional looking finish and is perfect for merch like caps and beanies!

Minimum order quantity for embroidery is just 10 pieces. Providing the design stays the same and same size you can mix and match across various cap styles and beanies.

For embroidery, kindly send us:

  • Quantity
  • Garment colour(s)
  • Garment type (beanie / cap / dad cap/ truckers etc.)
  • Desired placement (front of cap / side of cap / back arch of cap etc.)
  • Mock-up (if you’ve got one — we’ll happily make one if not)


We are happy to make suggestions if you are not sure what you want, we have a huge number of garments we can get to fit your needs!

Standard cuff beanie max height 50mm

Most caps max height 60-70mm

If you want to go bigger on a beanie then ask us about our deep cuff beanie!

Yes — but we need to confirm they are suitable first!

If you’re supplying garments:

  • Industry tolerance is 2–4% wastage
  • Please send spares if final quantities are imperative
  • If damages happen, we refund the stitch cost (not garment cost)
  • We can’t be responsible for manufacturer faults in supplied garments


Handling fees apply to supplied garments:

  • Caps and beanies: £0.50 each ex VAT

ARTWORK

HOW SHOULD I SEND FILES?

We accept AI, PDF, PSD, TIFF, JPG, PNG etc.

Files must be:

  • 300dpi
  • At actual print size


If something won’t reproduce well, we won’t just print it for the sake of it! So send what you have and we can go from there.

No sorry, we do not, although we are happy to help with placements, rejigging artwork etc.

We charge £25 an hour for simple artworking e.g putting together a Tour Backprint.

We can recommend great artists/designers if you need one.

We generally don’t print AI-generated artwork. It nearly always needs proper fixing first, it’s low res, and a bit weird!

Yes — this is called Simulated Process Printing. And we love doing it! Well, it’s tough but we love a challenge and the end result.

It’s technical and time-heavy, so:

  • We generally won’t take one on as a rush job
  • There will be slight variations from screen / LP / shirt artwork
  • Turnaround can be longer depending on complexity


We work hard to get it as close as possible. Sometimes it can help if you send us an LP to help us match colours! We will send it back with the order.

PROOFS & PRODUCTION

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I ORDER?

We’ll send you:

  • Invoice
  • Digital mock-up proof
  • Full size + colour breakdown


Please can you:

  • Check everything carefully
  • Measure print size with a tape measure
  • Confirm Pantones if you’ve chosen specific ones, or check the ones we have chosen on Google (eg type pantone 485c)


Prints will look bigger on small shirts and smaller on larger ones — we can’t do different sized prints on different sized garments.

We only start production once proof is approved and payment is received. Paying the invoice is approval of the Proof, so please don’t pay it until we are all happy and on the same page!

No sorry — we don’t store screens. 

We do everything we can to make sure your prints are spot on every time BUT due to the nature of printing on flexible fabrics, and the garments being loaded by hand, we do have tolerances we work with.

Our tolerance is 15mm in any direction.

We mix all inks in-house using Pantone references.

Exact matches can’t be guaranteed — especially with:

  • Water-based inks
  • Discharge
  • Metallic inks


We’ll always get it as close as physically possible.

Discharge printing can vary slightly across garments and we have to use an approved list of garments to print this ink.

PAYMENT & DELIVERY

DO YOU REQUIRE PAYMENT UPFRONT?

Yes please.

We don’t order stock or start printing until everything’s approved and paid (unless agreed on certain orders.)

We have a variety of payment methods available:

  • Payment link
  • BACS (preferred)
  • PayPal


If you have a large invoice, we will insist upon BACS to save processing fees.

If you are paying internationally, let us know and we can send ulterior payment details.

We ship with:

  • DPD
  • Royal Mail


Estimated delivery times:

  • UK: 1–2 days
  • ROI: 3–5 days
  • EU: 3–6 days
  • EEA: 5–10 days


If you are ordering internationally, we can ship DDP (duties paid) which generally avoids customs drama.

If you are VAT registered in your country, you may prefer to pay these duties yourself to reclaim. This is fine too, just let us know so that we can adjust the invoice accordingly.

You’re welcome to collect — we are in the middle of Wales though.

Once your order leaves us, it’s in the hands of the courier.

You will receive an email and text message on the day of delivery with a time slot from either DPD or Royal Mail and you will be able to update preferences if required.

We can’t accept responsibility for courier delays, damage in transit or any losses caused by late delivery.

This includes wild weather/strikes/all the other random things that can happen that we have no control over!

That said — if something isn’t right (late parcel, damaged box, missing items), let us know straight away. We’ll contact the courier and do everything we can to help sort it. We have always gone to great lengths to restore/find missing parcels and to this date have only had one shipment ever totally get lost in the abyss of the courier system.

Everything we print is bespoke so we don’t accept returns. This includes if you are unhappy with the garment/fit, or if it’s been worn or washed.

However, if we do make a mistake, we will fix it.
Every job is proof-approved and quality checked before shipping.

Environmental Responsibility & Sustainability

Inks & Chemicals

We are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our production processes and continuously improving how we operate.

We prioritise responsible ink and chemical sourcing:

  • Water-based inks with Level 3 ZDHC conformance and ECO PASSPORT certification by OEKO-TEX
  • Phthalate-free plastisol inks with Level 3 ZDHC conformance and ECO PASSPORT certification
  • Discharge inks with Level 1 ZDHC conformance
  • Screen cleaning products that are non-caustic and compliant with major brand Restricted Substances Lists (RSL)


We align our sourcing with the standards set by the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Foundation (ZDHC).

Our studio is powered by a 100% renewable electricity tariff supplied by Octopus Energy.

By choosing a renewable-backed electricity supply, we reduce the carbon impact of our production processes.

We operate a controlled dip tank reclaim system to efficiently clean and reuse screens. This significantly reduces water consumption compared to traditional washout methods and minimises the need for harsher solvent-based reclaim chemicals.

All chemicals are handled and disposed of in accordance with UK environmental regulations.

All production waste is managed in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

We work with a licensed waste carrier and retain documentation in line with our Duty of Care obligations.

Misprints are reused internally for testing wherever possible. Surplus garments are diverted from landfill and recycled into secondary materials such as carpet underlay and insulation.

Our fully automatic screen printing press minimises misprints and material waste through precision production.

We use recyclable packaging and reuse inbound boxes wherever possible to reduce material consumption.

We ship with:

  • DPD — operating one of the UK’s largest electric delivery fleets and committed to Net Zero by 2040
  • Royal Mail — operating the UK’s largest electric delivery fleet and aligned with Science Based carbon reduction targets


We work with delivery partners investing in fleet electrification and lower-carbon logistics.

We encourage clients to select garments certified to recognised standards such as:

  • Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
  • Fair Wear Foundation
  • OEKO-TEX


We also encourage the selection of garments that wear well, wash well and last — reducing overall consumption and improving long-term value.