Silk-screen printing

Category overview

We offer a wide range of branded merch in this category:

• T-shirt
• hoodie
• cotton bag
• bandana
• polo shirt
• cap

Italia e contesto UE

Italian and EU context. Standard VAT rate in Italia is 22% for merch products and gadgets — 10% applies to hospitality and tourism, 5% to packaged food, 4% to books and print. Since 2019 B2B electronic invoicing is mandatory via SdI (Sistema di Interscambio) operated by Agenzia delle Entrate — full integration with client ERP (SAP, Zucchetti, TeamSystem, Aruba, Fatture in Cloud). Italian is the default language on invoices and labels; English standard in international docs. Garante per la Protezione dei Dati Personali requires GDPR (Reg. UE 2016/679) + D.Lgs 196/2003 (Codice Privacy) compliance when collecting employee data for merch programs (names, numbers, size preferences). GOTS, GRS, FSC, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificates honoured across the EU — for food-contact products Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 also applies. The T-shirt, hoodie, cotton bag categories fall under these regulations and we work in full compliance.

Prezzi e listini

Pricing and financial framework. We quote in EUR with 22% VAT (standard rate). For enterprise clients we offer framework agreements with volume discount tiers — from 5% at EUR 50,000 annually to 15% at EUR 500,000 annually. Payment by proforma invoice 50% deposit + 50% before dispatch for new clients; for recurring B2B clients payment terms 30-60 days. We accept SEPA bank transfers (EUR), payment cards via Stripe, Satispay, instant bank transfer, PagoPA for public sector. Since 2019 all B2B invoices are issued mandatorily via SdI. For T-shirt, hoodie, cotton bag categories standard price tiers apply — 10-50 EUR net per piece for basic products, 50-200 EUR net for premium gifts.

Tempi di realizzazione

Lead time. Standard cycle for T-shirt, hoodie, cotton bag — 5-8 working days (digital proofing + production + control + delivery). For projects with extensive personalisation (Pantone embroidery, debossing, name-personalised digital print) — 10-15 working days. For Asia imports (production + sea freight + customs clearance at Genova, La Spezia or Trieste) — 8-12 weeks. During the autumn season (September-November) and pre-Christmas period (November-December) timelines extend by 1-2 weeks. For recurring B2B clients we maintain a 10% warehouse buffer — recommend quarterly planning ahead.

Pianificazione stagionale

Seasonal planning. Italia has strong B2B merch seasons — January-February (new year inauguration, annual plans), April-May (Easter, Mother's Day), June (end of school year, summer collection launches), September (back-to-school, trade shows), October-November (conferences, Q4 launches), December (festa di San Nicola, Christmas, Black Friday). Onboarding programs for new employees are most often launched in January and September. For T-shirt, hoodie, cotton bag categories the customer campaign calendar should be synchronised 6-8 weeks ahead to avoid production and delivery delays.

Spedizione e logistica

Shipping and logistics. Central warehouse in Milano (Certosa district). Shipping via BRT, DHL Italy, GLS Italy, SDA, Poste Italiane, UPS Italy, FedEx. Delivery time in Italia 24-48 hours, in EU 3-5 days, outside EU 5-10 days. We deliver multi-address (e.g. to company branches in multiple cities) with individual packaging per address. For T-shirt, hoodie, cotton bag the standard packaging is cardboard boxes with paper filling for transport protection.

What it is

Technique T-shirt is one of the 12 decoration methods offered by Corp-Merch in Italia — each method has its optimal range of materials, runs and quality. T-shirt provides durable and aesthetic B2B merch marking — withstands industrial washing, abrasion and UV exposure without colour or shape loss.

For B2B clients in Italia we offer T-shirt in variants matched to the brief — Pantone colours, ICC FOGRA39 profiles, AQL 1.0-2.5 control. T-shirt requires digital proofing (PDF/X-1a) and a physical pre-production sample before launching the full run.

Italian and European factories in the T-shirt technology offer different quality tiers — economy, mid and premium; we match them to client budget. Each project in T-shirt passes AQL inspection — a random 5-10% sample of the run is visually and dimensionally checked before packing.

T-shirt is the most frequently ordered product in the T-shirt category — popular in onboarding, event and loyalty programs across Italia. hoodie in the branded version is a standard element of welcome packs for new employees and enterprise clients in Milano.

cotton bag with the client logo works well in seasonal campaigns and ambassador programs — 5-8 week lead time. bandana is available in Pantone-accurate variants, with certificates and premium gift or eco packaging.

polo shirt accompanies Corp-Merch clients from the first brief to delivery, with a dedicated project owner. Selection of cap in the T-shirt category is based on client brief specifications, warehouse availability and campaign calendar.

When to order

T-shirt — standard production cycle available year-round, 5-8 working days lead time for medium-small batches. T-shirt — seasonal peaks October-November and November-December for Christmas campaigns; plan 4-6 weeks ahead.

T-shirt — peak season for product launches February-March and September-October; technical brief required 6 weeks before. T-shirt — workshop availability limited in August for summer holidays; plan production accordingly.

T-shirt — fastest turnaround in April-May and June; less pressure on suppliers. T-shirt — for launch campaigns, allow proofing at least 3 weeks before mass production starts.

T-shirt — summer collection available from March to August, 8 weeks ahead of first delivery. hoodie — autumn collection launched in August-September, delivery October-November.

cotton bag — limited Christmas edition, brief in October, delivery first half of December. bandana — warehouse rotation quarterly; minimum reasonable execution time 4-6 weeks for T-shirt.

polo shirt — spring collection launched in January-February with delivery in March-April. Calendar of cap is synchronised with the customer campaign calendar — brief 6-8 weeks before the premiere date.

Specification

Technical specification of T-shirt — vector files AI/EPS/SVG, bitmap min. 300 dpi, ICC FOGRA39 profiles. Materials of T-shirt — cotton, polyester, mixed, leather, eco-leather, paper, cardboard, vinyl; GOTS/GRS/FSC/OEKO-TEX certifications.

Colours of T-shirt — Pantone Coated for glossy paper, Pantone Uncoated for matte, Pantone TPX for textiles; ΔE ≤ 2 mapping. Quality control of T-shirt — AQL 1.0-2.5 inspection (5-10% random sample), durability tests (washing, abrasion, UV light).

Setup of T-shirt — 120 mesh screen-printing screens, 14-16 inch DTG platens, UV LED 4-8 channel print heads. Packaging of T-shirt — shrink-wrap for gadgets, bubble wrap for textiles, single box for premium gifts.

Specification of T-shirt — Pantone Coated/Uncoated for brand colours, min. 300 dpi for bitmaps, AI/EPS/SVG files for logo. Materials of hoodie — OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificates, optionally GOTS for organic cotton or GRS for recycled polyester.

Decoration of cotton bag — Pantone Aqua screen-printing (water-based inks), DTF, computer embroidery with Madeira Polyneon — AQL 1.0-2.5 control. Packaging of bandana — cardboard boxes with paper or EPS filling; multi-language labels IT/EN/DE.

Dimensional tolerances of polo shirt — ±2 mm for textiles, ±0.5 mm for gadgets, ±1 mm for premium packaging. Colour standards of cap — Pantone Coated for glossy paper print, Pantone Uncoated for matte paper; ICC FOGRA39 profiles.

Common mistakes

Wrong file resolution — 72 dpi bitmaps look sharp on monitor but pixelate in production; minimum 300 dpi at 1:1. Wrong Pantone colours — Pantone Coated for glossy paper, Pantone Uncoated for matte paper.

Missing bleeds — files without 3-5 mm bleeds cause white edges in production. Too small elements — text below 6 pt is unreadable in screen-printing, lines thinner than 0.3 mm disappear in DTF.

Wrong colour encoding in PDF — RGB instead of CMYK causes colour shifts; conversion requires ICC FOGRA39 profile. Missing 3D mockup before production — client approves the visualisation but the final effect on the product differs.

For T-shirt a frequent mistake is underestimating quantities — for seasonal campaigns order +10-15% buffer. For hoodie a trap is choosing the wrong decoration technique — we always proof.

For cotton bag a mistake is missing size specification in the brief — recommend 30% S / 35% M / 25% L / 10% XL split. For bandana an issue is overlooking certificates required by the end client.

For polo shirt a risk is missing Plan B for delivery — keep an alternative address. For cap the problem is brief submitted too late — minimum reasonable time is 4-6 weeks.

Execution process

Step 1 — technical brief: client provides the logo in vector (AI/EPS/SVG), material specification, quantities and decoration area. Step 2 — physical sample (pre-production sample): design studio prepares the production file, we produce 1-2 sample pieces in 3-5 working days.

Step 3 — serial production: after sample approval we launch full production (5-15 working days depending on technology and quantity). Step 4 — quality control: AQL 1.0-2.5 inspection (5-10% random sample), visual check, specification measurements.

Step 5 — packaging: product packed per brief guidelines (individual protective packaging for electronics, multi-pack for textiles). Step 6 — delivery and integration: integration with the client's existing warehouse or direct delivery to regional branches.

Brief stage — client indicates T-shirt as priority item in T-shirt; account manager prepares specification in 1-2 working days. Quote stage — for hoodie the quote includes unit price, decoration technique, packaging and logistics.

Proofing stage — for cotton bag the design studio prepares visualisation + physical sample before launching the run. Production stage — bandana launched in serial production 5-15 working days after sample approval.

Quality control stage — for polo shirt AQL 1.0-2.5 inspection, durability tests (washing, abrasion), packaging per brief. Delivery stage — cap shipped from the Milano warehouse via BRT/DHL Italy/GLS/SDA/UPS Italy/FedEx with tracking number; delivery 24-48 hours in Italia.

Compliance and certificates

Inks used in T-shirt — Pantone Aqua water-based (eco, OEKO-TEX), Plastisol (durable). REACH compliance — no SVHC above 0.1% w/w.

RoHS compliance for electronics applications. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 for printed textiles — class I or II.

GOTS for organic cotton; GRS for recycled polyester. FSC for certified paper and cardboard.

T-shirt meets OEKO-TEX Standard 100 class II (articles in direct skin contact) — certificate on client request. hoodie complies with REACH — no SVHC above 0.1% w/w.

Personalisation of cotton bag uses inks and materials compliant with RoHS and LFGB for food-contact products. 22% VAT invoices for bandana — mandatory via SdI since 2019; full ERP integration.

polo shirt carries GOTS certificate for organic cotton or GRS for recycled polyester. GDPR + Italian Codice Privacy (D.Lgs 196/2003) for cap — employee data stored in EU infrastructure with data processing agreement on request.

Lifecycle

Short-term (1-3 months) — event campaigns, product launches, onboarding programs with dedicated decoration personalisation. Medium-term (3-12 months) — merch programs with quarterly catalogue rotation, ambassador programs with name personalisation.

Long-term (1-3 years) — framework agreements with fixed setups, screen-printing screen storage. Continuous improvement — Pantone colour calibration quarterly, replacement of worn screens.

Screen lifecycle management — screen-printing screens have a lifespan of 50,000-100,000 impressions. Sustainable lifecycle — transition from Plastisol to water-based inks, recycling of screens and PET films.

Short-term T-shirt is used in event campaigns and product launches — 5-8 week lead time. Medium-term hoodie powers onboarding and ambassador programs — quarterly rotation, 10% warehouse buffering.

Long-term cotton bag is part of loyalty programs — framework agreement with 5-15% volume discounts. bandana in sustainable lifecycle — recycled materials (GRS, GOTS, FSC) and return program for used products.

polo shirt — continuous improvement: catalogue updated quarterly, new eco collections every 6 months. cap — after-sales support: claims processed in 3 working days, re-prints in 7-14 working days, returns of defective batches at our cost.

Frequently asked questions