Have you ever wondered about who formulated the extremely serviceable and now posh t-shirt? T-shirt printing started out as far back in the 1700s in Western Europe. Printing which was earlier invented by the Chinese took on different forms and media other than paper, as Europeans tried impressing onto other surfaces like decorative wall papers, linen, fabric, and silk, leading to the evolution of "silk screen printing."

T-shirt, on the other hand, originated from the one-piece union suit which used to cover the body from shoulders to toes. People cut this rendering of undergarment into half, thus producing the t-shirt. Although the t-shirts are still worn as undergarments today, especially the plain white ones, printed t-shirts are now worn as outer garments and for different affairs and purposes.

In Europe, the forerunners of printing, such as Roy Beck, Charles Peter, and Edward Owens, caused a fresh forward trend of this method from the 1900s to the 1960s. The trio fabricated stencil in 1910, combining chromic acid salts which made emulsion. Having the stencils made it feasible to do large format silk screen printing later on.

Another discoverer and innovator named Joseph Ulanos fostered the initial success of stencil, by introducing a lacquer soluble stencil. This developed a solid base to make screens, which in turn could be made into more stencils. The result was automation of silk screen large format printing even in the earlier days, catering to many publicists, government officers writing posts and notices, and other mass produced print materials.

Given the technology, artists, writers, publicists, and other imaginative minds of the time took advantage of the many feasible applications of printing, to include books, newspapers, wall papers, and of course, fabric, which led to the modern-day t-shirt printing.

Now, t-shirt printing companies churn out a lot of shirts in various designs, colours, and for various users. People enjoy wearing t-shirts for comfort and style. Printing technology has been innovative so that the impresses stay on even if the shirt goes under various washing and ironing, specially the school uniforms that are in use almost everyday the whole year through. Aside from t-shirts available at the store, individuals can also order tailor-made shirts bearing particular logo design and text. For school, work, or just for fun, t-shirt printing serves everyone.