T-shirt Printing Techniques With Pros and Cons

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T-shirt Printing Methods with Pros and Cons
By Brush Your Ideas
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Overview

• There are many commonly followed ways of printing
  t-shirts. All the methods have their benefits and
  pitfalls.
• So the success of production depends on the
  amount of time you are willing to spend on the
  production and the printing method you use.
• Let us study the 6 popular T-shirt printing
  techniques in detail along with their benefits
  and drawbacks.
• Screen Printing
• Heat Press/INKJET/Laser Transfers
• Direct-To-Garment (DTG) Printing
• Embroidered Printing
• Cad Cut Vinyl Printing
• Dye Sublimation Printing

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Screen Printing

• Screen Printing is the most effective t-shirt
  printing technique when it comes to bulk
  production. When there are more than four or five
  colours involved, it gets a little complicated
  for screen printing machines. So in such a
  scenario, it might take more time to print.
• Pros
• It is also relatively inexpensive for bulk
  orders.
• Exact colour matching with Pantones is possible.
• Cons
• Can prove to be expensive for printing multiple
  colours
• Takes more time with complicated designs

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Heat Press/Inkjet/Laser Transfers

• Heat transfer printing has been around for
  several years. Photocopy machines and laser
  printers work really well on the heat transfer
  phenomenon. It involves printing designs from
  your PC and transferring them with iron. Heat
  transfer might prove to be a traditional method
  for handing a t-shirt printing business. This is
  because you have to print fast and in larger
  quantities.
• Pros
• Fairly simple and it can produce high quality,
  complex design.
• It is also one of the best techniques for
  full-colour printing.
• Inexpensive for smaller runs.
• Cons
• Asks for a lot of time and undivided attention
  from the printer
• Less durable as compared to screen printing
• Needs a lot of investment

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Direct-To-Garment (DTG) Printing

• DTG printing works like an ink jet printer and
  that is why there are no additional costs
  involved. It can print multiple coloured images
  directly on the t-shirts with perfection. The
  results obtained from direct-to-garment printing
  are as good as the ones obtained from screen
  printing. Needless to say, it is way better than
  the quality produced by heat transfers.
• Pros
• Allows for printing in full colour, allowing
  accurate reproduction of images or complex
  graphics.
• Easily customisable designs.
• No minimum order quantity and no setup costs
  involved
• Cons
• Not advisable for bulk production
• Not possible to give volume discounts

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Embroidered Printing

• It is an ancient printing technique whose origins
  go back to 5th century BC. Embroidered printing
  is one of the most unconventional ways of
  printing. This is because unlike other printing
  methods, it uses a sewing machine that sews the
  design in the t-shirt. Lots of polo t-shirts are
  printed using this method. Embroidery printing is
  also used to create corporate t-shirts.
• Pros
• Very professional looking.
• Long lasting method.
• Cons
• Printing these kinds of t-shirts asks for a
  special skill
• and might takes years to learn. You also might
  have
• to spend a lot on labour for doing it on a bigger
  scale.
• It is difficult to implement the embroidery of
  intricate
• and minute designs.

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Cad Cut Vinyl Printing

• It is considered a printing technique there is no
  printing involved. A state of the art machine
  cuts a high-quality vinyl paper into the shape of
  the design. One of the most common uses for this
  technique is the sports kit, mainly football
  kits.
• Pros
• No setup costs and gives bold
• and vibrant colour images.
• More viable printing locations such as
• shoulders, sleeve, and collar.
• Can also be used on polyester and nylon.
• Cons
• When completing more than 25 units a screen print
  will likely offer better value.
• Not suitable for oversized designs as the print
  can seem bulky.
• Exact colour matching is not possible as vinyl
  materials are premanufactured.

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Dye Sublimation Printing

• Dye Sublimation Printing is great for full color
  designs on white or light colored garments. It
  has no feel to the design but is a little
  trickier to master than inkjet heat transfers.
  Also, it tends to be a bit more expensive. You
  can also use this process on non textile products
  such as mugs, mousepads, tile, puzzles, coasters,
  key chains, etc. Dye sub is used only on man made
  fabrics like polyester (with various results on
  blends and pre-treated fabrics). You cannot print
  on 100 cotton t-shirts with dye sub.
• Pros
• Maximum detail for complicated designs
• Sublimation dye will not crack, peel or fade
• Cant feel the print on the garment
• Cons
• Not suitable for all garments must be a
  polyester or poly blend
• Must print on white or light colored garment
  (white is recommended for best color results)
• Will have some imperfections when printing near
  edges, seams and collars
• Cant PMS color match

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Final Thoughts

• We have covered here the most popular t-shirt
  printing techniques, but there are many ways of
  printing your t-shirt and eachone has their own
  unique benfits and drawbacks.
• As depends on your t-shirt business requirements,
  Here are the best coverage of various t-shirt
  printing methods to running or startup t-shirt
  printing business at home or a more professional
  setup.
• For any queries regarding t-shirt printing
  techniques, Please comment or like below.

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Thank You
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