Title: T-shirt Printing Techniques With Pros and Cons
1T-shirt Printing Methods with Pros and Cons
By Brush Your Ideas
2Overview
- 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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3Screen 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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4Heat 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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5Direct-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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6Embroidered 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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7Cad 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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8Dye 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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9Final 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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10Thank You
Website https//www.brushyourideas.com E-mail
sales_at_brushyourideas.com