WHAT IS THE BEST PRINTING METHOD?

WHAT IS THE BEST PRINTING METHOD?



Please note this information may now be out of date as print methods are constantly evolving. We are currently developing a series of videos and guides to explain up to date printing methodologies and will link to them from here when online.

Many customers wonder exactly what method we use to print their custom t-shirt, and whether we use a specific printer for each individual order or have a ‘one printer fits all’ approach. There are several printing options available to custom clothing businesses such as ours and so we have listed a brief outline of each option and what they are best for so that you can gain a better insight into how your custom t-shirt is created.

Heat Transfer Printing:

Heat transfer printing takes a high resolution image and prints it onto a special transfer paper, which is then applied with a heat press. Transfer printing is great for coloured designs on white t-shirts but struggles with colours on a darker tone. Transfer printing can also fade over a longer period, which is why they are best used for garments with a short intended shelf life.




Pros:

Ideal for small quantities.


Cons:

Not as lasting as other methods and has a tendency to crack more often.


Can struggle to deal with certain colours on darker garments.


Best for:  Non-reusable white t-shirts that stand out at exhibitions.

Cad Cut (Vinyl Transfers):

Vinyl transfers embellish a garment by cutting shapes from a vinyl sheet and applying it with a heat press. This method is best used for small quantities of simple t-shirts, as while it provides a very high quality finish it is not as good as the DTG with logos but excels with lettering and bright contrasting colours.

 


Pros:

Provides a very high quality product.


Perfect for lettering and distinct contrasting colours.


Cons:

Not suitable for mass production of a design.


Best for: Bright, vibrant t-shirts with a personalised message like those you might order for a stag or hen trip or a colour alternative to transfer printed exhibition clothing.

Sublimation:

Sublimation dissipates ink through heating, as opposed to transfers which use paper. This means a finer control is possible but the final feel is very different of a traditional tee, in part because it demands the use of synthetic clothing. These factors mean sublimation is superb for an accurate reproduction of photographs on any garment.

 


Pros:

Great for printing a good quality picture, even with relatively low printer resolution.


Cons:

Feels very different as it is printed on synthetic clothing.


Best for: T-shirts with photographs reproduced on them, such as those for a family or friends.

DTG Printing:

Rather than transferring a design via paper a DTG (Direct To Garment) machine will print directly onto the garment, resulting in a fantastically high quality print and maximum detail. Top of the range machines allow full colour printing onto dark materials as well as the traditional plain whites.



Pros:

Ideal for small quantities.


Great for single- and multi-coloured prints.


Superior quality to all other printing methods.


Can print onto any colour of garment.


Cons:

Might not be economical for large bulk orders when compared with screen printing


Best for: Small to medium runs of work t-shirts and promotional t-shirts with either a complex or simple logo on any colour tee.

Screen Printing:

Screen printing applies colour with ink directly through a screen onto the garment. Screen printing is ideal for large quantities of printed garments but can be expensive for smaller orders requiring more than one colour.




Pros:

Ideal for massive quantity orders.


Provides superb quality t-shirts of any colour.


Can deal with complex multicoloured designs.


 

Cons:

Expensive for smaller orders.


Expensive for simple designs.


Poorer quality than DTG printing.


Best for: Huge orders with a complex logo on any colour t-shirt where cost is no concern.

Plastisol Transfer Printing:

Similar to screen printing in that the ink is used to create an image but this is printed onto a piece of transfer paper rather than directly onto the garment. The transfer paper can be stored and when ready is applied to the substrate with a heat press.




Pros:

Can be used with light or dark coloured garments.


Is ideal for medium to large print runs.


Can deal with complex multi-coloured designs easily.


Higher quality than other methods that use transfer paper.


Cheaper for medium to large runs than a screen printer.


Cons:

Cost is calculated per colour in the design, so it can be more expensive than DTG.


Lower quality than DTG.


Best for: Large orders of custom work uniforms, printed hi-vis workwear or promotional wear with a complex logo.

So which do we prefer? Here at Clothes2Order we actually use a combination of printing methods, choosing a printer depending on the design submitted and the size of the order. Our machine of choice is the top-of-the-range DTG model, which is used for all of our small to medium print runs with both simple and complex logos on any colour shirt. We tend to use a cad cut technique for single-colour orders as it can do this proficiently for any size of order at a better cost than the DTG. For medium to large orders of single- or multi-colour logos on any tee we use a plastisol transfer printer, or a screen printer for massive orders of the same nature.

 WHAT IS THE BEST PRINTING METHOD?