# Three Popular T-Shirt Printing Methods



## tshirtprinting

T-shirt printing has come a long way from simple silk screening. Aside from screen printing, other methods include direct-to-garment printing and thermal transfer. Each of these methods has a different effect and can produce either vibrant or dull colors.

The intricacy of design is also dependent on the t-shirt printing method to use. One method may only produce six-color designs while another can print a thousand colors on the fabric. Understanding each method can help you decide which method to use for t-shirt printing.

*Designing T-Shirts By Screen Printing*

Screen printing makes use of a mesh or screen made of polymer, a squeegee made of rubber, and a t-shirt printing machine. The mesh used to be made of silk because the screen printing method originated in China. However, because of silk’s expensiveness, manufacturers have started creating fine screens from polymer instead.

These modern screen printing meshes were as durable as the silk screens of yore. When they are damaged, these polymer meshes will not be as costly to dispose of as when they are made of silk. Polymer is also easier to gather as a resource material compared to silk, which is hard to come by.

The screen printing process involves the following steps:


 The client discusses with the t-shirt printing company the requirements of the design. These will include the number of colors to use, the final effect the client wants for the design, the color and type of the fabric, the number of t-shirts to produce, and the t-shirt printing methods to use.

 The t-shirt printing company then prepares the ink, the rotary printing machine, the screen printing meshes, and the soft copy of the design, which has to be edited using an imaging software such as Photoshop, and then printed from the computer to the acetate.

 The design has to be printed in its negative image, which means the areas where the ink should fill up must be the ones that are opaque. The areas that do not need any ink should be transparent. The reason for a negative image is for the creation of the stenciled image on the mesh.

 Using an emulsion, the stencil is created by placing the acetate with the printed design on top of the mesh, and then exposing the two to UV light. The UV light will harden the exposed areas with emulsion underneath the acetate, while the emulsion in those opaque areas will remain soft and washable with water. After washing away the soft emulsion, the hardened emulsion will form the stenciled image.

 With your mesh ready with the stenciled image, the t-shirt printing process now begins. The t-shirts are laid on the platform in the t-shirt printing machine. The back of the shirt should be protected from leakage. The mesh for each color should be tightly screwed so it will not move and smudge the design.

 Each color of the ink is applied to the screen depending on the area they are needed. The stenciled image for each color will also differ to match the area where the color is needed. The angle of the squeegee and the pressure applied will determine the depth and consistency of the color.

As each custom printed t-shirt is finished, they are immediately "cured," which is a process of embedding the ink into the fabric by exposing it to intense heat. A special heater is used for certain types of inks, especially the water-based types.

*Direct-to-Garment Printing (DTG) Method of T-shirt Printing*

Direct-to-garment printing uses a modified inkjet printer to directly print the design on the t-shirt without the use of a stenciled image or a squeegee to apply ink through a mesh. The textile ink is the same one used in screen printing the t-shirt. 

Because of the reduction of the steps in the t-shirt printing process, the DTG method increases the turnaround time. More shirts can be printed on in less time. Aside from that, because DTG does not use a mesh for printing, the number of colors and the intricacy of design is more flexible and customizable.

*T-Shirt Printing Using Thermal Transfer*

The thermal transfer method uses the same modified inkjet printer to print the textile ink onto a special paper that reacts to heat. When heat and pressure are applied to this special paper, the design is transferred to the fabric. Sometimes, water is applied first to the back of the paper before being ironed over the t-shirt. Other times, the back of the paper is directly ironed over after being placed on top of the fabric.

These are the major processes used in t-shirt printing. There may be other methods such as flex and flock printing, but these three methods are the most used by t-shirt printing companies. They are also the most cost-efficient and most requested by clients. The other t-shirt printing methods are used in combination to produce custom printed t-shirt designs.


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## Lucent

Under what category does spray painting with a stencil fall?


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## tshirtprinting

Lucent said:


> Under what category does spray painting with a stencil fall?


That would be stenciling. There are other ways of printing t-shirts. Hand painting and spray painting are just two alternative methods.

These three mentioned are popular among t-shirt printing businesses.


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## Lucent

Thanks for the quick reply. But which of the methods is most effective at truly artistic designs, i'm taking this up as a hobby right now is it ok if i just stencil? Will the tees look professional?


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## tshirtprinting

Personally, I prefer screen printing, but if you want to use stencil, then that's fine with me as long as you tape the stencil in place.

Be careful not to spray too much paint or it will bleed. Also, make sure you have placed a cardboard in between the shirt's front and back areas. This will prevent the ink from printing through the back when you are doing your spray painting.

I hope you succeed in your spray painting hobby. I'm wondering how it will turn out. I have seen skilled artists do that on shirts and bags. Good luck!


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## tshirtprinting

I found a good demo on How To Spray Pain A T-Shirt here: How to Spray Paint a T-shirt - DIY Fashion

Hope this helps!


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## Nick4u1

I personally prefer the accuracy you get with genuine screen printing but sometimes overspraying the stencil deliberately can give a real nice 'urban' affect.


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## ChristopherBell

Thanks for the info


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## tecgressive

Hi..i'm from india, got this idea of tee shirt printing into my mind from some time,your thread sounds very helpful.I'm into garment retailing for last two years and got good contacts in this industry around my area so looking into serious tee shirt printing business and building up a brand, will you please help me suggest which printing method and printer should i use to produce about 10,000 tee shirts a month as i got takers in wholesale industry to take my product.i got a good graphic designer friend wit me to help me with designs.I need to make real good tee shirt designs with pictures,quotes and logos in it.
also what printing methods are used by established brands like Tommy,Puma etc use...
Thanks


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## azit

DTG direct to garment is the way to go.
you got volumes to justify the investment on the dtg.


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## mbruni

Anyone know the best method to heat transfer opaque logo on back of black hoodies. Seems like i have to outline the cut out edge of the square imprint piece with a black felt marker so the cutline doesn't show. Any other options?


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## Rodney

mbruni said:


> Anyone know the best method to heat transfer opaque logo on back of black hoodies. Seems like i have to outline the cut out edge of the square imprint piece with a black felt marker so the cutline doesn't show. Any other options?


Probably a vinyl transfer or a plastisol transfer would be best.


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## sunnydayz

I have to disagree with the statement in the initial post about the inks for dtg being the same as the inks for screen printing. They are different inks for dtg and are made specifically to run through a digital printer. They are water based inks that have a binder in them that helps them to adhere to fabric, but they are not the same inks used in screen printing. Haha I wish they were as they would be much cheaper for me and my dtg printer 

I also have to disagree that printing large volume is not meant for dtg. If printing 10,000 shirts a month, it is much more cost effective to print using either screen printing or plastitol transers, as it would be much cheaper considering the time and ink cost of dtg printing.


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## azit

sunnydayz said:


> I also have to disagree that printing large volume is not meant for dtg. If printing 10,000 shirts a month, it is much more cost effective to print using either screen printing or plastitol transers, as it would be much cheaper considering the time and ink cost of dtg printing.


Yes, I agree.
But printing method depends on the design to be printed. If it is multi-colour photo-like design then DTG is good. If not, screen printing is always better.


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## steveaustin

Most people only wear shirts when they are at work, when they are leaving for a meeting, etc. Most of the people will wear them on certain days during the week. Once people leave the professional world, they wear t-shirts. T-shirts are designed in the way that men or women can wear them and feel comfortable while wearing them, thus tempting them to purchase t-shirts more often. Just imagine that someone who might spend all his or her weekend time wearing baggy clothes.


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## Jerseooffer

Thank you.Useful


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## CottonCombed

Thanks for this post


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## whakaahuamaori

Choice article, thanks for that. Im a newbie just starting out and trying to figure out where to go. I think Im gonna give screenprinting a go. Thanks heaps


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## Shishir

*Among Designing T-Shirts By Screen Printing,** Direct-to-Garment Printing (DTG) Method of T-shirt Printing and **T-Shirt Printing Using Thermal Transfer---Please tell me which one is best, which one is better and which one is good considering all the pros and cons of each. 
*


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## azit

Shishir said:


> *Among Designing T-Shirts By Screen Printing,** Direct-to-Garment Printing (DTG) Method of T-shirt Printing and **T-Shirt Printing Using Thermal Transfer---Please tell me which one is best, which one is better and which one is good considering all the pros and cons of each.
> 
> I think, there is no such thing as good-better-best printing method.
> Printing method is chosen depending on the customer's order.
> You can find the pros and cons of printing methods here:
> http://www.t-shirtforums.com/general-t-shirt-selling-discussion/t37985.html
> Search the forums for more info.
> Have fun *


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## Shishir

Thank you azit for your reply.


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## RXXX7

Thanks for all the good info


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## Saumya DNB

If you are planning to establish an online store for your t-shirt business one of the first considerations that what method is the best way to reach out to the customers.

Here are the also 5 different printing methods:

1. Screen Printing:
2. Direct To Garments(DTG):
3. Dye Sublimation:
4. Heat Press Printing:
5. Vinyl Cutting:

DTG (Direct-to-Garment) printing will help you choose the best printing method for your t shirt brand. A good online t-shirt design software should support all printing methods and user friendly and easier for your customers to use depending on their graphic design skills.


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## PratikShah

You should be familiar with the various t-shirt printing procedures whether you plan to launch your own printing company or wish to offer personalised t-shirts.

Here is list of T-shirt Printing Methods:

Screen printing
Dye-sublimation printing 
Heat Transfer Printing 
Direct To Garment (DTG) printing 
CAD – Cut Heat Transfer Vinyl Printing 
Plastisol Transfer printing
You may choose the ideal printing technique for your t-shirt brand with the aid of DTG (Direct-to-Garment) printing. Any printing technique should be supported by a decent online t-shirt design tool, which should also be user-friendly and simpler for your clients to use based on their level of graphic design expertise.


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