# Plastisol Transfers vs. DTG Print



## dazzlindezigns (Jun 22, 2012)

I currently have a graphic design business, I mostly do invitations, business cards, personalized favors and quite a but of t-shirt designs. And I've recently stated doing rhinestone shirts. I have alot of customers who need t-shirt samples to show their organization's for possible mass production. Most companies do minimum orders., I'm wanting to begin printing these sample shirts myself. I don't want to mass produce (is this even worth it?). What would be the most economical time efficient route, plastisol transfers or direct to garment printing, or is there something else?


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## Mabuzi (Jul 3, 2007)

Transfers! We have grown our business 40% every year on transfers. Our primary market is business to business.

We use a Roland and IT never breaks down, never. It returns amazing value. We are about to venture in purcahsing a DTG machine but still yet to find a printer who does not have continous issues with DTG. I have friends on Kornits who cry every 3 days. 

Certain fabrics and artwork are more suited to transfers while others will be DTG.

Get the Roland BN20.


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

Transfers printed off a Roland are a different animal than plastisol transfers though they may meet the OP's needs.

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using T-Shirt Forums


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## Riph (Jan 11, 2011)

Depends on the artwork, the quantities, the shirt type, etc.

Sounds like you will doing small runs. I do a fair amount of the same thing.

You can do very nice one-off's of spot color designs with vinyl ("heat applied films"). 

You can order high color printed heat transfers (done on a print/cut machine) from Stahl's ID direct (min order $25.00). Not bad for complex artwork in small quantities and sizes.

You can easily do dye sub shirts (polyester only) in small quantities. I do one off's all the time, and commonly do runs of 24-100 shirts.

You can even print inkjet transfers yourself (although I must say I am doing very little of this now. The other methods listed have worked better for me.)

Plastisol transfers have worked for me if the design is small, the number of colors is not too great, and it's spot color. Otherwise, the cost can get high in small quantities. 

DTG is too expensive and complex for me. I can usually solve the customer's problem some other way. I would like to have a DTG machine, but all the related stuff (pre-treat, for example) just make it too much for my one man business. A decent DTG outsourcer might work.

So, there are a lot of ways to skin the cat. Learn them all, it's nice to have lots of arrows in the quiver.

Good Luck!


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