# I'm confused about screen printing vs heat press



## dormant (Jun 24, 2015)

Hi, 

From the different websites I've been to, I have had DIFFERENT answers to my question.

My question is, what is the difference between screen printed designs and heat pressed designs in terms of feeling and texture? 

I have been to websites that say screen printing is the method used to put the design sitting ON TOP of the cloth, like it isn't part of it but it is attached. This would mean you can physically feel the design on the shirt. This kind of design can peel and crack over time(or at least that's what I've experienced).

I have also been to websites that say screen printing is the method used to merge the design into the material. This would mean you can't feel the difference between the part of the shirt that doesn't have the design and the part of the shirt that does have the design.

Can someone link a thread that already answers this or answer it down below? Thank you for your time and I hope you haven't facepalmed too much


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## EricDeem (May 7, 2011)

In general a heat pressed transfer will feel smoother than a screen printed shirt. However you can get a few different types of heat press transfers. Inkjet, Laser and Plastisol are the main 3 types. Plastisol transfers are made using the EXACT same process as screen printing on shirts...the only main difference is its going onto a transfer paper and not the shirt. Inkjet and Laser transfers typically have a more "sticker" feel to them. Tho the inks and paper have been getting better over the last few years. I prefer to use plastisol transfers for simple 1-3 color designs...if its more color and low quantities DTG is a better choice imo.

The only process that the ink is fused to the shirt is a called Sublimation. Sublimation can only be done on white polyester garments at this time. If you watch the Tour de France all the jerseys being worn by the riders are sublimated and not screen printed or heat transferred. That said heat is still used in the sublimation process in order to adhere the inks (dye) to the polyester fabric.


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## EricDeem (May 7, 2011)

If you go buy a printed shirt from almost any store it will be a screen printed shirt. Waterbased screen printing reduces the feel (hand) of the print. Some of your nicer brands use water based inks to give a softer hand on a ringspun cotton shirt but generally speaking your average printed shirt for retail sale is plastisol ink screen printed. Is there a specific brand or style of shirt you have seen that you are trying emulate the feel of?


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## dormant (Jun 24, 2015)

Considering this, what would a simple screen printed design on a black t shirt be like? I am talking about this. How would the design be?

I'm asking because I would like to know if this shirt I buy when in stock will last me a while, my shirts that I buy that have the design on top of the shirt usually crack and wear off!


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## EricDeem (May 7, 2011)

It's definitely been screen printed and depending on the garment, inks, curing time, the mesh used for screen printing etc it could feel nice and soft and last a long time or it could be really heavy and brittle and crack really fast. There is more to it besides the equipment used to print the shirt...a lot has to do with the actual operator.

The industry says a garment should last 25 washes before having any major defects...25 washes = 1 year of average use.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

There is another type of waterbased ink for screen printing on dark shirts called *discharge*. It leaves no hand. It "bleaches" the color out of the shirt and replaces it with the ink color, so a heavy layer of ink is not needed to cover a dark colored shirt.

Plastisol generally has a thicker, rubbery feel and is said to "sit on top" of the shirt because the fabric does not absorb it. Though with good technique and better inks this heavier hand can be reduced.

Waterbased, being water based, soaks into the shirt fibers, so the ink film is not so prominently sitting atop the fabric as it is with Plastisol.

All transfers adhere a plasticky layer atop the shirt, the thickness of which will be more if it is one designed to cover a dark colored shirt (speaking of laser/inkjet). Plastisol transfers are pretty much the same end result as Plastisol screen printing (the transfers *are* screen printed onto the transfer paper).

Do consider that Plastisol has been the default ink for decades, and is still the most widely used. If you have a very large design to print on dark shirts, discharge would result in a nicer product. _But_ I saw a huge, _insanely_ thick Plastisol print on a shirt at Kitson 2 weeks ago ... $48 

Every possible choice is a compromise. There is no perfect choice for anything, ever. The logistical and expense factors versus how you want to operate your business should probably determine which method you choose to start out with, due to such mundane issues as the cost of various order sizes produced by the various methods versus how much inventory you can afford to hold versus how much any given design will actually sell versus your risk adversity versus whether you will learn to do the printing yourself, etc.

In other words, you are probably over-thinking this detail and should look at the bigger picture for your answer. FYI I have a few Plastisol shirts that are over 20 years old and still wearable. Yes, there are cracks in the design. It's a T-shirt, not the ceiling of the 16th Chapel, more can be made.


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

I have been selling transfer shirts "forever".......Some hold up well and others do not.....Sometimes it is just luck of the draw.....That said I have bought screen printed shirts that looked like "crap" after a few washes.....So IMO it is impossible to predict how well a specific shirt will last.....Just like buying a lottery ticket....Not every ticket is a "winner"....


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## Celtic (Feb 19, 2008)

If plastisol screenprinted shirts are cured properly, they will not crack. If they crack, then they weren't full cured. That simple.


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## royster13 (Aug 14, 2007)

Celtic said:


> If plastisol screenprinted shirts are cured properly, they will not crack. If they crack, then they weren't full cured. That simple.


I agree......Problem is there are far too many folks that "pretend" to be screenprinters using heat presses or flash units to cure....And often this creates "inconsistent" results....No way to predict if the vendor in question is good or bad....


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## Celtic (Feb 19, 2008)

I agree, Royce.


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## sben763 (May 17, 2009)

You can properly cure shirts with either if you know what your doing. I started with a flash never had one issue. Cured for 2 years this way. I've also used heat press and IMO that is one of the best ways to get a total cure. Of course a properly set conveyor dryer is as accurate and much easier. 

Haven't used too many commercially printed plastisol transfers but have never had a failure or any issues with my own or the few commercially printed ones. I do know that over curing of the transfer in the production stage causes issues in the rest of the process for the person pressing. Over pressing of transfer or too hot of press will cause cracking as well as under curing. This goes for direct screen print and plastisol transfers.


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## cyclesurgeon (Sep 10, 2010)

royster13 said:


> ....Problem is there are far too many folks that "pretend" to be screenprinters using heat presses or flash units to cure....


I'm not a screen printer...but I play one on the internet


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