To strive in a competitive shirt industry, the most effective way is to know and have the right printing strategies. Yes, this simply means that you should know the right methods, make comparisons, and eventually choose the right shirt printing. Well then, you don’t need to worry as you can check out the ultimate guide to shirt printing below!
Know Different Types of Shirt Printing and How They Work
For sure, you will find different ways to print on shirts. However, there are some factors you should consider to decide the best one including:
- Your t-shirt fabric
- The look of your design
- Print run quantity
- Your budget
Here are the most popular ways to print your shirts!
DTG – Direct-to-Garment Printing
As the name suggests, this is a t-shirt printing technique that applies inks directly to your shirts. The best part is that it differentiates from other printing methods that apply ink using a screen or a transfer paper.
So, generally, the DTG method uses a special printer that applies water-based inks to shirts/
Here’s the process!
- Designing process
Create your shirt design in a digital art file and store it on a computer connected to the printer.
- Prepare for printing
For preparation, you must keep white ink from discoloring the shirt, smearing, or mixing with colored inks. Then, your shirts will be cured with a heat press to flatten the fibers for a smoother printing surface. Next, your shirts will be aligned over a flat platform and fed into the printer.
- A heat press
Once your shirts are printed, the ink will be cured with a heat press to make it stick to the shirts through multiple washings. Then, you can comfortably pack them in custom t shirt packaging.
Overall, DTG is very famous as it is a more environmentally sustainable printing method. Yes, the water-based inks for this method are free of toxic chemicals. Plus, since the designs are printed directly onto the fabric, you will not need any additional materials like screens or paper. This way, you can reduce the amount of waste.
Dye Sublimation Printing
Dye sublimation is also popular as all-over printing (AOP). This means that you can apply printing to all areas of a shirt. For example, you can print multiple patterns or cover some areas with dye sublimation.
Check out the process!
- Create your shirt design
- A special printer will print the image
- The paper will be pressed to your shirt and heated under pressure to a gaseous state
- Your shirt will be cooled while transferring the ink to the shirt
Do note that this sublimation method works beautifully on synthetic fabrics such as polyester.
Screen Printing
In screen printing or silk screen printing, the method applies ink designs to shirts by pressing ink through a mesh partly blocked off by a stencil shape.
Here is the process of the screen printing method!
- Create your shirt design by printing a digital file onto a transparent acetate film that will serve as a stencil
- One or more screens will be prepared using an emulsion that will harden when exposed to light, blocking off the area surrounding where the design will be printed
- One screen will be used for each color of the design
- The screen will be exposed to light to make stronger emulsion and create the stencil
- The screen is set on a printing press
- Your shirt will be placed on a printing board under the screen
- Next, the screen lowers onto the printing board while the ink is inserted into it
- It will press down your shirt with a blade or squeegee to impress the design
- After printing, the ink is cured with a heat gun
The best part about screen printing is that it retains its value. Yes, this means you can use it for large print runs of hundreds or thousands of shirts.
Heat Transfer Vinyl Printing (HTV)
This one is also popular as iron-on printing. The method is based on transferring your design from vinyl plastic-based sheets.
Here’s the process!
- Create your shirt design manually or digitally
- Your design will be cut out by hand or with an HTV cutting machine and the excess material will be removed by cutting
- The design of your shirt will be applied using an iron or heat press
- Next, the tape will peeled away to leave the image behind
HTV printing is mostly great for lettering on sports jerseys.
What Is the Best Way to Make T Shirts Printed?
Generally speaking, we cannot decide the best way when it comes to printing shirts. Of course, turning your shirt designs into high margins largely comes down to featuring them on the right products. Also, remember that you must choose high-demand products that you can sell for a retail price that covers your overhead costs. For sure, you still have to get some profits.
So, rush order tees vs custom ink – what to choose?
Here are some of the main points to compare them!
- Products
You can get specialty products from both, such as embroidery, digital printing, and foil printing.
- Prices
The prices of both options depend on the type, quantity, and design of your shirts. Generally, Rush Order Tees will give you lower prices than Custom Ink. This applies especially to bulk orders.
- Delivery
Both options provide you with standard, rush, and super rush delivery options. Thus, you can get your shirts ready at the time you need them. However, of course, they differ in their delivery times and fees. So, make sure you choose the right one by considering the factors above.
Final Ideas
To strive in the competitive shirt industry, you should have the right printing strategies. This includes choosing the right methods, making comparisons, and eventually choosing the right shirt printing. From DTG printing, and screen printing to HTV printing, you should consider the best one that fits your needs. In addition, you also have to consider your products, prices, and delivery options you can get from each method.
So, which printing method do you think will suit your shirt business?