Explainer On DTG And Screenprinting So You Know What To Choose

Posted by: KHTS Articles in News Articles July 9, 2020 - 10:23 am 0 939 Views

Often, when people think of printing t-shirts, they envision it as a simple process or technique. But then, the reality is there’s so much more to making even the simplest of printed tees. Of course, you’ll need to select the material, design, and color scheme. However, these decisions are really only half of it. That said, most businesses just want their printed t-shirts to be well-made, affordable, and delivered on time. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Rather than go into all the various ways you can make a printed shirt or what the best colors in the Pantone color wheel are, let’s keep it simple. There are two widely used methods for t-shirt printing—screenprinting and direct to garment printing (DTG).

More than likely, if you just need a promotion tee or a straightforward shirt for your staff, you’ll end up utilizing one of these two printing styles. How do you choose between screenprinting and DTG? It’s rather simple. Depending on the project, design complexity, and overall desired look, one of these printing techniques will be better-suited for your order. Nevertheless, if you’re like most people, then you probably want to make an informed decision. Thus, to assist you in your choice, let’s go over both printing processes.

What’s Screenprinting?

Screenprinting is by far the most commonly utilized technique for making t-shirts or apparel. Moreover, this printing method is a fairly simple one, which means orders are typically completed in just a few days. The process itself involves a mesh stencil or silkscreen, ink, and your design template(s). From there, there are only a handful of steps that need to be completed.

How It Works

Typically, there are a few elements to a design. Thus, each aspect will require its own screen, and each frame/screen will undergo what’s known as the pre-press process. This pre-press process is second-nature to professional printers. Basically, it involves prep work with a light-sensitive emulsion, screen exposure, frame development, and a review of the overall design. Once the design is perfect, and the screen is dry, then the actual press can be set up. By utilizing the necessary screens or templates that have been created, your design is applied in layers. Using your chosen inks, each layer is applied until the desired look is achieved. Note that this is just a basic breakdown of this printing technique. If you’d like to know more or go over the screenprinting process in-depth with a professional printer, then click here.

Material of Choice

The best material or fabric for screenprinting is generally cotton or a cotton-blend. The reasoning here is that cotton is an absorbent material and is more suited for screenprinting than other fabrics. With that said, fabrics like silk and wool can be used as well. Silk has a smooth surface, making it ideal for this method of printing. Nevertheless, silk is obviously a thinner material, so the desired look will be different than if you had used a cotton or 50/50 blend t-shirt. In contrast, wool is thicker than silk and cotton, yet it’s also suitable for screenprinting. Here, the overall texture is the challenge, not the fabric’s thickness, but you can still add your design via this method to this material with a little extra care.

When to Use It

This printing technique is better-suited for solid, vibrant graphics that are simple and don’t have small or super-fine details. A few examples where screenprinting shines is with geometric designs, basic symbols, shapes, and basic typography. In addition to these design schemes, screenprinting tends to look the best with a limited number of colors. As a result, most printers limit how many colors you can use to roughly less than nine. Remember, every element of your design needs its own template or frame, and colors are essentially applied in layers. The more complex the design is, the more time-consuming production becomes.

Pros and Cons

Screenprinting is versatile and effective. Moreover, it’s very cost-effective and moderately eco-friendly. Bulk orders can be completed in record time, and technological advances have made the entire process more streamline. Apparel also tends to last longer when expert care is used in combination with this printing method. Thus, this technique can be beneficial for businesses looking for simple but impactful shirts. Yet, despite all of these pros, screenprinting does have its limitations. The most significant is that there’s often a minimum order size and for a good reason. Typically, for all the materials, time, and inks to actually be cost-effective, you need to order in bulk for this process.

What’s Direct to Garment (DTG) Printing?

On the other hand, DTG printing is, in many ways, basic ink printing on fabrics or garments. Here, your selected inks and design template(s) are sprayed onto a t-shirt or some other absorbent material by a rather large printer. Often referred to as digital garment printing, this process is a fairly new one in the t-shirt printing world. Yet, this technique is still a favorite for many professional printers and skillful designers. Moreover, this particular method has been steadily taking the printing world by storm and shows no signs of stopping.

How It Works

Overall, DTG printing is more than a little ink on some fabric. Rather, this method involves a unique curing process, textile inks, and pre-treated garments or materials. This pre-treatment is actually a crucial step for this printing technique as it primes the shirt for the bonding application. Once the t-shirt has been primed, the actual printing process can begin. The garment is securely held in place, while a custom digital printer applies water-based textile ink seamlessly to the clothing or shirt. After the ink is applied, in accordance with your design or logo schematics, it quickly fuses to the garment and dries in record time.

Material of Choice

Here, the material of choice is also cotton or 50/50 blend fabrics. In general, natural fabrics like cotton, various types of wool, silk, and linen are very malleable. Thus, they are great materials for both printing processes. Since the textile inks used in DTG printing are water-based, natural fabrics are better-suited for this printing technique.

Other materials like polyester actually repel water. Therefore, the ink used here is a lot less likely to fuse to the garment. Furthermore, poly/tri-blends are a mixture of cotton and polyester, so they do better in the DTG process. But then, the reality is that any percentage of synthetic fabrics can have a negative effect on the overall quality of your t-shirt, so don’t forget that finished products will vary depending on the kind of textile or garment you want to use.

When to Use It

This printing method is ideal for detailed designs, custom prints or shapes, extensive colors, photorealistic images, and so on. Furthermore, you can use DTG printing for small batches or large orders, and many professional printers offer discounts for large DTG orders. As a result, this particular printing process is the best option for businesses with a few ideas/designs in mind. That said, you shouldn’t opt for DTG printing if you’re trying to incorporate transparent elements or aspects into your t-shirt design. Remember, only opaque images benefit from this method of t-shirt printing.

Pros and Cons

Finally, DTG printing has several advantages to consider—many of which have been touched upon already, like the almost endless array of color possibilities, the option to print or order small batches, and the ability to print with maximum precision/detail. In addition to these benefits, however, choosing DTG t-shirt printing means you can easily customize your designs without missing anything. DTG printing is also rather affordable, as many printers offer bulk order discounts, and generally don’t require a large upfront investment. Other noteworthy pros here include on-demand fulfillment, high-quality prints, and a high level of sustainability (this is the eco-friendlier option). However, DTG t-shirt printing does have a few disadvantages, too, like limited design placement and fabric options. Plus, not all printers offer volume discount, so this particular printing method may not be that cost-effective with extremely large orders.

Takeaway

Ultimately, both methods of printing have their notable perks. Thus, what you really need to take into account when making your decision here is your desired output. The truth is that both printing processes can yield you long-lasting, well-made t-shirts and apparel. Therefore, you need to think long and hard about the advantages and disadvantages of both. Moreover, you need to ask yourself the tough questions—is your design fairly simple or rather complex? Do you want to use a variety of colors? How many shirts and how soon? Can you or your company afford a substantial upfront investment right now? Lastly, how important is sustainability to you when it comes to t-shirt printing?