screen printing and direct-to-garment printing are two popular ways to put designs on T-shirts and other clothes. Let me tell you the main differences.
The Printing Process
Screen Printing: It’s an old-school method. You have to make a separate screen for each color in the design. Then, ink is pushed through these screens onto the fabric to make the pattern. It takes a lot of time to set up, especially when the design has lots of colors.
Direct-to-Garment Printing: This one’s more high-tech. The design gets printed right onto the garment using special inkjet tech, just like how a regular printer prints on paper. And you don’t need to make those physical screens.
Design Complexity and Color Choices
Screen Printing: It’s super good for bright, bold colors. The colors come out really accurate and opaque. But if you have a design with many colors, it gets more complicated and costly because you need a new screen for each color.
Direct-to-Garment Printing: You can do really detailed and complex designs with it, like photos or smooth gradients. There’s no limit to how many colors you can use since the printer can mix and match colors digitally to get all kinds of shades.
The Feel of the Print
Screen Printing: Because of the thicker ink, screen-printed designs sometimes feel a bit raised or bumpy on the fabric. Some people like this for a more old-fashioned or retro look.
Direct-to-Garment Printing: The print is usually smoother and lighter on the fabric. The ink soaks into the fibers instead of sitting on top like in screen printing, so it feels more natural and comfy, especially for big designs that cover a lot of the shirt.
So, which one to choose depends on things like how complex the design is, how many shirts you’re ordering, your budget, and how long you want the print to last. Both methods can make really nice printed clothes if you use them right.
