4U 2C Printing

T-shirt printing is a process where a digital artwork is custom printed on the shirt fabric, either by screenprinting, embroidery, heat transfer, airbrush or direct-to-garment printing. It paved the way for many individuals and businesses to promote personal causes and market their respective brands in a very cost-effective way. Before, t-shirt printing is a laborious and very tedious job, but modern-day shirt printing methods (automatic screenprinting, dtg) made it easier for shirt printing shops to triple their production and answer for the never-ending demand for custom t-shirts.

For us to have a better understanding of t-shirt printing, here are the basics:

Screenprinting ~ this is the most popular method of printing designs on t-shirts and other apparel. This printing technique involves the use of a woven mesh as support to the ink-blocking stencil. The principle is very simple: With manual screenprinting, the artist creates a stencil and applies it to a piece of fabric (the screen) stretched over a wooden frame. The ink is pulled across the screen with a squeegee and forced through the openings in the stencil.

Automatic presses, on the other hand, has taken shirt printing businesses to a new level. Cost of automatic screen printing presses starts around $11,000. It’s a big investment for t-shirt printing shops but it is the bread and butter of their business. Screenprinting is the ideal choice to process large orders of custom t-shirts. Some screenprinters can print at least 5 t-shirts at a time, compared to manual screen presses.

Embroidery ~ this method is the popular choice of companies to print their logos on work uniforms, jackets, caps, bags and promotional t-shirts. The design is digitized and the machine will only produce what the digitizer, or the artist, gives them.

DTG ~ direct-to-garment printing is a process of printing garments (and textiles) using modified inkjet technology. A primary advantage of DTG printing is the lack of set-up costs and instant turnaround time albeit the high cost of ink and maintenance. DTG is the best option for small orders of custom t-shirts; no minimum number of order are required before shirt printing shops can accommodate dtg printing, unlike with screenprinting and custom embroidery.

Airbrush ~ it involves a freehand manipulation of the airbrush to create an illustration on the fabric. Airbrush is very popular in pop-culture scene.

Heat Transfer ~  it allows you to design clothes by printing the artwork on a heat transfer paper and pressing it to the t-shirt using an iron to transfer the design on to the fabric. The only downside is that some designs peel in the wash, so this is a least recommended, yet still popular, method of t-shirt printing.

So these are the basic things about t-shirt printing. It’s always important to have a basic understanding of different shirt printing methods to help them decide what’s best for their custom t-shirt orders.