T-Shirt Printing – How Is It Done?
Getting a start in the garment or fashion industry can be overwhelming with everything you have to do and decide on.
If you’re looking at selling and designing t-shirts as part of your brand, the process that goes into creating these garments will be of great interest to you.
These days, there are so many methods used for t-shirt printing and each of them will have something to offer your business, as well as downsides to consider. To determine the perfect fit and to make sure you get garments worthy of selling to your customers and representing your brand, you need a run-down on what they’re all about.
How are t-shirts printed, then?
T-shirts with decals and designs on them can be printed in a number of ways including embroidery, sublimation, digital printing, and screen printing. There are benefits with each of them including look, feel, time, cost, and quality, so you’ll have to make sure whatever method you choose is a good fit for your business model.
To help you make some sense of the never-ending options for t-shirt printing we’ve created a simple guide. We’ll look through what each of these methods is about, what they offer, and the types of businesses that would do best using them.
What is T-Shirt Printing?
T-Shirt printing is just as the name suggests: a process by which an image or decal is printed onto a t-shirt. With the garment world exploding and just about every brand, company, and personality having their own merchandise, t-shirt printing has never been so popular.
T-shirt printing is achieved by transferring an image onto a garment but there are many different ways to get this done. The biggest decision you’ll have to make is what method will be used to print the t-shirts, with options ranging from budget-friendly and basic to detail oriented and expensive.
If you own a business and have been thinking about selling or creating t-shirts, you might have delved a little into what’s possible with printing. It’s never been easier to create branded garments and merchandise for your business, and there’s nothing more effective yet simple as a good old-fashioned t-shirt.
Methods for T-Shirt Printing
The world is your oyster when it comes to choosing a printing option for t-shirts, and there’s something for everyone in terms of price, quality, and finished look.
These are some of the more popular methods for printing available today and suitable to the needs of modern business.
Screen Printing
To print graphics or images on a t-shirt using screen printing you’ll need a speciality printer. This printer uses a screen to lay down thick ink onto a shirt. Ink that doesn’t soak into the fibres like other methods.
The result is a vibrant image that you can feel, but in terms of longevity it is extremely robust.
Screen printing on t-shirts is usually the most common approach for large-scale garment design production. However, with new technologies being released and processes evolving all the time, it seems to be losing some of its popularity.
The biggest advantage of screen printing is that it can be affordable at scale. Especially when you are working with large quantities, which can be a bonus for businesses that need to print in bulk.
This method is not so good for a drop shippers, who may only want to sent one at a time. Or as their customers order them. This makes the next method, DTG digital printing, perfect for ‘print-on-demand’ (POD) dropshipping.
DTG Digital Printing
Direct to Garment printing is the latest and greatest when it comes to t-shirt printing and it’s quickly become the preferred method for companies making their own merchandise.
This method works by printing the image digitally onto the t-shirt directly with a type of inkjet printer. There is no set up cost and no need for transfer or mess. This works with photographic images as well, which is an area that other methods can’t tackle.
One of the best things about this method of printing is that the image will last as long as the t-shirt with the right care. The process is quick and it’s one of the cheaper options, but still delivers good results.
On the downside, printing in bulk is not much cheaper then for printing single one-off’s. And the vibrancy may be slightly less than if it were screen printed, but the soft hand feel of the print makes it more worthwhile.
Dropshirt is where to get ‘Print-on-demand‘ merch that is shipped directly to your customer. We use the latest DTG technology to print your designs on t-shirt and white label drop ship them on your behalf.
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Sublimation
Sublimation t-shirt printing involves a specially modified inkjet printer that uses inks that have been made for the specific purpose of sublimation.
The dyes are printed onto a piece of dye sublimation paper in reverse and then the paper is pressed onto the garment using high temperatures. In doing this, the dye then turns to gas and transfers onto the shirt without being felt by hand.
The benefits of using sublimation printing for a t-shirt are that the finished garment is soft and feels luxurious when compared to others, as well as being able to print over the whole shirt.
The final product is colour fast so it won’t fade, but you will pay a premium for this. T-shirts are more susceptible to wear like pilling and this can’t protect against the quality of the garment used for printing.
Embroidery
Embroidery is a popular form of craft and can be used for printing on t-shirts and other garments, with mixed results. To embroider a garment, you can do it by hand or with a commercial machine.
The machine reads the design by viewing an image and transferring it to a mode that it can understand, and then applies the right thread count and colour to correspond with it.
This type of printing is better suited to products like hats that are made of materials that won’t stretch, as they don’t do as well on a some t-shirts.
However, it is possible to embroider small logos or patterns onto a t-shirt with better results, depending on the design you’re after. The cost is slightly higher than other methods but usually is done with fine detail, which is what earns it this price tag.
Supacolour
Supacolour is one of the latest trends in printing and one that prides itself on being environmentally friendly. This is another method of digital heat transfer that works differently and provides bright colours with greater attention to detail.
It’s printed using a combination of screen printing and offset digital printing to produce a transfer that does not involve weeding. It is then applied to the t-shirt like a transfer using a heat press.
The printing time is longer than average, so if you want orders turned around fast it might not be the way to go. Supacolour delivers vibrant results and much more precise lines and details in images, and you can see the difference when looking at this type of printed garment compared to a vinyl cutter or iron-on transfer.
Because it’s new and exciting in garment printing, Supacolour is one of the more expensive choices out there for t-shirt printing. However, it’s a good choice for larger orders and can help you save money when you order in bulk.
Digital Heat Transfers
Digital heat transfers used to be known as iron-on transfers as they were pressed onto the garment using heat from an iron. In commercial settings, a digital heat transfer is applied with a machine that uses heat and pressure to do the job.
The heat triggers the unique type of ink to stick to the shirt using an adhesive vinyl, and the application film that had the design on it can be easily peeled away. Digital heat transfers are better for smaller quantities (10-20 items) as set up is still required. And larger orders can be expensive and time-consuming.
The two most common types are print and cut digital transfers and CAD cut transfer overlay. You can choose to have the design flush on the t-shirt or with a shaped edge, depending on the look you’re going for.
Although they provide vibrant colour, these printed t-shirts are known for cracking over time and fading, so for longevity, they’re not the best option.
Vinyl Cutting
Vinyl cutting works with a similar process as heat transfers, but the way the design is made differs. With this method, you use a basic machine that’s normally used for making signs and then print whatever image you want on the shirt through it.
One of the bonuses of this method is being able to utilise a range of images, including photographs, and still get a clear result. For those wanting to use vinyl cutting for large orders, it probably won’t work, as the entry-level machines used to make these images for small quantities.
However, it can be a fun way to make a few t-shirts at home with the right software, some heat transfer vinyl, and a vinyl cutter. It’s easy enough to do for yourself but isn’t the most professional approach and doesn’t suit bulk orders, so it depends on what you need.
Choosing the Right Method For Your Business
Just one look at the options for printing t-shirts might send your head into a spin but there’s never been a better time to be a consumer in this market. Branded goods like printed t-shirts are now easier than ever to purchase, more affordable, and faster to receive, so it’s the perfect time to act.
However, the most popular approach today is the Direct to Garment digital printing option. This is due to its affordability, quality, and speed, as well as the ability to work with all kinds of graphic files. If you’re churning out large numbers of merchandise or want to be able to deliver to your customers quickly, there’s no better option to choose from.
Of course, some businesses might need a more specialized approach, or choose to have just some of their branded goods done a certain way. You might like to have hats embroidered as they suit this method better, or use screen printing for a more personal touch. It will all depend on your business and branding, and how you must meet the needs of the market.
A T-Shirt That’s the Perfect Fit
If your brand wants to focus on garment creation and design with t-shirts being at the top of your list, you’ll need to know the best methods.
Choosing a t-shirt printing model is all about finding the perfect fit for your business and whether you’re after fast fashion or a more detailed, quality garment, there’s something to suit every need.
Related Questions
T-shirt printing can be done in a number of ways and there’s bound to be a method that best suits what you’re trying to achieve with your business.
If you plan on selling printed tees in the future and need to know more, check out these FAQs and our expert answers to give you a push in the right direction.
What is the Cheapest Way to Print a T-Shirt?
To print images on t-shirts cheaply, transfer paper is the cheapest option. This paper allows you to print the image directly onto the sheet and then transfer it onto the shirt using heat from an iron.
However, the final quality isn’t as polished as professional methods but is still fun to try.
Can You Embroider on a T-Shirt?
Embroidery gives a beautiful finished look even if it is time-consuming, but it’s not always recommended for t-shirt materials.
Once embroidered, the soft fabric of a t-shirt can stretch out which distorts the look of the embroidered patch or image, or the stitches can be pulled too tight and ruin the embroidery.
What Kind of Printer Can Print on T-Shirts?
The two most common printers used for printing on t-shirts are the DTG or Direct To Garment printer and a commercial screen-printer.
Investing in one of these for personal use is expensive so unless you plan on printing t-shirts as a business, there are cheaper ways to have garments made.
