As one of the leading USA and UK apparel manufacturers, we get the joy to perform on a vast range of jobs with many brands. T-Shirt Printing is the most popular over the white label clothing service we provide and is why we're creating this site – it is a question we get asked a great deal; what's the best application method for your brand?
While we need the solution to this question was simple, the truth is that t-shirt printing is quite complex. The best application method depends on selecting factors, from art through to fabric composition, all the way to the market you operate in.
To keep this site easy and brief, we will concentrate solely on printed t-shirts, but that's not to say these principles couldn't use in other items such as hoodies, tracksuits, caps, and other branded items. We clothes manufacturers have a fortunate position because we examine different application methods on various fabrics to ensure we provide the perfect finish every moment.
The next application methods are what is available for top printing;
Screen Printing,
Heat transfer vinyl,
Direct to Garment printing (DTG)
There are other types of printing methods accessible based on the fabric composition. For instance, anything with a high polyester percentage can be sublimated. Still, we're keeping things simple here now, so we're likely to revolve around the most important three that dictate the t-shirt printing world, and people are listed above.
Screen Printing:
Screen printing is most likely the most frequent method within the shirt printing world. This is because it is very efficient to get a high number of components, it has a very low cost per item (for the clothing manufacturer and the client), and provided it is done right, it may leave a very higher quality and lasting print.
Screen printing is a technique by which a net is used to transfer ink on a substrate, except in areas made impermeable into the ink with a blocking stencil. The process for setting up display printing is rather a lengthy one, and this is the reason why you will be billed a display setup fee. This process of printing is very efficient – once it's set up, you can average quite a great deal of prints per hour, meaning for simpler t-shirt printing jobs, you're able to print a lot of units daily – therefore lowering the labor price and making this procedure the most cost-effective method for printing generally. This method works best for greater amounts since the cost of preparing the screens can add a whole lot to the unit price of each item if you are not ordering sufficient to divide the price across.
Heat transfer vinyl:
Heat transfer vinyl is another method used for t-shirt printing. Most clothing manufacturers would use this printing process for lesser quantities or whatever else. Garments with a high polyester or elastane count tend to favor the heat transport plastic method as screen printing on these fabrics can be very difficult and prove to be less durable than vinyl applications.
This vinyl is subsequently heat pressed on the cloth. While it is a great way of sportswear, vinyl does not last as long as other forms of printing procedures and is sensitive to high-temperature washes.
DTG:
Plain and simple – DTG is great for any designs with a great deal of detail (like images/ gradients) or those which have plenty of colors. Out of the three, DTG is the newest type of printing technology. Our personal opinion is that it has quite a way to go about being openly accessible – at present, DTG is the most expensive kind of printing and is frequently priced anywhere from 2-5 x the amount of screen printing plan, fabric, and colors. It's increasing in popularity, but it's restricted – it really only operates on 100% cotton fabrics or natural materials; whatever synthetic won't bind onto DTG print well at all.
DTG utilizes water-based ink to bond on the fabric using inkjet technology. The items need to be pre-treated with liquid which helps this ink bond on the fabric. The very best way to describe this particular way is to imagine putting a tee shirt into your printer at home; it's very similar. DTG is a really popular kind of t-shirt printing where immense detail needs to be recorded, or there are more colors than the potential to screen printing… however, because of the time it takes to install one print, DTG is quite pricey.
That's the best option for t-shirt printing?
As mentioned earlier on the website, there are nobody method principles. Each has its pros and cons, and this also depends upon the character of the plan and the manner of work. While display printing is surely the most common overall – especially for t-shirt printing, we've noticed that DTG is becoming increasingly popular with new manufacturers seeking to capture a lot of detail with picture art on heavyweight, oversized, and vintage style of items. We feel DTG has quite a ways to go, and hopefully, it will become more cost-effective over time; since it does, we feel this might start to reign supreme over the likes of screen printing and heat transport vinyl due to its ability to produce clean, crisp and higher resolution art however with that being said, screen printing will always be the go-to because of its extremely low cost per unit compared to the other methods, as well because it has efficacy and provided it's done right, it's the ability to provide clean, crisp and great prints consistently on different materials.
While many brands would only search for”printers near me,” we think it's important to choose your provider sensibly. Print shops are highly experienced in embroidery and printing and will often do this at a competitive price point. Nevertheless, custom clothing manufacturers often have far more experience in fashion branding. It is often a case of these small things make a huge difference- attention to detail on embroidery backing, woven labels, swing tickets, and other branding choices are occasionally things that clothes manufacturers have far more experience in and therefore will be able to provide a better overall product for the style manufacturer.
In conclusion, t-shirt printing is a tricky procedure – a lot of different variables impact how to provide the best finish, and the clothes manufacturers' ability to utilize their expertise in recommending the best printing method is usually the best way to go. Here at White2Label Manufacturing, we'll have the ability to tell you very quickly which method will be the way to apply to your purchase and use our expertise to ensure the finished item is like it is going to get… while we always work to make sure we meet customers requirements, this does sometimes consist of intervention from our staff to advise that the possible outcome if done a specific way.
