The Different Types of T-Shirt Printing Methods

Do you need custom t-shirts for your club, business organization, church, hospital, sports organization, restaurant, or retail store? There are many different methods of custom t-shirt printing used in the industry, and they are:

Silkscreen Printing

Silkscreen printing is one of the most popular methods used for custom t-shirt printing due to the high quality of the product. Nylon mesh and stencil templates are used to make the designs. The mesh holds the stencil in place and waterproof material is used for the negative space. Ink is spread on the screen using a squeegee. After the screen is removed, the design is allowed to set and dry. This is one of the oldest methods of t-shirt printing and is still used by many companies. It is suitable for most fabrics and cost-effective. It is not suited for complex designs with many colors.

Direct to Garment Printing

DTG printing uses inks, a textile printer, and a computer to create the design. The design is sent to the printer that prints the design onto the garment of choice. You can use graphic programs that help with the smallest details. This method is very effective for complex designs with different colors and can produce photorealistic images with almost no color limitations. This method is fast and more expensive because of the quality of the printer but can be good for one-offs since almost no set-up time.

Dye Sublimation Printing

Dye sublimation printing uses a sublimation process to dye a substrate, in this case, a fabric. Dye-based inks are printed onto sublimation paper that holds the dyes until the sublimation process is performed. The sublimation process uses heat and pressure to cause the inks to become part of the substrate it is fused to. One fused they are permanently embedded into the fabric. It can also be referred to as All Over Printing where you have an entire white garment printed. The only downside is that you need to print on white or light materials, and they must be polyester where the fibers can open to accept the ink and close. It is suitable for small to large projects and is often used for sports team apparel where the core design remains the same, but a players’ name and number are customized.

Heat Press Printing

Heat press printing is often used by printing companies starting out. It is effective and less expensive than other methods and is effective for both small and large orders. The artwork is output onto a special paper to transfer the design onto the material. It often has an adhesive on one side. Once the design is printed, it is transferred to the t-shirt using heat and pressure. It is slower than most methods and not good for heat-sensitive fabrics.

Computer-Aided Design

This method transfers a design onto fabric using heat. It is used with numbers, logos, and names for businesses and groups. Designs are created on a CAD cut system which cuts the letters or shapes from the colored vinyl. The design is transferred to the shirt using a heat press. Since the images are produced using cut shapes from a colored vinyl this method is not suitable for complex designs. Unused portions of the vinyl are peeled away from the backing which is a process called weeding before the design is transferred. It can be used on fabrics that are not heat sensitive and is good for small jobs.

At Filmsource Inc, we offer laser heat transfer paper, inkjet heat transfer paper for light and dark shirts as well as heat press equipment that would allow for clubs, sports, schools, businesses, and organizations to create and produce their own custom t-shirt printing design. We take small and large orders and strive to design a quality product for you. Call or visit our site for more information.