When you begin to shop around for t-shirts for your organization, you’ll see the screen-printing options you’ve been using for years. In addition, however, you’ll now also find digital printing, also known as DTG, or direct to garment, printing available for your shirts. Here are some differences between the two, so you can choose which type of printing is right for your t-shirts.
- T-shirt screen-printing generally provides a higher quality printing. With screen-printing, the ink is able to bond to the shirt, which gives you a better image. The only exception to this is when putting a photo on a t-shirt. Digital printing produces a higher quality photo on your shirt.
- Screen-printing is a better option when you want your logo to appear on items other than shirts. If you plan to have hats, bags, and other apparel printed too, stick with screen-printing.
- The best price is dependent upon your quantity. T-shirt screen-printing requires screens to be set up for each of the colors that will be on your shirt. This means that your price per shirt can be higher than digital printing if you order a very small quantity of shirts. However, if you are ordering a large quantity, you will usually get a better price for screen-printing than for digital printing.
Before you decide whether to go with screen-printing or digital printing, take a look at both types of t-shirts. You may find that you have a distinct preference for one kind over the other. It’s likely that you’ll find many more choices in vendors when you choose screen-printing over digital printing. Digital printing is a newer technique, while screen-printing has been around for a long time.
Many newer vendors are choosing to provide digital printing over screen-printing, simply because it is cheaper to get started with digital printing. T-shirt screen-printing requires a larger capital up front cost, as there is more equipment needed for this type of garment printing.
The best advice is to choose your printer based on whether you need graphics or photographs on your t-shirts, as well as your budget for the shirts and the turnaround time you need for delivery. By discussing all of these items with the vendors you’re considering, you’re sure to choose the perfect method of printing to get your shirts ready when you need them at a cost you can afford. Your group will be sporting great new shirts in no time.
