​Looking to start customizing and selling t-shirts?

You will obviously need to print them with different designs according to the taste and preferences of your customers.

As such, you’ll need to decide on which t-shirt printing technique or what are the types of shirt printing you can use.

For starters, different methods of printing t-shirts have different efficiencies, so one method might be suitable for ten t-shirts but almost useless when it comes to printing a hundred t-shirts.

Again, each method may be suited for certain fabrics but totally unsuitable for others.

You’ll need to consider how many colors for each shirt design before settling on a printing technique because not all methods support the creation of multi-color designs at once.

Another reason why choosing a printing method is vital is the fact that different methods have varying investment requirements.

While you may start doing vinyl transfers with close to no capital, starting a screen printing or a DTG business will require a good amount of cash.

Types of Shirt Printing: Different T-Shirt Printing Methods

Screen Printing

Also known as silkscreen printing or screen printing happens to be the method that the pros prefer, possibly because of the awesome results in regards to quality.

To pull off a screen-print, you need a nylon mesh and a stencil/template. In the set-up, the nylon mesh holds the stencil in place, and a water-proof material blocks the negative space you’re looking to design.

You then spread the ink all over the screen often using a squeegee and the ink permeable negative space allows your design to be printed.

Finally, you take the screen off then allow the design to dry and cure.

Though silkscreen printing is one of the oldest methods of printing t-shirts, it has remained one of the most preferred methods as it creates vibrant and long-lasting designs.

To print multi-colored designs, you have to make different screens as each screen supports just one color.

This might seem time-consuming, but unlike other methods, where a template is used for just one design, each screen can be used multiple times, and that’s what makes screen printing efficient and suitable for large orders.

Nonetheless, we wouldn’t recommend it where you’re preparing different complex, multi-colored designs.

If you’re looking to do mass printing where you’ll be mostly dealing with similar designs, say printing for sports teams or organizations, then screen printing would be an excellent choice.

PROS	CONS
Relatively cost-efficient for bulk orders	The inks make the method a bit messy
The ink is absorbed deep into the garment, creating impressive, brilliant designs	Requires relatively huge space that’s free of dust to ensure the screens are well conserved
Screens can be reused, making the method time-efficient for similar designs	Needs lots of practice to master
Compatible with most fabrics	Unsuitable for complex, multi-color designs as a different screen has to be created for each color
The designs are durable

Direct to Garments (DTG)

This is yet another method that is popular among the pros. It works like paper printing in the office, and to use the method, you will need to get inks and a textile printer.

As with paper printing, you load (or create) your designs to the computer then feed them to the printer, which sets these designs on the t-shirt.

The only difference with paper printing is that rather than using paper, you’re using fabrics.

Looking to print out designs that are very complicated? This method is the best shot.

With computer programs like Adobe Photoshop, you will be able to define the tiniest details and transfer them to the t-shirt with a high degree of accuracy using the printer.

As the ink used here is only thin, extra-thick layers will not be created.

If you decide to use DTG, you had better ensure that the printer is of great quality. That’s because if you use a poor-quality printer, you are likely to come up with a low-resolution print with unsightly dotted patterns.

PROS	CONS
Can print the most complicated multi-color designs	Only suitable for cotton t-shirts. When used on other fabrics, the design comes out a bit dull
Super-fast and thus suitable for very large orders	DTG machines are quite costly, making the method unaffordable for people with only a small budget
Saves space as the DTG printers are typically compact	The printer will require proper handling and maintenance. Check the user manual for the specific details on this
As opposed to screen printing, where the inks spill and create a mess, there’s minimal to no spilling and thus no mess
Soft and smooth prints

Dye Sublimation

If you’ve ever seen a t-shirt with a huge design that was spread all over it, the t-shirt was likely printed using the dye sublimation method.

This method is suited for light fabrics especially where you want to print a large design.

Although it costs a lot to produce a dye sublimation, the resulting design looks very clear with a high resolution, and it leaves the customers happy.

When you need to create awesome designs on polyester t-shirts, dye sub is the best method.

But, don’t make the mistake of bringing cotton t-shirts to the scene; the design will likely be horrible.

When using this technique, you’re basically using a special liquid dye that dries up and solidifies when it comes into contact with the materials like polyester.

For sublimation to take place properly, you have to apply some heat and pressure.

The best thing about this approach is that it brings out designs that are not only cute but also long-lasting. In fact, it’s as though the ink becomes a part of the fabric – so appropriate where quality, professional results are needed.

PROS	CONS
Super soft and smooth designs	Creases and folds, like armpit areas, are hard to dye
Breathable prints	Works on polyester fabrics but unsuitable for other fabrics. The less the polyester content, the less the effectiveness
Quality prints that won't fade, peel, crack or deteriorate in other ways	Relatively expensive

Heat Press Printing

If you’re just getting started with t-shirt printing and don’t have many or large orders, heat printing would be a very appropriate technique. It will save you not only resources but also time.

With heat printing, you use a special kind of paper, known as a transfer paper to make your designs and then you transfer the designs to the t-shirt using heat and pressure.

In most cases, vinyl is used as the transfer paper, and it has an adhesive material on one side and a strippable tape on the opposite side.

Once you have printed out your design and pressed it on to the t-shirt, you hold the tape and strip it, leaving only the design.

The tape is typically the glossy side, and that’s what you have to strip.

Note: You need to know details about heat pressing time and temperature guide before start printing with a heat press.

PROS	CONS
Fairly simple	Slower than virtually all the other methods
Produces excellent quality – appropriate for full-color prints	Unfit for heat-sensitive fabrics
Suitable for complex designs	Quite inappropriate for dark garments

Heat Transfer Vinyl

This technique uses a special soft cloth that you have to cut into various shapes before transferring them to the fabric using a heat press.

The heat press can be either a machine or an iron box.

To cut out the shapes, you need a Cricut machine.

Here, you’re basically taking one image and transferring it to a different surface.

If your business is (or will be) about printing small graphics or slogans, then heat transfer vinyl is suitable.

PROS	CONS
Long-lasting results	Not suitable for huge orders
Easy to do	Inappropriate for fabrics that are sensitive to high heat levels

Plastisol transfer

This method is quite similar to screen printing, with the exception that rather than transferring the dye to screens, you transfer it to plastisol and finally to the t-shirt.

Many t-shirt printing entrepreneurs use outsourcing here for the sake of efficiency.

In that regard, they come up with designs, send these designs to a printing company that prints them on high-grade plastisol, and then these companies ship the plastisol back to the t-shirt entrepreneurs.

You could use the same method, and once you receive the plastisol, you can stick it on to your t-shirts using a heat press.

PROS	CONS
Great quality just like that produced via screen printing	Transfers crack and wash out if they’re not placed properly
Economical as several designs can be printed on a single plastisol paper	The supplier might require a minimum order
No mess (unlike with screen printing)	Huge runs can be time-consuming
Good for testing the waters. You can test different designs, and once you stumble upon one that sells a lot, you can change to screen printing which is more efficient

Computer-aided Design (CAD) Cut Printing

This is yet another method that involves transferring designs on to the fabric using heat.

In a majority of the cases, the technique is used where numbers, logos, and names are being printed.

Designs are created on colored vinyl using the CAD-Cut system, and these designs are transferred onto the t-shirt using a heat press.

In the event that you’re printing similar designs of one to three colors, then the CAD-Cut method is perfect.

PROS	CONS
Durable designs	Cutting and weeding the vinyl is a time-consuming process
Efficient for small runs	Unsuitable for complex designs – only suited for basic shapes
The designs can be applied with ease to any part of the t-shirt
Applicable to all sorts of fabric

FAQs

1. What paper is used to transfer designs to the t-shirts?

It is known as heat transfer paper. You normally print an image on the heat transfer paper either using an inkjet printer or ordinary ink then transfer that design to the t-shirt using a heat press.

2. How is vinyl printing done?

Vinyl printing is a simple t-shirt printing method where you cut out your designs on colored vinyl, then use heat and pressure to stick the cut-outs to the t-shirt.

A Cricut machine comes in handy for cutting out designs.

3. How much should I charge for my custom t-shirts?

Normally, t-shirt entrepreneurs charge an average of 5 to 9 dollars per color-printed t-shirt.

But there are various aspects to consider before settling on a price. For instance, the more the complexity of the design, the higher the price.

Again, you might reduce the price a bit for clients who order t-shirts in bulk.

4. What are the most popular t-shirt printing methods?

Screen printing, direct to garment, dye-sublimation, vinyl heat transfer, and heat pressing are some of the most common t-shirt printing methods.

5. What types of t-shirt print would you prefer? Screen or DTG?

With its roots in ancient times, screen printing is the oldest method of printing garments but there’s a reason why it has stood the test of time even with the invention of new methods like DTG printing.

Screen printing ink is thicker than the ink used in DTG, and hence, screen-printed designs look brighter than DTG-printed designs.

Nonetheless, when it comes to speed and space, DTG is better, not to mention that it doesn’t create the mess that comes with screen printing where you have the ink spilling all over.

Conclusion

The best method for printing t-shirts depends on your specific needs and those of your clients, though we believe the latter should come first.

Thus, take a survey and see what sort of designs your customers prefer to base what types of shirt printing you can use.

Here’s the latest T-shirt trend for 2019:

If your target market is made of sports teams, that means you’re looking to handle huge runs with similar designs, and in that case, we’d advise you to go for screen printing.

But, if you’re only testing the market, and you’re not sure if they will like screen-printed designs, use the plastisol method, coming up with designs and outsourcing printed plastisol. If it works, you can then shift to screen printing.

For those of you who will be working on small runs, methods like heat pressing or heat transfer vinyl pressing would be excellent. They’re also ideal for someone who doesn’t have much capital to start a t-shirt business.

If you have a big budget and are looking for high efficiency and the best results, why not purchase DTG printers?

We can’t wait to know what you think in the comments. Feel free to add any other methods you might know of.