If you’re looking to customize clothes with graphics, images, wording, or another design, there are a couple of great options from which to choose.
Screen printing and direct-to-garment printing are two of the most popular methods for personalizing everything from pullover hoodies to zip-up hoodies, and more. How, though, do you know which method is the best?
There are a lot of different factors to consider when choosing your printing method — from batch size to the design being printed, and more.
Fortunately, we’re here with a comparison of screen printing versus direct-to-garment (DTG) printing to help you choose which method of customization is right for you.
What Is Screen Printing?
Screen printing works like a stencil, whose use dates back over two thousand years. Since then, it’s been used in everything from art to creating intricate designs on fabric. Today, screen printing is used by large and small businesses alike, as a way to transfer a design onto a hoodie or other garment.
In screen printing, a design is cut into a stencil made with a mesh material, and the stencil is placed over the garment. Ink is then spread over the stencil and forced through a mesh screen, where it transfers to the hoodie in the area of the cutout design.
The result is a design that adheres to the shirt, just in the area where the stencil was cut out.
Some brands like using different colored inks and cutouts on the same garment to create layered designs that have depth and dimension.
What Are the Benefits of Screen Printing?
Great for large batches: Screen Printing is an extremely fast method of printing. You can screen print several hundred garments in an hour, making it a great choice if you’re printing on white zip-up hoodies in bulk, or a large batch of pullover hoodies. Screen Printing is ideal for bigger businesses or brands that want many of the same designs on a large number of garments.
More creativity with special inks and designs: If you’re looking to get creative with the kinds of inks and effects used with printing, screen printing allows lots of flexibility. From foils to neon colors to crackle ink and more, screen printing allows you to experiment with a variety of different inks and designs.
Broader range of fabrics: Screen Printing is a little more forgiving with the kind of fabric used. You don’t have to consider the fabric composition as much when screen printing.
What Is Direct-to-garment Printing?
Direct-to-garment printing (DTG) is a kind of printing where the design is sent from a computer to the printing machine, and is printed onto the shirt — much like a traditional printer.
The ink is shot onto the hoodie, and it bonds to the fabric, revealing the design.
One important thing to note with DTG is that it traditionally works best on 100% cotton. With Bella + Canvas, the polyester in our fabric blends acts more like a cotton than a synthetic fiber, so you won’t have to worry when DTG printing on our material.
If you’re using a fabric blend — especially one that contains polyester — we recommend using a poly ink and/or poly blocker to ensure that the design turns out crisp and adheres to the fabric the way you’d like.
What Are the Benefits of DTG Printing?
Great for intricate designs: DTG has a higher resolution, making it ideal for intricate designs. If you have designs with a lot of small dots or lines, DTG will yield the best result.
Best for many colors: DTG is great for designs with a lot of different colors. It can easily use many different colors in the same image, making it perfect for designs where lots of hues will help the design really stand out.
Great for smaller batches and custom designs: Because DTG prints a design on each shirt, it is ideal for smaller batches or designs with lots of personalization. For example, if a sports team or a bridal party wants hoodies with name customizations, DTG makes it easy to print individual designs on each garment. This can be a little more difficult with screen printing, where each name or customization would require that a different stencil be cut.
What Printing Method Is the Best?
The best printing method will depend largely on your business’ individual needs, the kind of fabric you’re printing on, and the designs you want to create.
Here are some of the top factors to consider when considering screen printing versus DTG printing.
- Batch size: If you want to print a small number of each design (less than 25), DTG may be more cost-effective. However, if you’re looking for a larger number, screen printing is the way to go.
- Fabric material: If you’re looking to print a large number of blended fabric designs and don’t want the extra step of using a poly blocker, screen printing may be the easier route. On the other hand, if printing on 100% cotton, or if this extra step won’t impede your desired design with DTG, then it would be a suitable option.
- Design color and intricacy: For printing that has a lot of different colors, small dots, or fine lines, DTG will yield the crispest, clearest design. However, if you have simpler designs with fewer colors, screen printing is a great choice.
- Personalization and effects: For designs that will be consistent across each garment, screen printing is the easiest. Also, if you want to experiment with specialty inks and effects, screen printing will allow for the most experimentation. However, if you have a product where each item in an order will change with some personalization (like a name), DTG will be the easiest for that customization.
Choosing the Best Printing Method for Your Business Needs
Many businesses like using a combination of screen printing and direct-to-garment printing, depending on the individual project. Some brands like testing out small batches of designs with direct-to-garment printing. Then, if the design sells well, they cut a screen and screenprint the design onto a larger batch of hoodies.
There’s no right answer to which method is the best — it all comes down to what your brand needs and the vision you have for bringing your custom designs to life.
