There are a lot of reasons people choose to have some kind of garment printing done, whether it is the popular tshirt printing or some other kind. Businesses use promotional garments to advertise and market their business, their brand, their services and so on. Charities and other organizations can do the same thing. People can use them to express themselves and their creativity, and can also use them as gifts. Here is a closer look at some of the common methods you might see when you are looking at any kind of garment printing.
A closer look at Silkscreen printing
Also known as just screen printing, this is actually an old method that has been adapted as time passed but remains similar to how it was originally hundreds of years ago. There is a frame and a screen with a mesh, one per color is used. The more colors you need to use the more lengthy the process of printing and so the cost goes up but also the risk of mistakes in printing goes up. It is best to keep the colors down to under a handful for those reasons. The blank garment is positioned on the screen and ink is applied with a squeegee usually. Then that is repeated with each part of the design that has a different color then it is left to dry.
What is Dye sublimation?
Another method you might see for tshirt or jacket printing is dye sublimation also known as digital sublimation. The idea is basically that solid ink is heated in a printer so that it skips the liquid stage and goes straight to being a gas and the heat and pressure cause the ink to transfer to the garment. The ink does not smudge and the image lasts a good length of time. Special transfer paper has to be used for whatever design or image you want to place on the garment.
Understanding DTG
There is also another more recently developed digital method in tshirt printing known as DTG or Direct to garment printing. You use a printer that is a bit larger than a usual paper one but it works pretty much the same otherwise but it prints onto a t-shirt, not paper. This is a good option for detailed and quality images like photos.
Pros and cons of each one
Each has their own pros and cons and it depends on the purpose of your printing and your budget and what you want to print. Screen printing is popular with simple images as in bulk orders you often get a discount so it is the most affordable. It is not the best choice with multiple colors or complex photos though. Dye sublimation is great but is best with synthetic fibers not natural ones like cotton for jacket printing. DTG is good for small amounts and when you need lots of color or lots of detail (or both). But it is more expensive so a larger budget is needed.
