What's the The Best Printing Method for Your T-shirt Brand?
Jerald Jolito・2 minutes read
Gerald aims to help 1000 individuals start and grow their t-shirt brands from home, focusing on various decoration techniques like HTV, DTS, DTG, sublimation, and Screen Printing. Each method is compared in terms of cost efficiency, pros, cons, and practicalities, with a recommendation to outsource printing due to high equipment costs for new t-shirt business owners.
Insights
- Gerald aims to support 1000 individuals in launching and expanding their t-shirt brands from home, focusing on various apparel decoration techniques like HTV, DTS, DTG, sublimation, and Screen Printing, with an emphasis on cost efficiency and practicality.
- Screen printing emerges as a preferred method for t-shirt decoration, offering durable prints that can outlast the shirt itself, although outsourcing to a screen printer simplifies the process and ensures high-quality results perceived as premium by customers, highlighting the balance between costs, risks, and quality that beginners should consider.
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Recent questions
What are the different apparel decoration techniques?
HTV, DTS, DTG, sublimation, and Screen Printing
What is the most cost-effective decoration method?
HTV (heat transfer vinyl)
Which decoration method is best for full-color digital prints?
DTF (direct to film transfers)
What is the ideal decoration method for white polyester materials?
Sublimation
What is a preferred method for durable t-shirt prints?
Screen Printing
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Summary
00:00
"Starting T-Shirt Brand: Techniques, Costs, Comparisons"
- Gerald, from a successful family-owned merch studio, aims to assist 1000 individuals in starting and growing their t-shirt brands from home.
- Focus on HTV, DTS, DTG, sublimation, and Screen Printing for apparel decoration techniques.
- Emphasis on outsourcing printing due to high equipment costs for new t-shirt business owners.
- Detailed comparison of cost efficiency, pros, cons, and practicalities of each decoration method.
- HTV (heat transfer vinyl) explained as a cost-effective option with various textures and colors.
- Equipment needed for HTV includes a heat press, vinyl cutter, and weeding tools.
- Screen printed transfers offer convenience and softness, with the ability to work with Pantone colors.
- DTF (direct to film transfers) recommended for full-color digital prints, with varying quality among suppliers.
- DTG (direct garment printing) suitable for print-on-demand models, printing directly onto shirts.
- Sublimation ideal for white polyester materials, ensuring permanent prints but limited to white polyester due to color shifts on other fabrics.
13:58
Comparing Sublimation and Screen Printing Techniques
- Sublimation printing is best suited for white blanks and 100% polyester materials, with vibrant prints that fade with lower polyester counts. Designs are easier to create due to the dye being embedded into the fibers, ensuring long-lasting prints with minimal fading risk.
- Screen printing, a preferred method for t-shirt decoration, offers soft, durable prints that can outlast the shirt itself. While it requires minimum orders, costs increase with colors and locations, with a turnaround of one to two weeks. Outsourcing to a screen printer simplifies the process, providing high-quality, versatile prints that customers perceive as premium, though it may not be advisable for beginners due to the associated risks and costs.
