Quantity: Vinyl printing is generally reserved for small runs (1-12 items) because it takes less time to set up than screen printing. Digital printing is a method of printing from a digital-based image directly to a variety of media. There are two methods; UV-curable digital glass printing (also called digital UV glass printing) and digital ceramic glass printing. Although I design letterpress and screen printed invitations, I also do a lot of digitally printed invitations and “day-of” wedding stationery, like ceremony programs, menus, escort cards, and more. One of the common questions is which of the two kinds of prints: digital and screen printing are better. When deciding between Digital Printing and Screen Printing for your T-shirt, we need to dive into comparisons to decide which is best for your business. DIRECT-TO-GARMENT The primary reason is that the underbase isn’t opaque enough, so the shirt color bleeds through. The bar to entry for most printing companies is still fairly high. DTG printing involves the use of a digital printer to apply ink directly onto the fabric of the apparel you’re customizing. Screen printing, on the other hand, is more suited to high quality, professional looking prints if you’re okay with shelling out the extra cash for it. Back to training. Each separated color is exposed to individual screens. And with little to no setup. Screen printing has been around forever (at least since the Song Dynasty in China around 1000 AD) but exploded into modern culture during the 1960s with the popularity of Andy Warhol’s artwork, the burgeoning printed T-shirt trend, and the invention of the rotating multi-color screen printing machine. DTG printing is typically favored for those fast, low run, high color count jobs; whereas, screen print will offer a better range of color, more flexibility in what it can print on, better hand on darks and a much larger printable size range. Screen printing is a more traditional t-shirt customization method in which each color in a design is separated and burned to individual fine-mesh screens. The Defending Champ. This method is a lot more detailed in comparison to the screen printing process. DIRECT-TO-GARMENT. Most halftones for screen printing are output from a RIP program at anywhere from 30 LPI to 65 LPI (lines per inch) before being burned to screens. Digital printing vs. offset printing. A DTG printing machine is essentially a giant version of an inkjet printer, similar to what you might have at your home or office, but it’s designed to print on T-shirts and other garments. You are being directed away from Shapco.com to our online ordering site, Shapco Direct. Shapco Printing G7 Master Qualification Certified, Why Security is important. Everything you need to know about custom screen printing vs. DTG so you can decide which option is the best one for you. For the purposes of this post, I’m comparing traditional Plastisol screen printing with DTG. Screen Printing vs Digital Printing. The print buyer’s choice between offset printing and digital printing is driven by price, turnaround time, and the quality of the final piece. DTG and Screen Printing are the two most common types of printing methods for textiles. Where a screen printing gives a more vibrant finish (especially when printing onto a darker surface), digital distribution is better suited to detailed work due to the layers of ink being thinner which assures the final print will turn out more precise. Print locations: Screen printing is also less limited when it comes to locations. Each one of these things can make a difference on their own. This method is capable of printing large amounts of garments much quicker and more economically than digital printing. Offset vs. Digital Printing. It is old fashioned, dirty, smelly, unreliable, a craft, and it takes twenty years to become an ink covered expert. We’re a tech-driven industry leader with a printers-first mindset, and have been for over 16 years, dedicated to delivering the best custom apparel experience. Combine them all, and chances are, there’s going to be some variation. A graduate of the Multimedia program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, he has explored various creative pursuits, including art and design, marketing, DJing, and even producing comedy shows. The quality of the machine, the inks used to print, the pretreatment, the underbase, and the curing all factor into it. Screen printing comes out aggressive with the one-two punch of saturation and brightness. One major drawback of digital is that it is limited regarding colour. Especially when printing halftones. SCREEN PRINTING. Pad Printing vs. Screen Printing: Which is better? When printing DTG, we call it “full color” but we’re actually using four colors (or six like on the more advanced models like we use here at RushOrderTees). As long as the printer can somehow position the garment on a platen, it can be screen printed. But adding this style is up to the customer and will not look right on all designs, so this saving grace only applies to particular orders. So does screen printing still hold the championship belt, or is it time for the newcomer to take the title? This can be really cool for a small sleeve logo. Screen printing is more adept at standing up to wear and tear and washing. The look is such a well-known part of the aesthetic, artists and designers commonly use oversized halftones for a stylistic effect. Direct-to-garment is down two rounds to one and is looking to change the momentum of this fight, starting round four with lots of confidence, and rightfully so: this round is about details. Screen printing is a method of printing that gives you your artwork laid down layer-by-layer with a solid base underneath. Both the printing techniques are suitable for t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, etc. There’s definitely some even crazier stuff out there. In the early days of DTG, you would be lucky to get 10 washes out of a T-shirt before the colors would start fading. The most advanced DTG machines have added slots for two extra colors: bright green and bright red. On the other hand, we do not spend work hours engraving or preparing screens. WINNER OF THE ROUND: Unlike screen printing, pad printing is a relatively modern process, though it did also achieve mainstream notoriety in the 1960s. “the substrate” if you want to sound like an expert). With all the different printing methods out there, it can be difficult to find out which one best suits your application. Declaring your winner… by unanimous decision… and still! Screen tension, clogged mesh, ink viscosity, dot gain, flash dryer temperature, squeegee sharpness, squeegee pressure,  squeegee angle, registration, placement. We take a look at the different types of t-shirt printing and answer questions like what's the difference between digital printing and screen printing. The winner of this round is clear. The digital printing vs screen printing debate is a common discussion within the printing and manufacturing industry. Using the beloved Pantone Matching System, we can duplicate any color you might need. What is a Giclee? As we start the final round, it’s not looking good for Direct-to-Garment, which is down five rounds to four. Very often our clients tend to let us make the decision on which print technique will be best for their needs after we’ve had a chance to take a look at their design and the specified print materials. The bell rings and DTG is looking nervous as this one is about specialty inks, something DTG can barely do at all. Basically, the cost-effective nature of digital printing against traditional analog printing is the major reason. One round a piece as we go into the third. How to choose the right direct-to-garment printer for your business? This is also true for screen printing, but there are many more platens available. This can severely reduce the breathability of the fabric, causing what is affectionately known as a “sweat patch”. It depends upon that printer is using which machines. But if you want to print on hats let’s say, your best bet is switching to screen printing (or embroidery). Ink in digital printing is applied directly to the print material using either a laser jet or inkjet printer. How accurately does it match those colors? There are no screens involved, and therefore much lower setup costs. With DTG it really depends if the printer has a specialized platen (or if there’s even one available) that fits the garment location you’re trying to get printed. Ladies and gentlemen, people around the world, this is the moment you have been waiting for. Most regular screen printing jobs will be printed with a normal layer of ink, and on dark garments it will be two layers of ink, counting the required underbase. Subsequently, colors are applied one by one to the shirt, which is then dried and cured to complete your final product. While screen printing supplies make use of pure colour (often Pantone), digital opts CMYK that mixes tones to … I often hear people asking the question: what is the difference between direct digital to fabric printing and paper sublimation printing? Printing a specialty job can be a trial and error at first, but once you get it, successful results are super impressive and satisfying to achieve. DTG Printing VS Screen Printing (Which one is better?) Instead of using metal plates to transfer an image, digital printing presses print the image directly onto the media substrate. DIRECT-TO-GARMENT. However, screen printing is perfect for bulk orders (12 or more) because you don’t need to change the setup from shirt to shirt. What are the Advantages of Digital Printing Services? Making it bigger and more visible. Because of the labor intensive process of the photo emulsion method, and the best use case being for multiple copies of a single design, screen printing with emulsion is best for pro and/or business use. Dazu zählen zum Beispiel Visitenkarten, Flyer oder Broschüren. With so many options, it’s sometimes difficult to know how to decide between on-demand digital vs. screen printing. Also, the color of the fabric can be a problem, mostly due to something called dye migration. We’ve previously written about what high quality screen printing is (and why we have thousands of happy customers through using it), but there’s another type of printing that you may have heard of called Digital Printing (which is also known as Direct To Garment, or DTG). “Excellence is in the details. Screen printing is the superior process for designs that require a high level of vibrancy as the ink in screen printing is applied thicker than that in digital printing, which results in colors with more brightness and depth. Digital printing and screen printing each use very different processes to achieve this, but there are two main mediums that are used to print with that are common to both. Need 50 tees printed now? WINNER OF THE ROUND: Because a machine processes a digital file and prints directly onto the shirt, there almost no variables to worry about, except maybe the placement of the garment onto the board or platen. It isn’t recommended for photographic prints however, and is more suited to bulk orders with low customization/colors. This feel is also known as “hand” in the screen printing business. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. When it comes to popularity, everybody loves the champ. (This blending ability is valuable but doesn’t come into play until the next round.). [Editor’s note: There are PVC-free screen printing inks on the market.]. VERSATILITY Published on July 8, 2019. Everybody knows about silk screen printing. The screen is then placed on the fabric. The screen printing process used machines that can maneuver around uneven or curved surfaces which is also an advantage. The ink doesn’t soak into the fabric, but lays on top of the product. Screen-Printing vs. Digital-Printing When you are looking at designing a Custom Display or Fixture, you may also decide that you want to put your brand on that item. This is an excellent question. This is especially important for all the lightweight blends that are so popular today. SCREEN PRINTING … 6 rounds For example, using “puff” with “high density” and “suede” you can create a faux tackle-twill, mesh, or even embroidered look, complete with fake stitching. When you want your design to really stand out– when you want it to pop off the shirt– you go with screen printing. Think about what you want students to get out of a lesson” before assigning a printed or digital reading. Whichever print method wins the most rounds takes home the championship belt. Screen printing uses screens of ink to print onto t-shirts and is often used for mass production. I’m here to answer that question– in the form of a 10-round fight for print method supremacy. Key Differences in Screen and … When deciding between digital printing on fabric and screen print for your next apparel run, its important to understand the unique benefits each has to offer. Think Roy Lichtenstein. And when screen printing logos onto coloured t-shirts, a “base print” is required – think of it as an undercoat – so for example, a white print on a black t-shirt requires 2 screens. 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