Customized t-shirts are trending across the globe and there are now many dedicated brands that only deal in that now. While many create their customized designs based on recent market and social media trends, some purely create their business around customers who wish to design their products! There are also fashion giants that allow their customers to design their customized products that are from their iconic collections.
If you start your Customized T-shirt brand, there are two major decisions that you need to make. One is you have to choose the best custom t-shirt design software that empowers your customers to create hassle-free customized t-shirt designs without any restrictions. And the second is the t-shirt printing method that can deliver high-quality t-shirt prints and complex designs with max possible colour combinations.
While choosing a custom t-shirt design tool has its own set of factors and elements that needs to be considered to make an informed decision. Now you have to choose a printing method that can help you make the most from your software and your customized t-shirts brand. To help you with that, below are the 4 t-shirt printing methods that best align with your Customized t-shirt brand.
4 T-shirt Printing Methods that works Best for Customized T-shirts Brands:
- Direct to Garment (DTG) or Digital Textile Printing method:
Direct to Garment or the Digital Textile Printing method is the latest technology in the T-shirt or fabric printing business. This technology uses inkjet printers to print the designs that are created using software on a pre-treated fabric or t-shirts. Since the inkjet printers are used, the technology allows printing complex designs with numerous colour combinations and that too on many types of fabrics such as silk fabric, polyester, viscose and other organic materials like cotton, wool and linen.
Benefits of using DTG printing for custom t-shirt printing:
- Inkjet printers do not require much space thus, you can start your business in a smaller space.
- No matter how complex the design, DTG printing can execute it.
- One of the biggest benefits of DTG printing is that it doesn’t require bulk orders. With DTG you can also print 2-3 t-shirts.
- DTG printing setup is quick and you can easily adapt to the Print-on-demand business model.
- Maximum colour combinations that is possible to print.
- DTG printing is eco-friendly and it does minimal water pollution.
- With Digital Textile Printing you can avoid dead stocks or large inventories.
- Dye-sublimation Printing:
Dye-sublimation printing is a form of heat printing where the designs are created using a software to design a t-shirt and then the design is printed on a t-shirt by heating to transfer the design. Unlike other heat printing techniques, dye-sublimation Printing uses dye-based ink and turns it into a gas by heating it. The heat and the pressure causes the inks to transform from solid-state to gaseous form and once, applied, it runs to solid again. What is unique about this form of printing is that the gas becomes a part of the polyester and doesn’t create a separate layer thus making the design, a part of the fabric.
Benefits of using DTG printing for custom t-shirt printing:
- You can create premium designs that are not layered.
- The fabric stays breathable and soft.
- The technology is expensive but works best on polyblend based t-shirts.
- Print-on-demand is possible for bulk orders.
- Plastisol Transfers:
For those t-shirt printing businesses who do not wish to make preliminary expenses on Printing machineries and want to experiment with few t-shirt designs first before going into bulk manufacturing, Plastisol transfers is the best option for you. In this technology, the designs that you create virtually using the T-shirt Design solution are outsourced to a printer that has plastisol printing machinery. Instead of printing it on t-shirts, the prints are printed on plastisol paper first using an inkjet printer. The paper than can be shipped to you and you can apply the designs on your t-shirts with simple heat press.
Benefits of using DTG printing for custom t-shirt printing:
- Design printing can be outsourced to save on preliminary costs
- Best for experimental designs and t-shirt printing business start-ups
- Screen Printing:
Machine based screen-printing is one of the best and most adopted t-shirt printing technologies. The technology uses screen printing inks that are thicker in nature and creates vibrant and durable t-shirt designs. But, this technology only works if you have bulk orders or prepaid design orders. Print-on-demand is difficult or rather not feasible with screen printing.
Each method has its own set of benefits as well as drawbacks. While some are ideal for start-ups, some are for established print businesses. So, to choose the best amongst all is difficult but if you have a clear goal, you can easily select an ideal printing technology.
