T-shirt printing
There are many methods to print T-shirt. Different methods have its pro and cons. I have compiled following base on my research and understanding. I hope this will help those want to start up a t-shirt printing company. Please take note that following is just my personal reference, it might vary from the actual situation.
Screening Printing - Creating screens pressed up against cloth to place paint onto shirts one color per screen. Pros: cost effective, high quality, professional, durability. Cons: each color requires a separate screen, messy.
Heat Press INKJET Transfers - Print transparent inks using a computer onto a special piece of paper. Use heat to adhere the ink and paper onto the cloth. Pros: easy to print multiple colors and complex designs, does not require different colors to be applied separately, great for small orders, easily customize different shirts. Cons: works well on white shirts.
Vinyl - Use a machine to cut out designs on special solid color sheets of vinyl. Use heat to adhere cut vinyl to adhere vinyl to paper. Pros: high quality, durability, easily customize different shirts, great for small orders. Cons: have to separate and cut out each color independently
Print Direct to T-shirt - Print inks directly onto cloth. Pros: reduces steps, patterns doesn't have heavy feel like screen printing, great for small orders, easily customize different shirts. Cons: Slow production. The cloth is the brightest part of the design: works well on white shirts.
Dye Sublimation - Dye sub is great for full color designs on white or light colored garments. It has no feel to the design but is a little trickier to master than inkjet heat transfers. Also, it tends to be a bit more expensive. You can also use this process on non textile products such as mugs, mousepads, tile, puzzles, coasters, key chains, etc.
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