If you are considering making custom shirts, you may be confused about the difference between DTG (Direct to Garment) and Screen Printing. I will explain the benefits of each type of custom printing.
DTG is the process of putting water-based ink directly onto the shirt. The machine uses a 4 color ink process that combines cyan, magenta, yellow and black to create the desired colors in the image.
Screen Printing uses a different process which is described here.
In some cases, DTG may be a better fit than screen printing. There is little setup, so small quantities are fine. The prints that come off the DTG machine have amazing detail and gradients look especially nice on it. Cotton rich garments are used to produce the best results. So, if you want a few (less than 24) cotton shirts printed with many colors and a lot of detail, DTG is a good solution.
In other cases, traditional screen printing may be a better fit. Setup is time consuming, but printing is fast, especially if the design requires only a few colors. 100% cotton, 100% poly or blends can be printed. So, when a simple, bold design is desired for a run of 24 or more garments screen printing is recommended.
