Which is better screen printing, digital printing or heat transfer printing on fabrics?
There are several factors to consider when determining which print application is right for your project. The ones I'll touch on include: durability, cost, and order size. The single most important determining factor, however, is probably going to be the type of artwork you want to print.ArtworkGenerally speaking, screen printing is best for artwork that has solid colors, is non-photographic, and has a limited number of colors (depending on your print shop this could be anywhere from 1-10 colors). Things like gradients are definitely possible in screen printing and can look great, but if there are lots of shades of various colors and fades, etc., or if the graphic is photo-realistic, you'll want to look to digital printing.DTG (direct to garment) is essentially an inkjet printer that prints on garments. The size capabilities and ink compositions vary, but generally they use waterbased inks that work best on 100% cotton garments (or at least 50%), and, just like a computer printer, can capture stunning detail. We use DTG for all of our photorealistic prints. One limitation of many DTG printers is that they only print on white or light colored garments. This is because many machines do not have the capability of printing white ink. Keep this in mind when designing!Heat transfers can also be used for photorealistic prints, and are easy to do at home for a few pieces, but tend to lack durability when compared to the other processes. Cost & Order sizeIf you can only afford to do a few pieces or only need a few pieces, DTG may be your best bet. Most print shops have a minimum of at least 12 garments, and if you're below that or even around it you may be paying far more than if you could place an order for even just 24 pieces. DurabilityIf cared for well, screen prints can be quite durable, however, they can crack over time, particularly if your artwork contains large swaths of ink coverage. The soft-hand inks of DTG won't be prone to cracking but can fade over time. It's best to wash all garments inside out to avoid these issues!Hope that helps!
Is this a heat transfer or screen print?
Black tshirt front panel is Sublimation printWhite T-shirt sleeve is screen print and this is pigmentRgdsmiankashif001@gmail.comCEO. Needle CraftA Clothing Manufacturing Company
Is screen print or heat transfer better when it comes to quality? Which one cracks more often after being washed?
Screen printing will last longer than a heat transfer. Often, plastisol will outlive the garment it’s printed on. Heat transfer vinyl has a lifespan of a certain number of washes. Even without washing and drying, heat transfers will often start to peel up on the edges. You can always press it back down if it’s something you’re keeping for yourself. The manufacturer or reseller of the vinyl (like Stahls) will most likely have exactly how long it should last right on their website.Plastisol will occasionally crack in the dryer if it’s dried on high. I’ve had several garments sort of stick to themselves with both garments I’ve printed and garments I’ve purchased at the store and melt together just enough to damage the image. It only happens with thicker prints like what you find on kids clothing. Care instructions should also be pretty easy to find with the manufacturer of the plastisol.Heat transfers are a lot cheaper to get into than screen printing with initial investment but screen printing is a ton cheaper on the per piece price.If it’s something you’re selling, it’s a great idea to set customer expectations about how long the garment will last and look good. You might consider adding little cards with care instructions that include lifespan information as well.
Difference Between Silk Screen Printing And Iron On Transfers?
Silk screening squeezes ink through a fine fabric mesh, through a stencil and presses the ink onto the printed surface. Iron on transfers have ink printed on a piece of paper with a plastic coating. When the tansfer paper is laid, printed side down and a hot iron is applied to the back of the paper, the plastic layer melts slightly and embeds itself into the fabric of the printed surface. Since the ink is between the plastic and the fabric, it is trapped and colors the fabric. After that, the biggest difference is that the iron on transfers are very fragile and will not survive may washings. They actually show cracks and fading after the first laundering. A good silk screen, however will actually outlast the shirt itself. Iron on transfers can be as cheap as one or two dollars apiece. A good, multi colored silk screen can cost a couple of hundred dollars for the first one, and just a few dollars for subsequent copies.
Which printing method is better, sublimation printing or screen printing?
Both methods can provide excellent results.Sublimation printing only works on poly and some poly blend products of white or very light colors and is produced by printing a transfer substrate with special inks which turn to a gas when they get hot enough (typically over 320f/160c). The shirts are put into a heat transfer press with the transfer paper applied and then are pressed with heat and pressure to transfer the image to the shirt. If you are doing all-over or prints with dark colors to the edge, best results come from a cut and sew method where the raw fabric is printed/sublimated before the shirt is made. The print id actually “in” the fabric, so the hand of the image is non existent. Since it is a digital process, there is little to no effect on multiple colors and production time/setup time.Screen printing is the process of printing an ink through a screen onto a shirt. You can print as many colors as your press is capable of, but to do full color work, you are typically looking at a minimum of 6 screens (white base, cmyk, top white) or more depending on the art. Screens have to be made and put into the press and in registration, the press has to be set up, etc.In terms of production speed, for runs over 500 pieces, no other process comes close compared to screen printing. I know of shops that will run 800 to 900 pcs per hour per press, all day, every day. Sublimation printing can maybe net 60 to 90 pieces per press per hour.
Silk screen print machine vs Heat press machine? Which is better?
It really depends what you plan on doing with it. If you want to do a high volume of printing, that lasts longer, I would suggest a screen printing set up. Heat press transfers don't usually hold up to washing and such as often. However, if you want to do even shirts, then a heat press machine might be the way to go. With one of these you can bring unprinted shirts and the pre-printed transfers to the event and simply press them as needed. That way you won't have shirts that are of no use to you later. You can just put the blank shirts back into your stock.