DTF printing vs. screen printing: which suits you better?
To help you decide better, let’s see what both of these methods can offer you and how they differ. Who knows, one of these tiny yet crucial details might be your winning point.
Print quality and durability
DTF printing gives you excellent, high-quality prints with sharp details. Due to its digital nature, this printing technique is perfect to print full-color designs, images, and detailed graphics. And since the ink doesn’t penetrate the fabric, you get a very accurate print.
As expected, the print would feel a bit stiff the first time, but once you wash and wear it a couple of times, the print will loosen up and feel smoother. Also, since it’s a single-layer print, it’s very thin and light, giving it a soft, comfortable feel.
Source: Pexels
Screen printing is well known for its high durability, and it won’t fade away with a couple of washes, meaning your product will be getting your money’s worth. This method is better to be used if you have a simple design or text that takes up less space.
And although you can have more colors, it’s better to limit them. Screen printing requires separate screens for each color within the design.
Print complexity
With its intricate detail capture, DTF printing offers vibrant colors and therefore can print high-quality images, gradient designs, sharp edges, squiggly lines of text, and even your favorite painting!
DTF printing uses the CMYK color mode (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) with a white base ink. This allows for complex color variations and techniques in full-color prints, no matter the fabric material.
In screen printing, the inks have to be mixed if needed, and even then won’t be as accurate as that of DTF printing. And as you can imagine, having gradient prints is also very tricky and time-consuming.
An interesting detail about screen printing is that since the ink is layered on top of the first coat of ink, it gives you a raised design with a texture to it.
Number of colors
Any color you want, in any style you desire, can be achieved with DTF printing. It’s a big advantage of having digital print. This will let you create gradients and give high color accuracy as well.
Screen printing, on the other hand, is not the best printing technology to use with multiple colors. It’s better if you stick with a few colors, or your print will be very thick; as you might remember, screen printing “stacks” its inks. However, the good news is that the prints will work on any color garment.
Source: Pexels
Fabrics and materials
DTF printing is quite versatile and can be printed well on various fabric materials, including cotton, nylon, fleece, blends, and, even some synthetic materials. One less thing to worry about, since your design will transfer well onto almost any material.
As its name suggests, traditional screen printing works better on fabric fibers such as cotton, silk, or fabric blends. A big difference from DTF printing is that screen printing lets you print on canvas, wood, metal, and even glass!
Source: Pexels
Quantity
Want to start with small-batch orders? The DTF printing method is a good choice for that. Its quick production and fast setup time make it easy to do orders on demand. And even if there are any last-minute modifications in the design, this can be adjusted and applied quickly. This is another reason DTF printing is one of the most popular printing methods right now.
On the other hand, screen printing requires way more time to prepare the equipment and even a specific screen just for the design. This means it’ll be a waste of time and resources for small-batch orders.
On-demand fulfillment
As I said before, DTF printing is a good on-demand fulfillment method. For bulk orders or even a single unit order, DTF won’t cost you any extra time or resources. Therefore, this is a good start for small businesses.
Since the screen printing method and equipment setup take longer, it’s cost-effective to have a minimum order volume for this method. Because of this, screen printing may also not be suitable for quick turnaround business needs.
Source: Unsplash
Upfront investment
If you’re handling your own printing production, you need to look into the best printer and other equipment. But if you work through a print-on-demand company like Printful, all you have to do is choose your product, upload the design, and reach your target audience. Once an order is placed, we’ll take care of the rest!
However, suppose you want to start your own printing setup for your business for DTF printing. In that case, you need a good DTF printer, DTF inks, transfer films, special adhesives, the best quality t-shirts for printing (or any garment you wish to sell), and more, depending on your end product. So, the initial investment for DTF printing is pretty steep—anywhere around $50K and higher.
As for screen printing, you can start with less investment for the equipment, which includes a mesh screen, frame, inks, and squeegee. On top of that, whichever product you’d like to sell—trending t-shirts, cups, canvas, etc. On average, the starting investment ranges from $1–3K.
But once the order comes in, you’ll spend a lot of time as well as materials to fulfill your order. And due to the high-volume orders (which are recommended for profit), a significant ongoing expense may incur for preparing the screen and equipment and maintaining it.
So, it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth having your own setup for your custom t-shirts, when we’re here to deliver your customers a smooth and quality experience.
