Screen printing or DTF?

Screen printing is ink pushed through a mesh: one screen per colour, and the colour sits on the fabric with some body. That's why it has that feel and that density, and why it stands up so well to washing.

DTF prints the design in full colour onto a film, a powder adhesive goes on, and it's transferred to the garment with heat. There's no limit on colours or gradients, and no screens to make.

When the design has a few flat colours, up to six per position, and the run is worth it: from 25 units. Logos, text, illustration in flat shapes. It's the one that looks best on dark garments, because the white base underneath keeps the colour strong, and the only one that takes special finishes: fluorescent, metallic, discharge ink.

When the design is a photo or has gradients and the run is short, or when it has more colours than it makes sense to separate. It's charged by position and design size, not by colour, and the garment isn't included: you bring it, or you choose one from our supplier's catalogue. It stands up well to washing, but it feels like a transfer: flatter and a little stiffer than ink.

Screen printing can do it too, in four-colour process: four screens, plus the white base on a dark garment, and a halftone dot pattern that, done well, looks very good and has the feel of ink. But it costs more, because it means more screens and more prep, and it only pays off on a long run.

For twenty or thirty pieces, DTF gets you the same photo sooner and for less. What I'll never tell you is to make four screens for a short run. If you're not sure, send me the design and I'll tell you which technique it needs before we talk about anything else.