Your Definitive Guide to the Different Apparel Printing Methods Available Today

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Custom promotional apparel printing has long been a popular method for businesses to promote their brand, and more businesses today are opting to print customised t-shirts, polo shirts, hoodies, jerseys, and more in order to market their company. As a means of advertising, personalised apparel has proven its effectiveness, and it’s also affordable and cost-effective and offers great value for money. But if you’re thinking of having personalised apparel printed for your business, Thrive offers wholesale screen printing near you.

Here’s your definitive guide to the different apparel printing methods available today.

 

  • The screen-printing method

 

The screen-printing method is arguably the most common type of printing method offered by printing providers, and it is known by another name as well: silkscreen printing. This method makes use of a nylon mesh and a stencil, and it uses waterproof materials to block the space where the design will not be printed. Screen printing is often used for custom cloisonne hard enamel pins and high-quality t-shirts since it can easily replicate a number of designs. Screen printing is ideal for bulk orders; if you want a lot of t-shirts printed in a short span of time, you may get in touch with a Wholesale Screen Printing Provider. But bear in mind that whilst screen printing is excellent for mass printing, it may not work very well for complicated multiple colour designs; it works best with t-shirts with a one or two-colour design.

 

  • The direct to garment printing method

 

Direct to garment (DTG) printing is popular as well, but it requires some technical skill and knowledge from the printer. For this method, ink and a textile printer are used, and direct to garment printing can be likened to printing with a paper printer with the only difference being the design is printed on fabrics or coastal and marine recycled plastic textiles rather than on paper. If you have a complicated design, direct to garment printing may work best for you, and the ink is thin as well. But if you are going for direct to garment printing, you have to make sure that the printing provider has a high-quality textile printer such as the Birmingham t shirt printing company, Garment Printing. Otherwise, you may end up with apparel that has low-resolution ‘dotted’ patterns rather than a clear, vibrant design. Also, direct to garment printing is more suitable for dark fabrics.

 

  • The dye sublimation printing method

 

The dye sublimation printing method is a method which goes well with light fabrics or light-colored apparel (especially light-colored polyester), but it also requires a lot of technical skill from the printer.  It doesn’t work well with cotton fabrics, however. The method makes use of a special liquid dye which dries up once it hits the surface of the fabric. Once the dye dries up, the printer can apply pressure and heat so they can complete the process of sublimation.

 

  • The vinyl cutting printing method

 

Vinyl cutting is just as its name implies: the method makes use of soft vinyl or fabric, which is then cut into different designs or shapes and then transferred or heat pressed onto a shirt or other kind of apparel. The vinyl cutting method is perfect for unique, one-off creative designs, and it is ideal for different types of garments as well. Vinyl cutting machinery gives printers the option to use different layers in order to print various colours, and you will often see vinyl printing on sportswear as slogans and smaller-sized graphics.

 

Image attributed to Pixabay.com

 

 

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