Many businesses need to print images, logos, text or other personalized designs on shirts, towels and other garments. In very many cases, selling their products can get pretty good returns. In mass production of these products, choosing the right print manufacturing method is very important, which affects your production speed and profitability.
Many people are asking, which is better, DTF or Screen print transfer, which should I choose? Clearly these two printing techniques provide unique printing effects. Today we will compare the two printing technologies and guide you in choosing the right printing method.
What is DTF
DTF printing is a flexible and latest printing technology on the market. It requires the use of a special film (DTF PET Film) on which you can print your design and use to transfer the image to the garment.
It's a short printing process where images are printed on clothes through a special film. With the help of heat and pressure, the image will stick to the garment permanently. DTF printing technology is versatile. It is suitable for a very wide variety of materials, including synthetic cotton fabrics, polyester and silk. Also, it is an economical printing method. On that front, the printer is affordable, and the process is short and very easy.
Advantage:
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lifelike print
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durable print
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Support multi-color printing
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endless color options
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Supports complete design personalization
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Can handle small projects that require different print designs
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Works with all garments
Shortcoming:
- Time consuming compared to screen printing if you are working on the same design.
What is Screen Printing
Screen printing is a printing process that requires the use of a squeegee, thick ink and screen to transfer a stencil design, usually onto some paper or fabric. With some special inks, the technique can be used on glass, plastic, metal and wood.
With this technique, plastisol-based inks are pressed through a screen onto clothing, such as polo shirts, sweatshirts, baseball caps, or other items. Different screens are used for different colors. The screen is attached to a printing press, which rotates and allows the design to be printed on the garment. Although screen printing is an analog process, when you place an order for printing, you typically send your design files in formats like EPS to the printing company.
The basis of this technique is to make a stencil design on a mesh screen. Once you've set it up on a product, say a piece of clothing, you can put ink on it. After that, push it through the grid to print on the material below.
Screen printing requires a certain set-up as only one color can be applied at a time.
Advantage:
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The best way to mass-produce t-shirts on a budget.
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Master screen printers can produce amazing results.
Shortcoming:
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Not a one-time order. It takes a long time to set everything up for each design. However, once everything is in order, you can quickly print a large number of shirts.
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Screen printing is an art form. It has a steep learning curve and requires a lot of practice to do well.
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More space is required for production.
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It is a messy printing method involving spraying, water washing, ink mixing, chemicals, etc.
DTF vs Screen Pring Transfer
DTF printing and screen printing are similar in many ways. Products produced by both techniques are durable, can withstand multiple washes and still have good color performance. But their differences determine how you ultimately choose to conduct your production and business to meet your needs and operations.
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Printing Technology
Screen printing requires the use of stencil designs to transfer your designs. On the other hand, DTF printing requires PET DTF Film to transfer your design.
The DTF printing process involves the use of a DTF printer, whereas screen printing uses stencil design.
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Print Quality
From vivid design to finish, DTF printing has the best print quality. This is something that screen printing does not have.
But even so, the screen-printed print quality is commendable and fairly durable.
DTF works best on a variety of fabrics, but is surprisingly detailed when dealing with multicolor prints.
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Color Options
DTF has a variety of color options for printing. It allows you to print graphic designs in any number of colors, each with guaranteed lifelike quality. Screen printing, on the other hand, limits you to a few color options. To make matters worse, dealing with complex color mixing is challenging.
So relatively speaking, DTF is more suitable for producing your unique design.
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Cost-effectiveness
Both designs are cost effective. However, screen printing is less cost effective in some cases. For example, when you're working on large projects that require the same type of printing, screen printing is fine. In this case, this is the cheapest method. However, if you're dealing with different designs, the cost will be higher because of the high cost of setting up each print screen.
On the other hand, DTF printing is reliable whether you're working on large or small projects. Screen printing is flexible and inexpensive when dealing with bulk orders that require different print designs.
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Production Quantity
When it comes to the number of prints, there are significant differences between the two processes. While both technologies can handle large orders, they differ in efficiency. For example, screen printing requires creating a screen for each design. Therefore, it may take longer to complete multi-color printing.
But with DTF, you can enjoy an efficient printing process even for bulk orders. However, if you are doing the same type of printing on multiple products, then screen printing can work well. It can process the same type of printing on bulk orders efficiently and quickly.
Therefore, you need to specifically consider your production needs when choosing a production method.
What is the best type of print for you
As mentioned earlier, with DTF, you don't need to worry about making screens, separating artwork by color, or worrying about the number of colors that will affect the cost and difficulty of printing. While screen printing may be the cheapest way to mass-produce t-shirts, you may still run into limitations with artwork and clothing. You need to be a screen printing master to consistently achieve high-quality results.
Screen printing also requires considerable space and space for the various steps in the process. Many early adopters of DTF were screen printers who wanted to keep high-color, complex jobs on their screen printers.
In short, if you're looking for a printer that can deliver bulk items, choose DTF printing. It's fast, efficient, and has very few processes to complete. However, if you need high-quality printing that doesn't require customization, then screen printing is fine.
Reasons to choose DTF
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DTF printing is ideal for small and medium businesses
The DTF process enables creators to get started faster than silkscreen technology.
In contrast, screen printing has a relatively long learning cycle and initial cost.
Designing a DTF print pattern is as easy as designing on paper: your design is sent from your computer to the DTF machine, and the printer does the rest. While DTF printers look different from traditional paper printers, they function very similarly to other inkjet printers.
By contrast, screen printing involves dozens of steps, which means it's usually only cost-effective for the simplest designs or printing large numbers of items.
While screen printing still has its place in the apparel industry, DTF printing is more affordable for small businesses or textile establishments that want to place small orders.
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DTF printing offers more design options
Screen printing complex patterns is not feasible due to the amount of work involved. However, with DTF technology, printing complex multi-color graphics is different from printing simple designs.
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DTF printing is more sustainable and less expensive than other methods
With the growing interest in sustainability in the fashion industry, another advantage of DTF printing over conventional printing is its highly sustainable technology.
DTF printing helps prevent overproduction, a common problem in the textile industry. Also, the inks used in digital direct inkjet printers are water-based and environmentally friendly.
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DTF printing enables one-off designs without wasting unsold inventory.
Compared to screen printing, the initial cost of DTF printing is lower. For small batch orders, the unit printing cost of DTF printing is lower than the traditional screen printing process.
Final Thoughts
If you want to learn more about DTF technology and DTF consumables, Wellye can help. As a leading DTF supplies, sublimation paper, transfer paper manufacturer and supplier in China, we are able to provide all-round assistance for your business.
