5 Best Printing Methods With Pros & Cons You Need To Know
Getting into the printing business can be tricky. There are many printing methods, and which one suits you the best should be determined since the beginning of setup.
In this article, we will discuss the 5 Best types of printing methods services.
If you are thinking of starting a printing business or if you want to expand your custom apparel business into printing, then you are at the right place, let us walk you through 5 of the best printing methods that will surely enhance the productivity of your business.
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1. DTG Printing Methods:
DTG is one of the famous methods of printing which is also known as direct Garment printing. This is a printing method in which you directly print on the garment such as jacket, t-shirts, etc. But in order to carry out DTG printing, you must possess DTG printer pretreatment liquid and a heat press.
DTG Printer
You can take the DTG printer as the ink jet printer, but the difference is it drops special garment ink rather than the paper ink. Before you start making use of a DTG printer, you must pretreat the garment which you want to be printed, and then you load it into the fabric.
After you load it, the design can be printed on the garment, after the design is printed the next step is cure, you preserve the design so that ink can dry.
Preserving the design is an important step so that the design can adhere to fabric in a proper manner, and that is where the heating press comes into play. In order to keep it safe from several washes and fading, you use a heat press.
Pros:
If you want to produce premium quality photorealistic designs then DTG is quite good for you, also in DTG you can create customizable designs.
If you are likely to handle bulk work then DTG would be quite suitable for you, it is faster and easier. If you want to shift between designs, you just have to change the design on the printer and that is about it.
DTG allows you to stay under your budget and still produce large quantity designs. Also, you do not have to worry about the final quality of the embroidery designs.
It is pretty fascinating and you can rely on it, also the process of designing is practical and does not leave you mess behind.
Cons:
Just like every other thing there are some cons that you might want to consider. With a DTG printer you must pretreat the garment for the better results. And price is another factor that creates unnecessary fluctuations.
Cost of the ink depends upon the color, size and also complexity becomes a reason, it might cost you $0.50 to $6 or $7, but since your designs are of premium quality, you can charge better too.
2. Screen Printing Methods:
Screen printing is another famous method of printing on fabric, this is a very old method and also you might find it a little strenuous than other printing methods. And the reason is you have to push the ink on the fabric using a stencil.
In screen printing, you have a screen for your design that is the stencil, and then you just put it on your fabric and push the ink through it.
Pros:
If you want to work under your budget then screen printing would be quite cost-effective for you. Also, if you want to work on bulk order like 40, 50 shirts of the same design, then you just need a stencil that you can place over your fabric and pass the ink through it.
Also, if you want to work on different parts of your fabric then you can get it done via screen printing. Not only you can print on fabric but also on any material, and that is the beauty of screen printing. Furthermore; screen printing is of high quality, so if you do it properly it tends to last for a very long time.
Cons:
Just like it benefits with the same design it might do the opposite if you have multiple designs. You will have to create the screen for each design, and also you would need different colors, even if the same design needs 4 different colors, you would require to do it individually and this can become quite expensive.
Each screen can cost you from $25 to $30 dollars, so you might need to have a large order to make enough profit out of it, but that is only if you have multiple designs and colors.
Another thing that you might want to consider is that you require a large space to set up your screen printing machine, and it can also get messy, since applying ink is mandatory and you will confront it frequently.
3. Sublimation Printing Methods:
Sublimation is a technique of printing where the ink is transferred from paper to garment, and that is achieved using a heat press.
In order to carry out sublimation printing you need a printer that is used with sublimated ink. The process of sublimation is pretty straight forward.
After the design is printed on transfer paper you place it on a garment which is to be printed and then you use a heat press to transfer it. It then embeds to the fabric and becomes part of your fabric.
Pros:
Sublimation printing leaves quite a strong impact on garment, because it is embedded on to the garment, and this is why it lasts for a very long time.
So you can even expect the ink to last as long as the life of fabric. And that is why a lot of people prefer sublimation printing.
Also the sublimation printing is rich and bright in colors and that becomes the second reason why people love it.
Cons:
Sublimation printing does not give you flexible options; in fact it only allows you to print on polyester or any garment that is highly poly-blend.
Another thing that turns you down is that it is suitable for light-hued garments, preferably white, and this also limits us.
4. Vinyl Printing Methods:
Vinyl printing has a significant impact in the printing industry, vinyl printing comes into play when you cut out your vinyl design and then transfer it onto fabric.
In order to carry out vinyl printing you use your computerized cutter and connect it to the computer to cut out the design on vinyl. After printing the design you weed it.
Weeding is the process of removing extra material from the design, after you are done with it you just put it on your fabric and use a heat press to make it stick to the garment.
Pros:
Vinyl printing comes in handy when you want to deal with small batches of printing without losing your budget, and also you can place the vinyl anywhere on your fabric. This gives you flexibility. And if you are starting your printing business, then vinyl printing would give you a good head start.
Cons:
Downside of vinyl printing is that it is quite time consuming, it is not scalable. So, if you want to handle large orders, it would not be a perfect solution.
Vinyl sheet itself is not expensive, but the process is tiring, you have to cut it, weed it, and also the heating process takes time. So if it is about a large production, then dealing with multiple garments would consume much time.
And also the vinyl printing is not as durable as other printing methods, but if taken care of properly then it can withstand 25 to 30 washes. Also, vinyl is more popular for simple designs, so complex graphics would not be a flexible option for you.
5. Heat Transfer Printing Methods:
Heat transfer is another popular and most used method, in order to carry out heat printing you need to print the design on a sheet, thereafter you transfer the design on adhesive paper, and finally using a heat press you transfer that particular design on the fabric and it adheres to it.
Pros:
One of the best things about heat transfer printing is that it gives you flexibility, you can print the design on any fabric type, or any material such as: cotton, polyester, wood ceramic, etc.
And being able to have a wide variety means you can deal with all kinds of orders. Also, heat transfer printing offers you food coloring and contrast. Moreover; heat transfer method is not expensive, and it is suitable for small to medium projects.
Cons
In heat transfer printing the design stays on the top of the fabric and that means it can only withstand 30 to 40 washes, besides the heat transfer method is not so efficient to carry out quite a large production. You could surely do that but it would consume more time.
Conclusion:
There are pros and cons to every kind of printing methods, and having cons does not mean that you cannot use that method, in fact, what is a con for others might be a pro for you, so study the methods and choose what suits you the best according to your requirements.
So, make sure you know what you are getting into before you purchase an embroidery machine and before you buy it look for every feature, pros, and cons so that you can work with it efficiently.
