Getting eye-catching prints on T-shirts is a powerful way to promote your brand and make a lasting impression. Businesses, schools, and organisations often use custom-printed shirts to showcase logos or messages. However, selecting the right method is key to balancing cost, quality, and durability when printing in bulk.
This guide explores four popular T-shirt printing techniques: Embroidery, Sublimation, Vinyl, and Silkscreen. Each method has unique advantages, and understanding them will help you choose the perfect option for your bulk printing project.
Top Four Methods for T shirt Printing
When printing T-shirts in bulk, selecting the right method is crucial for achieving the desired quality and durability. From bold vinyl prints to professional embroidery, each technique offers unique benefits that cater to different needs.
Embroidery
One time-tested and enduring way to personalise T-shirts is with embroidery. In this process, a pattern is stitched directly onto the cloth using threads. The outcome is a premium, textured design that radiates durability and professionalism.
Advantages of Embroidery
Durable
Because embroidery is so resilient to abrasion, it’s a great choice for long-lasting work uniforms or clothing.
Superior appearance
In particular, the stitched finish enhances the sophistication and professionalism of trademarks and corporate branding.
Ideal for heavier textiles
Rather than thin cotton tees, this approach works well on heavier textiles like polo shirts or hoodies.
Sublimation
Sublimation printing creates vivid, full-colour graphics resistant to fading, peeling, and cracking over time by using heat to transfer ink directly into the fabric. Polyester textiles are the most popular for this technique since the ink strongly connects with the fibres.
Advantages of Sublimation
Designs in full-colour
Superior photographic prints with rich colours and gradients are possible using sublimation.
Not fading or peeling
Since the ink is infused into the cloth, the pattern is incredibly resilient and won’t flake or wash off.
Excellent for patterns that are all over
Printing huge, continuous patterns or graphics that fill the full shirt is ideal for this procedure.
Vinyl Printing
Vinyl printing involves cutting designs from sheets of coloured vinyl and then heat-pressing them onto the fabric. This method is popular for its vibrant, solid-colour designs, making it ideal for custom names, numbers, and simple logos.
Benefits of Vinyl Printing
Durability
Vinyl is resistant to fading and cracking, ensuring your design lasts through many washes.
Bold colours
Vinyl prints are vibrant, offering strong solid colours that stand out against fabric.
Good for small runs
Vinyl printing can be more cost-effective for smaller batches, such as personalised shirts for events or sports teams.
Silkscreen Printing
Silkscreen, also known as screen printing, is one of the most popular methods for T shirt printing, especially for bulk orders. This technique involves creating a stencil (or screen) and applying layers of ink to the fabric. Each colour in the design requires its screen, making it suitable for designs with few colours.
Benefits of Silkscreen Printing
Cost-effective for bulk orders
The setup cost for screen printing is high, but the cost per shirt decreases significantly with larger quantities.
Vibrant and long-lasting colours
Screen printing provides excellent colour saturation and durability, making it a go-to choice for larger designs.
Versatility
It works well on various fabrics, including cotton, polyester, and blends.
How to Choose the Right Method
Take the following things into account when choosing the finest T-shirt printing technique for your large order:
Type of Fabric
The only material that sublimation works well with is polyester; cotton and other textiles are suitable for silkscreen and embroidery.
Complexity of Design
Sublimation or silkscreen can be the best option if your design includes a lot of colours and detailed elements. Vinyl or embroidery work nicely for more straightforward patterns.
Sturdiness
Long-lasting effects may be achieved using silkscreen printing and embroidery, while sublimation provides exceptional durability when applied to polyester materials.
Size of Order
The most economical choice is silkscreen if you’re printing a lot of shirts. Vinyl or embroidery can be better options for bespoke printing or lower batch sizes.
Conclusion
The fabric, the intricacy of the design, and the quantity you’re printing are some of the elements that will determine which T shirt printing process is best for your bulk order. While sublimation is ideal for bright, all-over patterns, embroidery provides a high-quality, long-lasting finish. Silkscreen is preferred for big orders with solid colours, whereas vinyl works best for simple, bold designs. By taking these strategies into account, you can make sure your bulk T-shirt printing project lives up to your expectations in terms of both quality and cost.
TJG Print offers high-quality custom printing solutions for businesses, events, and organisations. They specialise in T-shirt printing and provide various methods like embroidery, silkscreen, vinyl, and sublimation to meet diverse needs. With a focus on durability and precision, TJG Print ensures exceptional results for both small and large bulk orders.
