Whether you are in an online t-shirt selling a business or an apparel brand, whether you are just starting your business or an established apparel company, you need to choose your printing method wisely as per current trends to meet your customer’s satisfaction in a most cost-effective way.
There are quite a few options out there but two of them are the most popular DTG (Direct-To-Garment) and Screen printing. In this blog we will be discussing both the options so you can select the best suitable for your business:
What is screen printing and is it best for your business?
Screen printing is a technique in which we prepare a special screen for each element of our design and it pushes ink through a woven mesh stencil onto a piece of fabric, each color of the design is applied layer by layer onto the garment. Screen printing is ideal for simple graphic, solid color but it is unsustainable in long runs, especially if you want to offer colorful designs.
Screen printing is not a viable solution if you are running an eco-friendly brand. Since screen printing is geared towards doing a mass production, which leads to huge inventory and if the product doesn’t get sold it might end up in land, get burned, contributing to pollution. Screen printing process uses a lot of water and often prefers plastisol inks that don’t biodegrade. Sustainable fashion movement is what the world is heading towards and screen printing is not going to help you to get there.
What is direct to garment printing and How does it work?
Direct-to-garment or DTG is an inkjet printing technology that sprays the ink onto the garment. DTG printing creates even multicolor design with a high level of detail and photorealistic images. This is an ideal solution for customizing and on-demand printing. With DTG printing you can print the t-shirt as minimum as one. There are no minimum order quantity criteria and you can print as the order comes in, there is no need to keep inventory.
DTG also supports the sustainable fashion business module. No waste, no inventory, no water needed, less energy consumption and zero carbon footprint this is what makes our product Kornit- Direct-to-Garment printers to be the best solution.
Here is the small comparison chart for you to decide the right printing method:
| DTG Printing | Screen Printing | |
| High-quality prints | Yes | Yes |
| Detailed design | Yes | No |
| On-demand fulfillment | Yes | No |
| The right choice for bulk print | No | Yes |
| Minimum order quantity | Not required | Per design minimum order quantity required |
| Sustainable | Yes | No |
| Manpower needed | 1 Person | 4-5 Person |
| Process | Instant & Easy | Long & tedious |
So choosing the right printing method depends on various factors such as your brand image, quantity needed per design, the complexity of the design, your target audience, your willingness to keep inventory, etc. Understanding the right mode of printing is crucial for your printing business to save costs and time.
If you are looking for easy and an effective way to grow the business Kornit DTG is your best bet. Do share your thoughts and experiences with us and never hesitate to write to us for more details on our Direct-to-Garment offerings.