Custom t shirt printing is not an uncommon practice. In fact, the first promotional t shirt was screen printed, which promoted the premiere of The Wizard of Oz in 1939, according to Domestika. Custom t shirt printing services are a great choice for groups like a bridal party or for a family event. Deciding what type of printing you want for your group is important, as there are so many types. Screen printing is among the most popular, but what about the other types?

Screen Printing

Screen printing is a high-quality method of t shirt printing. It gives a ton of room for creativity and artistry and it is one of the oldest printing methods to date. In order to screen print, you must create a negative of the design you like on a t shirt printing screen. Then, a special ink called plastisol ink is rolled all over the screen and pressed onto the t shirt. The ink will then be forced through the negative-space stencil, which can be photo-realistic or made on a Cricut, and the image is thus printed on the shirt.

Screen printing is definitely a more popular method, as it has a lot of advantages. It creates a high-quality and professional t shirt design, is very cost-effective when making bulk orders, and you can print on any fabric, like silk, cotton, and polyester.

Vinyl

Heat transfer vinyl is another popular shirt printing method for professionals and people who make art at home. Specifically, HTV is a type of vinyl that has one decorative side and another side that is coated in a heat-activated adhesive. This is very versatile because you can cut out lettering, logos, and even complex images to heat and seal them onto fabric. Technically, vinyl is not a "printing" method but many artists use this material to replace ink and create durable designs on t shirts. Vinyl also comes in many different variations like glitter, velvet, and metallic.

DTG

DTG is short for direct to garment printing. This process of printing involves a special printer that applies a thick ink onto the fabric of your t shirt. Any design that you can print onto paper can be printed on a t shirt with this method. The ink soaks into the fabric of the shirt so it creates a soft-to-the-touch feel instead of having a stiff layer of ink on top of the fabric. The only reason why this is not as common is that a good DTG printer can cost about $10,000 to $500,000. DTG designs also do not hold up quite as long as other designs.

Airbrushing

Airbrushing isn't a very popular option and doesn't give you the best t shirt design for a big commercial business. While this is the case, this method is extremely popular with artists and business owners on a smaller scale. Airbrushing allows for incredibly complex and artistic designs, which can be very freeing. This has many advantages, one is how versatile it is and another is that it does not cost much to get started. You can mix different kinds of paints and dyes to create a unique design that no one else will have. The downside is that it takes some time to design an airbrushed shirt. It is also challenging to replicate shirts if you want more than one of the same designs.

Stenciling

Stenciling is a basic method that you can use on any t shirt you have at home. A stencil can be cut out by hand or using an advanced tool like a Cricut. You can then apply a dye over the stencil and create a logo or design on the shirt. Stenciling can be as simple or complex as you want it to be and you don't need technology or equipment to do it. The downside of this method is that it is more for personal use, so you cannot easily make multiples of a shirt for a large group of people.

There are many different types of custom t shirt printing methods that were not on this list, so it is important to do your research and figure out what works best for your budget. Looking for screen printing services? Give House of Apparel a call today!