PRINTING METHOD
WHAT PRINTING METHODS SHOULD I USE?
Our friendly consultants are ever ready to recommend the printing method that best suits your designs. But here’s a quick crash course on the various type of printings that are available for your picking.
SILKSCREEN PRINTING
An enduring method of printing that could last for years. This would be one of the most common printing methods and works best with economies of scale. Higher quantities of the same design translate to better savings.
A separate film has to be developed for each different colour present in your design. Films are placed atop screens or stencils with your designs. These stencils are placed on the desired fabric, then ink is transferred by spreading the squeegee throughout the area of printing.
EMBROIDERY
Embroidery is a permanent way of inscribing your design onto the apparel or item. Clients go with this option when they prefer a look with an added dimension.
The artwork is first processed into a format that is suitable for embroidery machines. This digitalisation will then determine how much stitching is needed for your design, which plays a part in the costing. A backing is placed on the inner side of the shirt to maintain the integrity of the stitching. Excess backing and loose threading will then be trimmed when the embroidery is done.
HEAT TRANSFER/DTF
Heat transfer or Direct-to-Film (DTF) printing would be an option to consider when there is a low quantity for a specific design, or when there are a lot of colours within your design.
To describe it succinctly, the design is first printed on a vinyl sheet which is then transferred onto the fabric by heat. It is one method that is able to produce vibrant prints that may not be reasonably achieved with silkscreen printing.
DTG (DIRECT TO GARMENT)
Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing works on only cotton shirts, as the fabric has to undergo pre-treatment for it to be absorbent of the ink pigments. There is a cost difference between light- and dark-coloured garments for this as it determines if the use of white ink is needed.
After the pre-treatment, the printing process will commence, which is then followed by the curing of the shirts to ‘set’ the ink.
CMYK PRINTING
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and blacK. It is silkscreen printing, but using only these 4 colours to give the design its varied shades and colour nuances.
The experience and ability of the designers are a crucial aspect for this method of printing as splitting the design into its component colours requires immaculate skills.
SUBLIMATION PRINTING
Works only for dryfit fabric, sublimation is a permanent method of printing in which you need not be constrained by the number of colours in your design.
The design is first printed on a special coated paper. It is then transferred onto the fabric through extreme heat and pressure, where the solid dye changes into gaseous state without transforming into the liquid state in between. Upon cooling, the ink solidifies, forming a permanent bond with the fabric it embeds onto.