Different types of Clothing Prints
There's multiple types of prints. For this assignment, i'm going to give the most popular prints
The most popular types of printing on t-shirts include direct to garment, heat transfer, screen printing and sublimation
Here's a description of each print:
1. DTG (Direct to Garment)
DTG stands for direct to garment printing. You may also occasionally see this method called DTF, or direct to fabric printing.
The process does exactly what it sounds like a special printer applies a thin ink right onto the fabric of the t-shirt.
This means that you can easily create any design that you could print onto paper. You can use many colors, create complex graphics, or even use photos.
The ink soaks into the fabric of the shirt somewhat, meaning that the design feels soft to the touch instead of forming a stiff layer on top of the fabric.
Another advantage of this method is that you can quickly run off one design after another without any complex setup.
2. Heat transfer
Heat press printing is a good option for a beginner or at-home artist, though it typically does not offer the high quality of some other methods.
That said, some professionals or small business owners do successfully offer heat press printed shirts for sale.
Heat Press Printing uses an inkjet or laser printer to print a design off of a computer.
You must print onto a special kind of paper called iron-on transfer.
You then use an iron or a heat press to glue the design onto your shirt!
3.Screen Printing
Screen printing is one of the highest-quality types of t-shirt printing out there, and it also gives a lot of room for creativity and artistry.
It is also one of the oldest printing methods in the world! To screen print, you create a negative of the design you want on a screen.
You then roll a special ink called plastisol ink over the screen and press the screen onto the t-shirt.
This forces the ink through the negative-space stencil on the design and creates an image on the shirt!
Screen printing has a lot of advantages that make it a popular choice for high-quality professional t-shirt designers, as well as for home artists.
First, it creates vibrant, very durable designs. These do have a raised and slightly stiff feel on top of the fabric, but the ink soaks into the material, which makes it more durable even than an HTV design.
4.Sublimation
Sublimation printing is the best professional way to print on polyester material. However, it does not work on other kinds of fabric with all-natural fibers, like cotton.
This cool but very costly method uses heat to turn dye into a gas that bonds with the fabric.
Sublimation printing creates soft, permanent designs on synthetic materials like polyester.
Because of the unique way the dye sticks to the fabric, it leaves the cloth feeling breathable instead of creating a thick coating on the material.
This also means that sublimation designs will not crack or peel.