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DeutschChoosing a print method is not a matter of taste alone; it is an equation involving your fabric, your quantity, the number of colours in your artwork and your budget. The wrong choice either inflates cost needlessly or leaves you with a print that disappears after a few washes. This article puts the three main methods side by side.
Which printing method suits low-quantity production? At low quantities, direct-to-garment (DTG) printing and sublimation come out ahead because they need no screens, so setup cost is close to zero. Screen printing requires a separate screen per colour and only becomes economical as quantity rises.
The three methods compared
The table below summarises where the three techniques actually diverge in practice.
| Property | DTG | Screen printing | Sublimation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suitable fabric | Cotton-rich | Cotton and polyester | Polyester only |
| Colour limit | Unlimited, photographic | A screen per colour | Unlimited, photographic |
| Setup cost | Negligible | Screen cost per colour | Low |
| Low quantities | Excellent | Not suitable | Excellent |
| Unit cost at volume | Medium | Lowest | Low |
| Hand feel | Close to the fabric | Ink layer is noticeable | Not felt at all |
| On dark fabric | Needs a white underbase | Very good | Does not work |
| Wash durability | Good | Very good | Excellent (dyes the fibre) |
Direct-to-garment (DTG)
DTG sprays ink straight onto the fabric, much as a printer puts ink on paper. Because there are no screens to prepare, printing a single piece is possible.
It is the best choice for photographic images, gradients and multi-colour artwork. Its weak point is dark fabric: a white underbase must be laid down first for the colours to read, which raises both the cost and the thickness of the print.
Screen printing
In screen printing a separate screen is made for each colour and ink is pushed through it onto the fabric. Preparation takes work, but once the screens exist, thousands of prints run very fast and very cheaply.
That makes screen printing the clearly most economical method for high-volume runs of low-colour artwork. Since cost rises with each colour, its advantage narrows on designs beyond four or five colours.
Sublimation
In sublimation the dye turns to gas under heat and bonds into the polyester fibre itself. The print forms no layer on top of the fabric — you cannot feel it with your hand.
The result is extremely durable: it does not crack, peel or fade. But it carries a hard constraint — it works only on polyester and polyester-rich fabrics, and only on light grounds. Sublimation on a cotton t-shirt is not possible.
How to decide
In practice three questions settle it:
What is your fabric? If it is polyester, sublimation is on the table. If it is cotton, sublimation is out.
What is your quantity? Low points to DTG, high points to screen printing.
How many colours are in the artwork? Photographic and multi-colour designs go DTG or sublimation; two- or three-colour graphics with clean edges go screen.
These three sometimes conflict — when they do, we talk through where to give ground. How fabric choice and print choice constrain each other is also covered in our fabric guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can DTG be printed on a dark t-shirt?
Yes, but a white underbase has to be laid down first for the colours to read. That increases both the cost and the thickness of the print. On dark fabrics screen printing usually gives a better result at a better cost.
Does sublimation work on cotton?
No. Sublimation dye bonds chemically to polyester fibre; cotton offers nothing for it to hold onto and the print largely disappears in the first wash. For cotton, use DTG or screen printing.
Which method lasts longest?
Sublimation gives the most durable result because the dye enters the fibre itself, so the print cannot crack or peel. Screen printing, applied correctly, also shows very high wash durability.
Can two methods be combined on one product?
In some cases yes — for example screen printing on the body and another method on a label or small detail. It depends on the product and the artwork; we tell you at the quote stage whether it is feasible.