Direct To Garment vs Vinyl Printing

Direct To Garment Vs Vinyl Printing

Screen printing is our specialty and we print thousands of t-shirts every week with vibrant designs, but sometimes our clients’ designs need a little more than screen printing. Graphics that have intricate artistic elements or a multitude of colors may warrant one of our other specialty printing services such as print and cut vinyl or direct to garment (DTG) digital printing. Both of these options result in bright designs with tons of detail. They are much more durable than your average iron-on so they will last and keep looking great.

Let’s look at the differences together! 

The DTG process does have many advantages: 

1. With the simple process, same day printing a delivery is most likely an option. 
2. This is a great option for those who have small orders and want the latest cutting edge technological advances. (Especially if you are a tech person!)
3. The design will be more precise and allow you to be in charge of color. Just as you would if you were printing on paper, this technique allows you to control most of the environment around the garment. 

There seem to be a couple disadvantages to the DTG process:

1. This scale of printing is not cost effective for large volumes of clothing 
2. There are limited options of placement for your design. 

When it comes to Vinyl Printing, the advantages are huge! 

1. This technique can be applied to several fabric types. This makes sure that your customers are happy whether they are in a t-shirt or swimming trunks! 
2. This process allows for a low setup cost. Finding the designs that you want to use and pressing them against a shirt with heat, there really is nothing else to do! 

The disadvantages of Vinyl Printing can be seen below:

1. Unfortunately, you may be limited to the number of colors available for you to transfer. 
2. If you are doing bulk orders, this process will be very slow and require too much labor to be cost effective. 
3. Large designs add unnecessary weight to the garment. 
4. This type of printing has been known to crack and fade over time due to UV rays and washing. 

In terms of cost and durability, print and cut vinyl is the more effective and popular option chosen by most of our customers. Not to downplay DTG, there are designs and businesses that are absolutely optimal for this process.