Processes
Six ways onto the garment, and what each one cannot do
Every method here has a minimum order, a ceiling on colours, a maximum printed size and a set of fabrics it will not bond to. All of it is published before you configure a job, because finding out after payment that your fabric rules out your method is the single most common way a print order goes wrong.
All six, side by side
| Method | Minimum | Colours | Max size | Laundering | Per piece from | Setup | On press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1Screen Print | 12 pieces | Up to 6 | 12 x 16 in | High | $2.40 | $25.00 per screen, per colour, per position | 5 days |
| M2DTG Direct-to-Garment | 1 piece | Full colour | 12 x 16 in | Moderate | $6.80 | None | 3 days |
| M3DTF Transfer Film | 1 piece | Full colour | 11 x 14 in | High | $5.20 | $8.00 one-off film setup per design | 3 days |
| M4Embroidery | 6 pieces | Up to 12 | 4 x 4 in | Highest | $5.90 | $35.00 one-off digitising charge per design | 6 days |
| M5Heat Transfer Vinyl | 1 piece | Up to 3 | 11 x 14 in | Moderate | $4.40 | None | 2 days |
| M6Sublimation | 12 pieces | Full colour | 16 x 20 in | Highest | $8.60 | $20.00 one-off colour profiling per design | 7 days |
Laundering results describe an accelerated laboratory test under a stated procedure, given in full on each method page. They describe how the sample behaved in that test. They are not a promise about how long a particular garment will last in your household, which depends on wash temperature, drying, detergent and wear.
Method against fabric
This is the table the studio reads when it decides what to grey out. Select any square for the rule that applies to that combination.
| Method / fabric | Cotton knit | Cotton-rich blend knit | Tri-blend knit | Polyester knit | Woven shirting | Cotton canvas | Structured cap twill | Acrylic rib knit | Bonded softshell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1Screen | |||||||||
| M2DTG | |||||||||
| M3DTF | |||||||||
| M4Embroidery | |||||||||
| M5Heat | |||||||||
| M6Sublimation |
- Available
- Available, read the caveat
- Not available
In detail
M1
Screen Print
Ink pushed through a mesh screen, one colour at a time. The oldest method here and still the cheapest per piece once the screens are made, which is why the maths only works from twelve pieces up.
- Minimum
- 12 pieces
- Colours
- Up to 6
- Max size
- 12 x 16 in
- Runs on
- 32 of 38 blanks
Limits
- Twelve pieces is the floor. Below that the screen charge costs more than the shirts.
- Spot colours only. A photograph cannot be screen printed without being separated into flat colours first, which changes how it looks.
- Six colours maximum per position. Each colour is a separate screen and a separate pass.
M2
DTG Direct-to-Garment
A wide-format inkjet that prints straight into the cotton. No screens, no minimum, and the only method that handles a full-colour gradient without simplifying it first.
- Minimum
- 1 piece
- Colours
- Full colour
- Max size
- 12 x 16 in
- Runs on
- 23 of 38 blanks
Limits
- Cotton only. The pigment needs cotton fibre to bond to, so polyester, tri-blend and woven shirts are all unavailable.
- One piece minimum, but the per-piece price does not fall much with volume because every garment is printed individually.
- Prints on dark garments need a white underbase, which sits slightly raised and shifts the colour a little cooler.
M3
DTF Transfer Film
Artwork printed onto film, powdered with adhesive, then heat pressed onto the garment. It goes onto almost anything, which is why it is the fallback when the fabric rules out everything else.
- Minimum
- 1 piece
- Colours
- Full colour
- Max size
- 11 x 14 in
- Runs on
- 33 of 38 blanks
Limits
- Field is 11 in by 14 in, slightly smaller than screen or DTG.
- The print sits on top of the fabric as a thin film rather than in it. On a heavyweight fleece you will feel the edge.
- Not available on caps, beanies or acrylic knit.
M4
Embroidery
Thread stitched into the fabric by a multi-head machine. The most durable finish we offer and the only one available on a structured cap, at the cost of a small field and no photographic detail.
- Minimum
- 6 pieces
- Colours
- Up to 12
- Max size
- 4 x 4 in
- Runs on
- 38 of 38 blanks
Limits
- Four inches square is the working field. Anything larger needs a re-quote through bulk enquiry.
- Text below 5 mm cap height will not read once stitched. We will tell you before we run it.
- Fine gradients and photographs cannot be stitched. Artwork is redrawn as flat shapes during digitising.
M5
Heat Transfer Vinyl
Coloured film cut to shape, weeded by hand and pressed on. No minimum, no setup, fastest out the door. The trade is that it only does flat solid shapes.
- Minimum
- 1 piece
- Colours
- Up to 3
- Max size
- 11 x 14 in
- Runs on
- 33 of 38 blanks
Limits
- Solid shapes only. Vinyl is cut, not printed, so gradients and photographs are not possible.
- Three layers maximum. Each extra layer is another press cycle and another registration risk.
- Fine detail below 2 mm will not weed cleanly and will be rejected at pre-press.
M6
Sublimation
Dye turned to gas under heat and bonded into the polyester itself. Nothing sits on the surface, so there is no hand feel and no cracking edge, but it only works on light polyester.
- Minimum
- 12 pieces
- Colours
- Full colour
- Max size
- 16 x 20 in
- Runs on
- 5 of 38 blanks
Limits
- Polyester only, and light colours only. The dye is transparent, so it cannot cover a dark or coloured ground.
- On our catalogue that means White, Silver and Gold polyester bodies. Everything else is blocked.
- Twelve pieces minimum.