As the holiday season approaches, your business might be thinking of excellent swag as a gift for your employees. This swag could be printed shirts, sweaters, hoodies, or a combination of any customized prints on fabrics. Many companies now use custom clothing printing to stay unique and consistent.

There are numerous garment printing methods available, each yielding different outcomes depending on fabric type and durability. Results rely on the fabric and pattern that you desire for these products.

Buckle up as we unravel different types of printing on fabric and their advantages and disadvantages. With this, you can quickly decide which printing technique suits your company's style.

Types of Printing on Fabric

1. Screen Printing for Fabric and Clothes

First on our list of fabric printing techniques is screen printing, which is rapidly making its name in the professional world of textile printing. Screen printing has three types:

1. Flat screen printing, which is best for shirts and bags.

2. Rotary screen printing, which is suitable for rolls of fabrics.

3. Hand-screen printing, which works for shirts or any homemade constructions.

The screen printing procedure is more likely to be applied individually, which is a challenging job because having a smooth tonal transition is tough, especially when aiming for a two- or three-color gradient. 

Screen printing involves creating a stencil (or screen) to apply layers of ink onto a surface. Ink is applied directly through a mesh screen with small openings. A photosensitive layer is exposed to UV light with the artwork or logo, leaving the mesh open where the logo is. The screen is then placed in a carousel, ink is added, and a squeegee presses the ink onto the item. After printing, the item must be dried using a drying tunnel. Each color requires a separate stencil.

Pros:

➕Print lasts a long time due to larger ink transfer

➕Cost-effective for mass production

➕High-quality and soft-to-touch finish

➕Ideal print technique for solid color

Cons:

➖Requires ample space to print and dry

➖The printing process requires skilled workers

➖Detailed printing on rough materials not possible

2. Indirect Screen Printing for Fabric and Clothes

Next on our list is indirect screen printing, which utilizes plastisol ink. It uses a plastisol sheet with ink at first; then, it will need to be dried in a nice place to remove the peelable graphic film. The last step involves squeezing the film with a wet wire to peel off the base, then blow-drying it to maintain the screen print longer.

Some designers collaborate with apparel printing shops that can mass-produce the design on plastisol sheets to narrow down the cost. Furthermore, fabrics with 50% polyester and 50% cotton perform more promisingly with plastisol ink.

Pros:

➕ A lesser amount of mess

➕ High-quality and durable design

➕ Suitable for small amounts of orders

➕ Less amount of time compared to regular screen printing

Cons:

➖ Applying plastisol is tricky

➖ The plastisol transfer sheet is costly

➖ The design might crack soon if done incorrectly

3. Screen Transfer Printing for Fabric and Clothing Items

Another printing method for fabric and clothes is Screen Transfer Printing. A screen is created in the same way as a “normal” screen print. Transfer printing involves printing a design onto transfer paper and transferring it onto the desired surface using heat and pressure. After all colors are printed, a layer of glue is printed in the same shape as the logo, and a special powder is applied.

Pros:

➕ No limitation in the number of colors

➕ Exact Pantone color match possible due to white base

➕ Printed colors are very bright

➕ Small details printable

Cons:

➖ Print prices are higher than screen (because of the extra applying step)

➖ Production times are longer

➖ Print surface needs to be flat, so printing close to zippers, buttons, cords, seams, etc., is not possible. Some materials are not printable with a transfer (PVC, for instance, will melt when applying)

4. Silkscreen for Fabric and Cloth

Silkscreen Transfer involves creating a stencil on a mesh screen and applying ink directly onto the substrate through the stencil. This method is more cost-effective for large production runs and produces vibrant, durable prints. However, it is less suited for highly detailed and multi-color designs due to alignment challenges and longer setup times.

5. Digital Printing for Fabric and Clothes

When using this printing method, transferring a design involves using heat and pressure to move it from special transfer paper onto the desired surface. A cutter shapes the design, which is then applied to the item with a heat press, similar to standard transfer printing. On a plotter, the logo is printed on special paper with a white base and glue, pre-applied by the manufacturer. The cutter shapes the design, and a heat press transfers it to the item, just like in regular transfer printing.

This is a great option for printing on different fabrics when flexibility and precision are important.

Pros:

➕ No limitation on the number of colors due to the digital print process

➕ Any desired shape is possible

➕ No setup costs, making it cost-effective for small batches

➕ Printed colors are very bright

Cons:

➖ Pantone colors cannot be used because of the 4-color print process

➖ More expensive with big order amounts or print sizes (prices per cm2)

➖ Only suitable for “single cut forms” (For instance, in text, all the insides of letters need to be peeled out by hand)

6. Embroidery for Fabric and Clothes

With this printing style, a digital logo undergoes a