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T Shirt Printing - The Pros and Cons of the Numerous Printing Forms

By: Kristine Kawell

In the event that you are new at all to t shirt printing it will be important to know that there are 3 different types of printing available. You will find a number of pros and cons to each form of printing.

Screen Printing

Of the 3 kinds of printing procedures, screen printing is the oldest and most normally utilized. Screen printing can consist of straightforward hand printed procedures up to fully automated presses. On the other hand, the process remains basically similar. The set up and cleaning of the screens may be very time consuming, although it is a very simple procedure. The majority of companies will often ask for a setup price to burn new screens. While there is commonly a one time setup cost for creating a new screen, the screen can then be stored for later use if the customer wants to print another run. One of the positive aspects of screen printing is that it provides an extremely clear and solid color print, that is certainly perfect for logos and text. Screen printing is relatively inexpensive, which makes it perfect for mass production. Another advantage is the longevity of the print.

One of the disadvantages of screen printing is that it isn't very good at photographic reproductions. Each color must be printed individually. They may also be very messy in the course of shirt creation.

Digital T Shirt Printing

Another form of t shirt printing is digital printing. Digital printing machines are an appealing addition towards the t shirt printing industry. It offers something screen printing cannot, which is printing on demand. The shirt is stretched over a frame below a set of ink jet heads. The ink is applied to the shirt in a way similar to the way that an inkjet printer prints on paper.

The machines for digital printing can be too expensive for somebody just getting started in the printing industry, sometimes ranging up to $20,000. Lots of large custom shirt manufacturers like Café press use this technology.

Another benefit is that you can easily do single print designs. Unlike traditional screen printing, there isn't a lot of setup involved with digital printing. Photographic images, logos and multicolor designs can easily be printed with digital printing.

It is generally more expensive per shirt to print digitally, which results in a higher price to purchase. Garments printed digitally will not be as durable when subjected to repeated washings. Being a newer technology, there are some problems such as the print heads getting clogged up during printing. Printing on dark colored t shirts is also difficult according to people who work with digital printing.

Heat Transfer Printing

Heat transfer printing is the third type of t shirt printing. With the heat transfer method, an image is printed on transfer paper and then applied to the t shirt using high heat or a heat press. This method is relatively inexpensive and is often favored by the person printing at home. It is similar to iron ons that might be purchased in any office supply store.

This option is perfect for small print runs. This is a good alternative to the other t shirt printing techniques because it's simple for the newcomer. Equipment is less expensive, but a decent press can cost up to $1,000. One of the pros of heat transfer printing is that photographic images are easily obtainable and come out very clear.

One of the downsides of heat transfer printing is that each image needs to be cut around the artwork, which could be time-consuming. This can allow it to be hard for larger runs.

While all of the the three techniques available for t shirt printing a good, screen printing works best for long term quality for your customers.

Article Source: http://www.articlecontentprovider.com/articlesubmit

A quick overview of the three most commonly used methods for printing t shirts.

For more information on buying a t shirt heat press please visit http://www.tshirtheatpress.org

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