In the custom apparel industry there are three different types of printing that are used today: screen printing, direct to garment (DTG) printing and heat press. Here at Pacific Company we use the screen printing technique. However, we do get asked from time to time why we use that versus heat press or DTG.
We wanted to take a minute to explain what the types of printing are and why we use screen printing over the other two.
Types of Printing:
Screen Printing
Ink + Screen (stencil) = screen printing! It really is that simple, one screen is used to print each color. One color at a time the inks are pushed through the screen using a squeegee. Then the apparel is ran through a large dryer to cure the inks.
Screen printing is the best option for printing when you have large quantities of shirts and require a higher level of vibrancy for the design. When screen printing, the ink is applied thicker than digital printing resulting in brighter colors even on darker apparel.
DTG (Direct to Garment)
DTG printing is typically used for smaller orders or orders that the design requires a great amount of detail. Direct to garment printing uses specialized or modified inkjet technology allowing for a more photographic print. When using DTG to print it is best to print on lighter colored apparel so that the design will show up better.
Heat Press
Heat press is the process of applying vinyl or digitally printed graphics to apparel with heat and pressure. This is also referred to as heat transfer printing. When using vinyl, a machine is used to cut out the design and then a heat press is used to transfer the design to the desired apparel. With digitally printed graphics they are first printed on to special heat transfer material using a solvent ink. From there a heat press is used to transfer the design to the desired apparel.
At Pacific Company we use screen printing as our preferred method of printing because it gives us the ability to do orders of all sizes in a timely manner. We pride ourselves on being experts when it comes to screen printing. Because of this you know you will high quality work done in a timely manner!
Have questions about our process? Contact Us!