Which printing do you recommend? It is the question we are asked most often, and the honest answer is that it depends on three things: your artwork, your fabric and your quantity. Get those three right and the method chooses itself.
Because we run all three in the same building as our cutting and stitching, we can also mix them within a single order. Here is what each one actually is, what it is brilliant at, and where it struggles.
Embroidery
Embroidery stitches your logo directly into the fabric with thread. There is no ink, nothing sits on the surface, and nothing can crack or peel. It is the most durable method we offer and it reads as the most premium.
Best for: polos, caps, corporate shirts, jackets, fleeces and anything a manager or client facing staff member wears. Also the right answer for heavy workwear that gets washed hard.
Watch out for: fine detail. Thread has a minimum practical thickness, so very thin lines, small lettering and subtle gradients will be lost. Photographic logos are not suitable. Embroidery also adds slight stiffness, which is why we rarely use it across the whole front of a lightweight t-shirt.
Screen printing
Screen printing pushes ink through a fine mesh stencil onto the fabric, one colour at a time. Because a separate screen is made for each colour, there is a setup step, which is exactly why it becomes cheaper the more pieces you order.
Best for: larger runs of t-shirts, high visibility vests, tote bags and event merchandise where the design uses one to three solid colours. For a few hundred pieces with a simple logo, nothing beats it on price or on the crispness of a solid block of colour.
Watch out for: small quantities and many colours. Ten shirts in five colours means five setups spread over ten pieces, and the unit price climbs steeply. Fine gradients are also difficult.
DTF and heat transfer
DTF, or direct to film, prints your design onto a special film which is then heat pressed onto the garment. It handles full colour, photographs and complex detail without any per colour setup.
Best for: small runs, detailed or multi coloured artwork, individual names and numbers, and one off samples. If you need twelve shirts with a photographic design, this is the method.
Watch out for: feel and longevity. The design sits on top of the fabric rather than in it, so a large solid print can feel slightly heavier on the skin, and it will not outlast embroidery over years of industrial washing. Turned inside out and washed cool, it holds up well.
Side by side
| Embroidery | Screen print | DTF or transfer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best quantity | Any, from small | Larger runs | Small to medium |
| Colour range | Limited by thread | One to three solids | Full colour |
| Fine detail | Limited | Good | Excellent |
| Durability | Excellent | Very good | Good |
| Feel on fabric | Stitched, textured | Thin, flexible | Sits on surface |
| Typical use | Polos, caps, jackets | Tees, vests, bags | Names, photos, samples |
Match the method to the job and the garment lasts. Match it to the budget alone and you pay twice.
How we actually choose
In practice we ask four questions, in this order.
- How many pieces? Under about fifty, setup heavy methods rarely make sense.
- How many colours, and how fine is the detail? This rules methods in or out quickly.
- What is the garment and how will it be washed? Industrial laundry pushes us toward embroidery.
- Where does the logo sit? A left chest badge and a full back panel are different problems.
It is also perfectly normal to mix methods within one order. Embroidered logos on supervisor jackets, screen printed vests for the wider crew, and DTF names on a handful of pieces. Because the machines sit a few metres apart from the cutting table, this costs us nothing in coordination and saves you a second order.
Not sure? Send us your logo and tell us the garment and quantity. We will tell you which method we would use and why, including when the cheaper option would look just as good.