Un-Puzzling the Prints

You’ve figured out your vision for your sweet sweater. You’ve designed a cool logo, found out what colour you look the best in, and decided that you better order 10 extra sweaters just in case your friends become insanely jealous and want one too. All that’s left to do is put the order in — but you’re still not sure as to what type of print your logo needs! Don’t you worry though, this article is here to help. Here’s the rundown of each type of printing to help your decision.

Vinyl Printing

Price: $

Detailing: 3/5

Type of image: .SVG

Here’s a sample of what you’d use vinyl printing for — solid colours and simple designs.

Vinyl prints are our most simple type of printing, and usually done in-house. Since it’s done using big sheets of coloured vinyl, it’s best to be used for designs that have solid colours on the logos. You’re able to have different colours for the designs, just not many details within those designs. Vinyl printing doesn’t require any extra fees, and is one of the best types of printing for durability — vinyl is unlikely to fade away or develop cracks in the images.

Screen Printing

Price: $$

Detailing: 4/5

Type of image: .SVG

This is a logo that you’d want screenprinted — simple design, and a few colours only

Screen printing is done by using a silk screen to transfer ink onto the material. This means that screen printing can be a bit pricey if it’s being used for individual orders. However, the larger the order, the less costly these fees become, making screen printing a great choice for bulk orders. Screen printing allows for some detail in designs, but not to the same extent as DTG.

DTG

Price: $$

Detailing: 5/5

Type of image: .png, .jpg, .pdf

An image with this amount of detailing can only be printed in DTG

Direct-to-garment (DTG) is the only type of printing that allows very detailed images, like photographs, to be printed on a garment. The machine used for DTG is similar to a regular printer, and works by translating a digital image onto a blank garment. DTG is definitely the most precise type of printing we offer, and creates no limitations in the amounts of colours you can choose for your designs. However, bulk orders of DTG garments will end up costing more, because of the amounts of ink and time that it would take to make large batches. This is why DTG is optimal for smaller orders.

Embroidery

Price: $$

Detailing: 3/5

Type of image: .DST

This is what our logo looks like using embroidery

Embroidery directly stitches thread onto the fabric to make your logo, adding some texture to the design. The process requires your logo to get digitized to be able to get embroidered, which adds a flat set-up fee onto the order. This makes it more expensive to print only a few designs with embroidery, but the flat fee is absorbed more easily in bigger volume orders. Embroidery is usually best for simple logos, and provides a more professional finish.

Each type of print has its own pros and cons, and our customer relations team is here to help you out in deciding which print is perfect for your goals. And not to worry — after you submit your design, you’ll be contacted by a member of our team to confirm your order and help you out with any design concerns you may have. The important thing is that no matter what, you’ll end up with some amazing new merch!