DTG vs Screen Printing for Custom T-Shirts
Affiliate disclosure: some links in this article earn TMK Tees a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Screen printers charge a setup fee of £20 to £50 per colour, per run. That single cost flips the whole pricing calculation depending on how many shirts you order.
What Is DTG Printing?
DTG sprays water-based ink directly onto fabric through a modified inkjet printer. There are no screens and no setup fees. One personalised t-shirt costs roughly the same per unit as a batch of ten. That makes it the default choice for on-demand orders, prototype runs, and designs with photographic detail or smooth gradients.
The limitation: DTG works best on 100% cotton. A Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton T-Shirt is the most common blank because the tight cotton weave absorbs water-based ink evenly. Polyester fibres repel the ink, which results in a noticeably faded print straight off the machine.
What Is Screen Printing?
Screen printing pushes thick plastisol or water-based ink through a mesh stencil, one colour per pass. Each colour needs its own screen, hence the setup fee. At 10 units that fee dominates the cost. At 48 units you can drop below £3 per shirt for a two-colour design.
The prints are opaque and durable. They survive hundreds of washes without cracking or fading significantly, which is why this method has dominated branded streetwear for decades. A Gildan 18500 Heavy Blend Hoodie is a popular blank for screen-printed drops because its thick fleece gives ink a solid, flat base to adhere to.
Choosing by Order Size
Below 12 units, DTG almost always wins on price. Setup costs make screen printing uneconomical at this scale. Between 13 and 24 units, colour count decides it: a single-colour screen print can be competitive here, but add a second colour and DTG tends to cost less again. At 25 or more units, screen printing costs less per shirt, and once the screens are made, reorders carry no additional setup charge.
When Design Complexity Changes the Answer
Photos, skin tones, and colour gradients belong on a DTG machine. A six-colour gradient costs the same to print as a one-colour logo. Screen printing charges per colour, so a complex design with eight shades could add £160 to the setup cost before a single shirt is printed.
Flat logo artwork, bold type, and two-tone graphics suit screen printing well. Many streetwear brands combine both methods: a DTG run of 10 units to test a colourway, then a screen-printed reorder of 50 once it sells through. The final prints look slightly different, so always request a pre-production sample before committing to the larger run.
Which Should You Choose?
Order size and artwork answer the question. Under 12 units, or if your design uses photographic detail, choose DTG. Above 24 units with a clean, bold graphic, screen printing delivers a lower cost per shirt and a more durable result. For custom hoodies and heavier fleece pieces on larger runs, screen printing holds its colour better through regular washing than DTG on blended fabrics.
Related Products
The go-to blank for DTG printing. 100% ring-spun cotton, available in 30+ colours.
Standard screen-print blank for streetwear drops. Thick fleece, consistent sizing.
Budget-friendly custom hoodie blank. Popular for team and event orders.
FAQ
Does DTG printing last as long as screen printing?
On 100% cotton, DTG prints wash well if you follow cold-wash, inside-out care instructions. Screen printing generally outlasts DTG on blended fabrics because the ink sits on top of fibres rather than soaking in. On pure cotton the difference is small.
Can I use as many colours as I like with DTG?
Yes. DTG carries no per-colour cost, so a 12-colour photographic print costs the same to produce as a one-colour logo. That is the main reason it suits complex or gradient artwork that would be expensive to set up for screen printing.
What is the minimum order for screen printing?
Most print shops set a minimum of 12 to 24 units per design. Below that threshold, setup costs make the price per shirt higher than DTG, which removes the main economic argument for choosing screen printing.
Which method works better on dark-coloured t-shirts?
Both work on dark garments. DTG requires a white ink underbase layer on dark fabric, which adds cost and can slightly soften edge sharpness. Screen printing uses thick, opaque inks that cover dark backgrounds cleanly without an underbase on most designs.
Can I switch from DTG to screen printing for a reorder?
Yes, and many brands do exactly this after a successful test run. The two methods produce slightly different finishes, so request a pre-production sample before approving the full screen-printed reorder to confirm the colours match your expectations.