While screen printing has been around for thousands years and has proven to be the most efficient way to print an image on a garment’s garments, there is now a new method that could replace it: direct-to-garment printing. 

Direct to garment (DTG), a printing process that’s essentially identical to that of inkjet printers sprays ink onto fabrics using a mixture of four to six colors (cyan and magenta, black), yellow, red, green, and red). 

DTG technology has improved over the years and is now the preferred choice of many printers. 

But traditional screen printing still holds its own. Screen printing is actually still better than traditional screen printing for many reasons. 

Screen Printing: What does it mean?

Screen printing, a technique for printing images onto fabric, has been used for millennia. This method involves applying ink to fabric using a stencil. This process is repeated over and again using different stencils. Layering color is added until the desired image appears on the garment. 

One of the most important aspects is Screen printing and DTG have their differences DTG doesn’t layer ink. This allows for better color blending and more detail. 

It is easy to use and still holds up well today, thanks to its simplicity. However, there are some instances when DTG is superior.

What makes screen printing superior to direct-to-garment printing?

DTG technology is constantly improving, which means that more people use it to print images onto clothing. DTG is not the best option for screen printing in many ways. The main benefits of screen printing include: 

Mass Production

The technology of screen printing has improved greatly over the years, thanks to its long history. Modern DTG printers cannot print as many t-shirts as they can, but there are machines that can print hundreds in an hour. It takes far too long to mix the colors and print on a garment. 

DTG printers’ performance has improved significantly since they were first introduced to the market. DTG printers are still significantly slower than screen printing. If you need to print on hundreds or hundreds of garments at once, screen printing is your best option.

Synthetic Materials

These days, most garments are made of cotton. Synthetic materialsPolyester, for example. Although cotton may be used, synthetic fibers will often still be added. DTG printers use a type of ink that doesn’t bond to these synthetic fibers all that well, which is why it is best for garments made from 100 percent cotton. 

If the material you’re printing on is not 100 percent cotton, then screen printing is still going to be the better option.

Durability

DTG printing has one major drawback: the ink doesn’t last as long as when applied with screen printing. Screen printed images can fade, but if properly set and allowed to cure, they can be washed hundreds of times without ever fading. 

DTG has improved over the years. However, a DTG-printed garment will not last as long as one that is screen-printed.

Matching Colors

The color scheme used in screen printing — pantones — means you can create a much wider range of colors than you can using DTG, which can only generate colors by mixing together the original six: cyan, magenta, yellow, black, red, and green. 

If you want to print an image on a garment that has a specific color, screen printing is a better option than DTG. You might not be able reproduce the exact shade with DTG depending on what you are printing. This could compromise the quality of your finished product. 

The old methods are still good

The popularity of DTG printing is growing rapidly, but it’s unlikely it will fully replace traditional screen printing anytime soon. There’s a reason it’s been around for so long: it does the job and it does it well. 

Things could change as DTG technology improves. For now, however, screen printing will be around.

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