Choosing Between DTG, Vinyl Printing And Embroidery

When ordering custom T-shirts, people tend to get confused about which technique to use. They often get stuck between embroidering or printing. When they choose to print, the choice becomes DTG or vinyl printing in Denver. Each of these techniques has its pros and cons.

You need to understand what these techniques are, how they work and what their benefits are to make your decision.

What Is Direct To Garment?

In DTG, the company prints the design directly to the fabric. T-shirt printing services use an inkjet printer for direct to garment printing in Denver that sprays the ink on the fabric. The printer works quite similarly to inkjet printers at homes or offices but is designed for clothes.

What Is Embroidery?

It’s about stitching the design into the fabric using threads. You can do it with hands but most companies use a CNC machine for speed and efficiency. The CNC machine consists of twelve or more stitch heads with fifteen needles to sew the design on multiple garments at once. The manufacturer loads the design in digital format before loading the fabric and stitching on it.

What Is Vinyl Printing?

During vinyl printing in Denver, the company prints the design on a vinyl sheet, cuts the design and prints it to the garment through heat pressing. It’s why people also call it vinyl heat transfer or vinyl cut print. Here instead of spraying the ink on the fabric, the vinyl is pressed to the surface. It’s quite similar to how car decals are made.

Which Is Best?

Each printing technique has its pros and cons. To determine which process is the best, you need to consider the following factors:

- Durability

If you want your designs to last long, then you should opt for embroidery in Denver. Embroideries last longer than prints because they are stitched into the garments. This ensures that the design lasts long and can take some wear and tear. If you want to stick to print, then you should go for vinyl because it's more durable than the ink used in DTG as it is pressed onto the fabric rather than into it.

- Cost

Cut and print vinyl is the most affordable option of the three. It’s also quite durable so you don’t have to replace your garment often. DTG is more affordable than embroidering because the former’s cost is based on per print while the latter's cost is based on the number of stitches. But embroideries last longer, making them ideal if you don’t want to print new T-shirts often.

- Design Size

If you plan on printing large designs, then you should go for DTG or vinyl instead of embroidery in Denver. Though it’s possible to embroidery large designs on shirts, companies charge for embroidering per stitch, that’s why most clients use this technique to print small logos. In contrast, T-shirt printing companies charge per print for DTG or vinyl, making them more suitable for large prints.

- Garment Type

Embroideries work well with formals, sportswear and thick garments. DTG works better on casual light garments. You can print vinyl on almost any fabric.

- Design Complexity

If you want to print a complex design, then you should go for direct to garment printing in Denver because it allows you to print photorealistic designs. In embroidery, it’s hard to stitch complex designs because the threads are thick, which can ruin the design. While it’s possible to print multiple colors with vinyl, it’s difficult because the printer cuts the design out of the vinyl sheet. You need to print the layers over each other for a multi-color design. It’s why most customers cut one or two colors. This isn’t an issue with DTG where the printer prints vivid images.

Conclusion

Vinyl printing is the best option if you want affordable and durable designs. But DTG is the best for complex designs and embroidery is the best for long-lasting designs.