When to use Digital or Screen Printing

We are often asked what is the difference between digital and screen printing and which method to use for specific orders. You can read about screen printing and digital printing in our services pages to help give you a better understanding of the two methods. However, deciding when to use each method can be a tricky one and as always there are lots of variables that need to be looked at before making a decision – it is not always a black or white choice.

The first thing to consider is the number of garments that are to be printed with your design. If you want less than 10 items then your only choice is digital as there is a minimum number of 10 for screen printing. As this is digital then there are no limits on the number of colours that we can print in the design. OK so there we have an easy answer because there is only one answer there are a few more scenarios where you have no choice, such as when you are using full colour artwork or using 6.7 or 8 spot colours on quantities of less than 100.

Full colour artwork means we are using shades and tones, which can be a photograph but can also mean gradients of the same colour. There are times we can screen print these gradients on lower numbers but we would need to see your artwork to confirm this.
What if my design is just one colour and I want 10 of them? Here, we can either go the traditional way of screen printing or choose digital printing. Screen printing is the most durable and is cheaper to actually print so surely this is the best option?

The downside of screen printing is that there is a screen making charge on your first order, so if you are not planning on ordering any more shirts in the future then maybe you might want to choose digital to make them slightly cheaper, however digital printing is not as hardwearing as screen printing and you have to be more careful when washing your garments. Our ink manufacturers recommend washing at 30 degrees centigrade with the garment turned inside out. We have washed our digitally printed T-shirts at 40 degrees centigrade and the print is still looking good after a year!

When you start to introduce more colours into your design then digital becomes the better option on numbers less than 20, so if you’re using three or four more colours then digital is the better option.

As a general rule if you’re likely to want to print your design again in the future then it is often worth investing in the screens, as in the long term you shirts will be cheaper.

Most company workwear will be screen printed as it tends to be treated with less care than you might treat your favourite T-shirt, but if for example you need some t-shirts for a promotion or an exhibition then digital printing can give you better results for multi-colour artwork.

So in conclusion the greater the number of shirts we print the more likely it is that traditional screen printing will be the option for you. We always want to offer you the best solution for your requirements so if you are unsure are expert staff will be able to best advise you.