How To Design and Print T-Shirts

Before you can create your designs, you need proper planning so that you may produce high­quality products. Think about the purpose of the design and what it’s going to represent. When you’re coming up with a design for a t-shirt, you need to visualize how the finished product will look like. Another important thing to think about is the color scheme. Find out which colors go well together. Check how the color works in the illustration.

After you have picked a color scheme, add dimensions to the design to create more depth to it. Balance the design by combining all the elements to form a more cohesive whole. Get t-shirt fulfillment with Printify and use it to make adjustments to the sketch if need be. Determine the proper positioning of the design on the t-shirt. If you like, you can add text to the design and make sure that it is in the right font. An attractive design will definitely draw eyes to it.

How to Print T-shirts

Once you are done with the t-shirt designs, it’s time to print them. Great designs go a long way in spicing up plain t-shirts and turn them into fashionable garments. There are several methods used for t-shirt printing. Lets us look at these techniques along with their pros and cons:

1. Direct to Garment Technique

This method is commonly abbreviated DGT. It involves printing directly onto the t-shirt. The quality of products is excellent. The method works great for white t-shirts.

Pros

• Offers a soft finish
• It supports one-off designs
• Offers full-color printing
• The cost per item is relatively low

Cons

• The machine is quite expensive and consumes a lot of space

2. Screen Printing

This method is quite popular and uses a professional t-shirt printing machine. You are required to create a template which is held in place by the nylon mesh screen. The screen is then flooded with ink and pressed down to spread the ink. Wipe away the excess ink and dry off the t-shirt.

This method is good for large projects.

Pros

• Gives supreme quality
• Fast when working on many items that use the same design
• Also gives a soft finish

Cons

• Not feasible for small quantities
• It’s quite expensive
• Can get messy if done manually

3. Transfer Paper Method

This technique works by permanently transferring images from one surface to another. The images are first printed on a transfer paper using a heat press machine then transferred to t-shirts.

Pros

• It’s quite straightforward to use
• Produces sophisticated designs
• It supports full­color printing

Cons

• A relatively slow method
• Cannot be used on heat sensitive fabrics

4. Sublimation Printing

Sublimation printing creates t-shirts that have print all over it and is capable of transforming the whole t-shirt into an amazing piece of art.

Pros

• Is not limited to use of graphics, colors or styles
• Produces unique designs

Cons

• Only works on 100% polyester t-shirts
• It’s not viable for small quantities

5. CAD Cut Vinyl Printing

A special cloth is professionally cut using CAD software and then the cloth is printed onto your t-shirt using a heat press. This technique works best for slogans and small graphics.

Pros

• The designs don’t fade/crack and can last the life of your t-shirt

Cons

• One needs to learn about the CAD cutters and the software involved