Screen Printing vs. Digital Printing
With Digital Printing, your design is printed directly onto the garment using water-based CMYK inks. Like ink jet printers, this technique allows you to print millions of colors making it a perfect choice for full-color photographs. Plus, digital printing allows us to offer custom tees with no minimum order requirement, unlike screen printing, which has a 12-piece minimum because of its extensive prep time.
Screen printing is a more traditional t-shirt customization method in which each color in a design is separated and burned to individual fine-mesh screens. Ink is then transferred to the shirt through the screen. Teams, organizations and businesses usually opt for screen printing because it’s more cost-effective for printing large custom apparel orders.
Both printing methods guarantee excellent durability and wash-fastness over time.
| Factor | Screen Printing | Digital Printing |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum order | 12 pieces | 1 piece (no minimum) |
| Cost per shirt | Drops sharply with quantity (best for bulk) | Flat per-shirt cost (best for small runs) |
| Color limit | Best for 1-6 colors (extra cost per color) | Full color / photo-realistic, no per-color upcharge |
| Turnaround | 5-7 business days standard | 1-2 business days standard |
| Best for | Teams, businesses, groups, large orders | Single shirts, photo designs, fast deadlines |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between screen printing and digital printing?
Screen printing is a traditional t-shirt customization method in which each color in a design is separated and burned to individual fine-mesh screens — ink is then transferred to the shirt through the screen. Digital printing prints your design directly onto the garment using water-based CMYK inks (similar to inkjet printers), allowing millions of colors and making it perfect for full-color photographs.
Which method has a minimum order?
Screen printing has a 12-piece minimum because of its extensive prep time (burning screens). Digital printing has no minimum — you can order a single custom-printed t-shirt.
Which method is cheaper for large orders?
Screen printing is more cost-effective for large custom apparel orders. Once the screens are burned, adding more shirts is cheap, so per-shirt cost drops significantly with quantity. Teams, organizations, and businesses usually opt for screen printing for bulk orders.
Which method is better for full-color or photo designs?
Digital printing. Because it lays down all colors in a single pass with CMYK inks, it handles full-color and photo-realistic designs without an upcharge per color. Screen printing requires a separate screen per color, so multi-color designs get expensive.
Do screen printed and digitally printed shirts last the same amount of time?
Both printing methods guarantee excellent durability and wash-fastness over time. Every order is backed by our Money Back Guarantee.