Choosing how to print your design can feel like alphabet soup. There's no single best method, only the right one for your artwork, your fabric and how many you need. Here's how we think about it.
DTF: the all-rounder
DTF stands for direct to film. Your design is printed onto a film, then pressed onto the garment with heat. It gives bright, detailed colour and works on almost any fabric, including dark garments and blends. If you've got a full-colour logo, it's usually a safe place to start.
DTG: the soft one
DTG stands for direct to garment. It works a bit like a desktop printer, spraying ink straight into the fabric. The print feels soft and it handles photographs and fine detail very well. It's at its best on cotton.
Vinyl: the crisp one
Vinyl is cut to shape from a sheet of coloured material, then heat pressed on. It's perfect for solid colours and clean shapes such as names, numbers and bold text, which is why you see it on so many sports kits and workwear.
Embroidery: the premium one
Embroidery stitches your design in thread. It adds texture and feels expensive, and it's the natural choice for caps, workwear and anything that needs to look smart. Very fine detail doesn't always translate into stitches, so simple logos work best.
Quick guide
- Full-colour logo or artwork: DTF.
- Photograph on a cotton tee: DTG.
- Names, numbers or one-colour text: vinyl.
- Caps, polos and workwear: embroidery.
- Mugs, coasters and bottles: sublimation, where the ink becomes part of the surface.
Still not sure?
You don't need to work it out alone. My Local Printing offers all four methods from 1 piece to 10,000, and you'll get a free proof to approve before anything is made.
