How To Make Custom T-Shirts: 8 Types of Shirt Printing (2025)

Van Gogh didn’t need anything extravagant to create some of the most beautiful paintings in history. All it took was paint, brushes, and canvases to bring his work to life. The most important ingredients were imagination and ingenuity—the materials themselves were means to an end.

If you have design ideas for t-shirts, you already have the hardest part down. You don’t have to own a textile factory or invest huge sums of cash to start making and selling t-shirts—you just need a design idea and access to the right machinery and materials.

Let’s dive into all the different types of shirt printing so you can figure out which works best for you. There are strengths and weaknesses for all these t-shirt printing methods, but chances are you’ll find at least a couple to bring your designs to life perfectly.

Whether you’re starting a small t-shirt printing business or just making merch for your company, this list can help you choose the best printing option.

A custom t-shirt business may need a high-tech and detailed printing method, while a company that needs only basic shirts to sell as merch could be fine with a simpler approach.

Here are eight of the most common t-shirt printing techniques to consider:

Direct to garment

Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing is a high-tech printing method perfect for creating detailed or photorealistic designs. This process uses specialized inkjet printers to apply designs directly onto fabric. DTG printers can be costly, starting at around $4,000. Luckily, you don’t have to own a DTG printer. Many custom apparel designers partner with print-on-demand companies for a fraction of the price.

Direct-to-garment printing requires a digital image file. Designers create high-resolution images (typically between 150 and 300 dpi) that include intricate details and multiple colors. Printmakers pretreat fabrics with a polymer-based solution to create a smooth surface and promote dye adhesion. After you add your design to the print queue, printers spray a fine mist of water-based ink over the fabric. DTG printers use CMYK color processing and white ink, so you can print full-color images with an unlimited number of hues per design.

DTG printing works best on natural fibers like cotton. This method is suitable for printing on light or dark-colored fabrics. For dark backgrounds, printers apply a base layer of white ink to ensure designs stand out.

Features:

Prints full-color and multiple-color images
Works best on natural fibers
Suitable for small-batch printing
Creates durable designs
Captures detailed and photorealistic designs

Screen printing

The screen printing process is a good choice for creating high-quality, durable, and basic graphic shirts. Screen printing works well for creating designs with limited details, such as san serif lettering or geometric patterns. The screen printing process is labor intensive and requires some skill, but you can outsource it to a printing agency if need be.

Screen printing works by pressing ink into fabric through a design template. There are several ways to create a screen printing template. The most common method involves applying a photo-sensitive emulsion to a permeable material such as a silk or mesh screen, laying a design cutout over the material, and exposing the screen to light.

The light burns away the exposed areas, leaving a negative image of the cutout behind. To make a shirt, printers place this newly created stencil over the t-shirt and use a squeegee to drag screen printing ink across the surface. The ink passes through the screen in any area not blocked by emulsion. Printing multicolored designs requires making multiple screens—one for each color.

The time-consuming setup makes screen printing impractical for small print runs; however, this method is efficient and affordable for larger orders. Once you create a screen printing stencil, you can use it over and over again to print multiple copies of the same design.

Features:

Extremely durable designs
Works on a range of materials
Prints bold, vivid colors
Not suited for printing intricate designs
Works best with one or two colors

🌟 Learn how to create a shirt design in six simple steps. In this guide, explore materials, printing, color theory, and prioritizing high image quality.

Heat-transfer vinyl

Heat transfer vinyl printing (HTV) is easy, affordable, and fast. The simple production process makes this method a popular choice for DIY printers. The HTV printing process involves printing an image onto or cutting a design out of special vinyl transfer paper. Printers use a heat press or regular clothing iron to apply the vinyl design to a piece of fabric.

Colored vinyl sheets are available in a variety of styles, including sparkly and glow-in-the-dark varieties. Printable HTV sheets are compatible with standard inkjet printers—this technique can be used to create photorealistic designs. Heat transfer vinyl printing works on both natural and synthetic fabrics. The vinyl applique is opaque and will show up well on any color background.

Features:

Affordable
Suitable for DIY
Well-suited to one-off production
Less durable designs
Less desirable texture (can feel like a sticker)

Dye sublimation

Sublimation printing is a heat press printing technique that can depict intricate details and create extremely durable designs. This method is only compatible with polyester or poly-cotton blend fabrics.

Sublimation printers use CMYK color processing to create almost any hue. Designs can include multiple colors, but you can’t print white ink with this method. Compared to methods like screen printing and direct-to-garment printing, sublimation prints are less vibrant. The colors have a slightly transparent quality, similar to dyed fabric. Because of this, sublimation printing is most effective on light-colored fabrics.

The sublimation printing process involves printing designs onto sublimation transfer paper with a specialized printer and applying the image to fabric. These transfer sheets are heat-activated. Printers use a standard heat press to apply heat and pressure to the design. This process forces the ink from a solid into a gaseous state. Once it’s in this state, the ink dyes the fabric fibers. With sublimation printing, the color penetrates the fabric instead of resting on top of it. As a result, the designs will never flake or crack.

Features:

Affordable
Only works on polyester or poly-blend fabrics
Extremely durable
Works best on light-colored fabrics
Can create multi-colored designs

Direct-to-film

Direct-to-film (DTF) printing creates photorealistic designs on light or dark-colored shirts. This heat transfer printing process requires DTF transfer papers and a liquid inkjet printer. DTF printers use CMYK color processing and white ink to create bright and colorful designs.

To create a DTF print, designs add a digital image file to the printing queue. DTF printers read the image, apply a white ink base layer, and print the design onto transfer paper. The white base layer ensures printed designs will show up well on light or dark backgrounds. Printmakers use a standard heat press to activate the transfer papers and apply the design to the fabric.

DTF printers are expensive and notoriously tricky. Setup can be complicated, and the printer heads require frequent maintenance. DTF products are less durable than DTG printed t-shirts—designs may chip or crack with frequent wear. Some printmakers feel that DTF prints have a slightly hard, plastic texture.

Features:

Creates bright, vibrant colors
Less desirable feel
Less durable designs
Prints multi-colored images
Equipment may require frequent maintenance

🌟 If you’ve got a killer shirt design idea, getting it onto a t-shirt to sell isn’t complicated. Discover some popular Shopify-compatible design apps to help you get started.

Plastisol transfer

Plastisol transfer printing combines screen printing and heat transfer printing methods. Like screen printing, this method requires creating a permeable screen design template.

With plastisol transfers, printmakers use screens to apply designs to heat transfer papers before transferring them to the final t-shirt. This extra step makes plastisol printing inefficient for bulk orders. For DIY screen printers, plastisol printing offers the opportunity to print multiple designs at once and transfer them to t-shirts once a customer places an order. This print-on-demand shirt method could save time by eliminating the need to set up and clean printing screens each time you make a new t-shirt.

Plastisol printing is best suited to designs with limited detail and one to two colors. This method is compatible with a wide range of fabrics, including fleece, cotton, and synthetic materials. Plastisol and screen-printed garments have similar durability and color quality.

Features:

Prints on a range of materials
Works on light and dark fabrics
Durable designs
Inefficient for bulk orders
Difficult to create multi-colored designs
Not suited for printing intricate designs

Discharge

Discharge printing is a screen printing process that works by removing colors from dyed fabrics. This method requires creating screen design templates. The setup is similar to traditional screen printing, with one important distinction—screen printing templates apply color wherever the screen template is made permeable. Discharge templates remove color from unblocked areas. Instead of adding ink to screens, this method uses a discharge agent to strip dye from fabrics.

Discharge printing is best for designs with limited detail and one to two colors. The dye removal technique makes this process well-suited to adding light-colored designs to dark fabrics, but it’s not compatible with white garments. Applying ink can alter fabric text, sometimes making it feel stiff. Discharge printing doesn’t use ink—the printed garments are always soft and pliable. These designs will never chip or fade.

Features:

Soft fabric feel
Durable designs
Not widely offered by POD companies
Involved setup
Difficult to create multi-colored designs
Not suited for printing intricate designs

🌟 Mockups provide a realistic depiction of your shirts without the need to photograph them. Find the best t-shirt mockups and templates to save you time when marketing your shirts.

Airbrush

Airbrushing involves using an airbrush and paint or ink to apply color by hand. Printmakers can freehand designs for a graffiti-style aesthetic or use a stencil for enhanced precision. Creating a design without a stencil requires a fair amount of artistic skill—it's more popular with individual creators than in the t-shirt printing industry.

Airbrush strokes are wide and soft. This method is ideal for creative expression and bold designs, but it isn’t well suited to producing highly realistic images. Creating garments with multiple colors requires using multiple airbrushes or washing the tool between color changes.

Airbrush-printed garments are soft and durable. This technique is compatible with a wide range of fabrics, depending on the type of ink used. Certain colors may not show up well on dark backgrounds.

Features:

Labor-intensive
Requires artistic skill set
Best for individual garment production
Not offered by print-on-demand companies
Compatible with a range of materials
Works best on light-colored garments

How to choose a type of shirt printing

Consider design complexity
Know your fabric
Think through order size and cost
Consider quality

Now that you’ve combed through all these different types of shirt printing, here are some factors to consider before you make a decision about which one to use for your own company:

Consider design complexity

Assess the level of detail and number of colors you’d like to use in your shirt design. For intricate details or photographs, select a method like direct-to-film or direct-to-garment printing to ensure all elements are crisp and clear. Methods like screen printing, discharge, and HTV are better for minimalist designs with a restricted color palette.

Know your fabric

Some printing methods are only compatible with certain fabrics. Dye sublimation printing, for example, works only on polyester or poly-blend materials. If you have a specific type of fabric in mind, select a process that can print on the material. The same goes for fabric colors—some approaches will work on all shades and hues, while others work only on light or dark.

Think through order size and cost

Consider your budget and think about how many pieces you’d like to create. If you’re working with a print-on-demand company, order size will have a big impact on cost per item. With POD companies, screen printing is the most affordable choice for bulk orders. DTG printing may be less expensive for small and medium print runs.

Some t-shirt printing methods aren’t compatible with mass production. If you’re producing a limited number of pieces and plan to produce them yourself, DIY-friendly printing techniques like airbrushing or HTV may be the best options.

Consider quality

Print accuracy, fabric feel, and design durability are all important for high-quality prints. Consider weighing the pros and cons of each method to make this decision. Discharge printing, dye sublimation printing, and screen printing create the most durable designs, but these methods won’t work if you want to print an intricate design on a cotton t-shirt.

Types of shirt printing FAQ

What is the best type of printing for t-shirts?

The best t-shirt printing method depends on your budget, design style, and business needs. If you’re printing photographs or extremely detailed designs, consider DTF or DTG printing for the best print quality. For bulk orders, screen printing may be the most cost-effective choice. If you’re making custom t-shirts at home, an easy DIY method like HTV printing might be the best choice.

How many types of t-shirt printing are there?

There are many ways to print custom t-shirts. Popular print-on-demand companies Printful and Printify both offer DTG, DTF, sublimation, and all-over printing processes.

What's better, DTG or screen printing?

Direct-to-garment (DTG) and screen printing offer different advantages and drawbacks. Compared to screen printing, DTG t-shirt printing can render more detailed images and include more colors in each design. Screen printing is faster and less expensive for bulk orders.