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In the world of clothing design and customization, choosing the right printing technique is crucial to achieving results that not only stand out for their quality, but are also cost-effective and long-lasting. Popular options include fullprint, direct-to-garment (DTG/DTF) printing, screen printing, and embroidery. Each of these techniques has its particularities, advantages and ideal applications. In this article, we will compare these techniques with a special focus on fullprint printing, an option increasingly chosen by designers and fashion brands for its great possibilities and the quality of the final result.

Fullprint printing: versatile and quality option

Fullprint printing is distinguished by its ability to print complex and colorful designs over the entire surface of the fabric, including areas that other techniques cannot easily reach. The process begins with the printing of the design on the fabric before cutting and making the garment. This allows for full coverage and seamless integration of the design with the final piece right down to the seam itself.

The same does not happen with screen printing, so you have to stick to the surface of the frame and a specific number of colors (although it is possible to do four-color printing). Or the DTG, which you must also limit yourself to a specific surface without being able to reach the seam.

The process for fullprint printing is simple.

First, the garment is marked in the width of the fabric to be printed. Imagine a t-shirt on which you have to print front, back, sleeves, collar… It would look something like this:

A black strip can be seen at the top that corresponds to the neck. Next would come the sleeves and finally the front (on the left) and the back.

Once we have the marking ready, we send it to the machine to be stamped. The different parts of the t-shirt are printed on the machine as you see in the image above. It will come out like this on the printed fabric. You only have to take into account shrinkage. If you make a marked as is, at real size and according to a size guide, you will have to estimate the shrinkage that the fabric will have because it will surely be somewhat smaller already in the fabric than what it measures in the design. Fabrics can shrink by up to 5% and in some cases more.

You will not have this problem if you make the fullprint print across the entire width of the fabric with a continuous rapport and then cut the fabric with the pattern templates. The previous print could have been done like this without having to resort to positional printing on the different parts of the garment.

DTG: Precision and Customization for Short Runs

Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing uses inkjet technology to apply the design directly to the fabric. This technique is ideal for low to medium quantity productions, as it allows great flexibility in design without the need for additional preparations such as screens or molds. DTG is perfect for detailed designs and individual customization, although it can be more expensive per unit compared to methods such as screen printing.

Basically, it is about putting the garment in a printer similar to the ones we have at home to print A4 paper but adapted with a frame in which you can “wrap” the garment so that it does not move. They are normally printed with pigment ink and need a subsequent “curing” process in which they must pass the garments through an oven where they receive heat.

DTG technology has advanced a lot in recent years and allows not only the use of white ink but also other inks such as fluorine, gold, silver, etc.

White ink is very necessary because it serves as a base when you want to print dark garments. For example, to print a black T-shirt with DTG technology, it is necessary that the machine first puts a white ink base and then prints the color (CMYK) with the final design on it.

It should be clarified that although DTG allows versatility in terms of changing designs and that it is usually done on relatively small machines, there are very fast machines on the market. For example there is Kornit Avalanche, which with its 2 frames allows you to prepare one garment while the other is printed and can give a production of 50-100 garments per hour. So if you don’t want to cover 100% of the garment as fullprint printing does, this technique is ideal.

Screen printing: The gold standard for large-scale productions

Screen printing is one of the oldest and most popular techniques for printing on textiles. Although fullprint and digital printing in general have been gaining ground, screen printing is still widely used. It uses screens to apply layers of ink onto the fabric, making it ideal for designs with solid colors and large-scale productions. Screen printing is known for its durability and vividness of colors, although the initial cost and preparation can be high, especially for complex or color-intensive designs.

Normally you should separate the colors of the design and make a screen (photolitho) for each of them. There is the possibility of four-color printing, in which with 4 CMYK screens you can compose the entire color spectrum as a digital machine does. That is why it is not recommended for making runs of less than 50-100 units. Because it does not compensate for the cost and work of preparing everything for such a small production.

Screen printing can be done manually or using “screen printing octopuses” such as these from the M&R brand.

Embroidery: Elegance and durability for simple logos and designs

Embroidery offers a texture and quality that no other printing technique can match, making it the preferred choice for logos and designs that require a touch of elegance and sophistication. Although it is more expensive and less versatile in terms of design compared to printing techniques, embroidery is extremely durable and adds perceived value to garments.

It is usually used to put a detail with the brand or some sponsorship on the chest of a shirt or on its sleeves. Or in accessories such as caps, in which the embroidery looks very good.

Another very interesting option is to combine this embroidery technique with fullprint printing. In this case you can highlight the brand’s logo over the rest of the print and the result will be ideal.

Conclusion

The choice between fullprint, DTG, screen printing, and embroidery will depend on several factors, including the nature of the design, the amount of production, the cost, and the final application of the garment. For complex, full-color designs that require full coverage and exceptional detail, fullprint printing is an unrivaled option. However, each technique has its place, and understanding its strengths and limitations is key to making informed decisions that result in high-quality textile products and visual appeal.

Do not hesitate to write to us at hello@textilfy.com if you have any questions about it. At Textilfy we specialise in the fullprint printing of many types of products: t-shirts, shirts, blouses, sweatshirts, dresses, boys’ and girls’ swimsuits, ties, bow ties, scarves, bags, toiletry bags, cases, cushions, aprons, tablecloths, baby clothes… Some of them you can already find in this section of personalized clothing. Little by little we will be adding more products. But write to us if you need a particular garment both by fullprint printing and by any other technique.