T-Shirt Printing: DTG vs Screen Printing vs Vinyl (Costs & Which to Choose)

The right t-shirt printing method depends on quantity and design: DTG (direct-to-garment) suits small runs with full-colour designs, screen printing wins on cost for larger runs of simple designs, and vinyl (HTV) is best for names, numbers and one-offs. There's no single "best" — only best for the job.

The three methods compared

	DTG	Screen printing	Vinyl (HTV)
How it works	inkjet prints directly onto fabric	ink pushed through a stencil per colour	cut material heat-pressed on
Colours	unlimited, photos fine	priced per colour	solid colours only
Best quantity	1–50	25+	1–20
Setup cost	none	screens per colour	none
Feel on garment	soft, in the fabric	sits on fabric, very durable	slightly raised
Best for	detailed/photo designs, small runs	club/event/workwear volume	names, numbers, personalisation

What does t-shirt printing cost?

Typical UK pricing patterns (exact quotes depend on garment and design):

• Single custom DTG shirt: roughly £15–£25 including the garment
• Screen-printed run of 50, one colour: often £6–£10 per shirt — setup spread across the run
• Vinyl name & number: a few pounds per item on top of the garment

The rule: the more shirts and the fewer colours, the harder screen printing wins. The fewer shirts and the more colours, the harder DTG wins.

Which garment should I choose?

Cotton-rich garments (100% ringspun cotton or 80/20 blends) take DTG and screen ink best. Polyester sports fabrics suit vinyl or sublimation instead — flag the fabric when asking for a quote so the method matches the garment.

How should I supply a t-shirt design?

Vector artwork (PDF/AI/SVG) for logos and text; for photographic DTG designs, a PNG at 300dpi at print size with a transparent background. Same colour rules as paper apply — see the file setup guide.

How long does custom t-shirt printing take?

Small DTG and vinyl runs are typically 2–5 working days depending on garment stock; screen-printed volume runs book slightly further ahead. For dated events (stag/hen weekends, charity runs, leavers' hoodies), order at least a week out. Quotes: minutemanpressipswich.co.uk or 01473 933888, collection from Tacket Street, Ipswich.

FAQs

Can I print just one t-shirt? Yes — DTG and vinyl both have no minimums; one-off shirts are routine.

Which method lasts longest in the wash? Screen printing is the durability benchmark; quality DTG is close behind on cotton; vinyl lasts well but can crack after heavy wash cycles over years.

Is DTG or screen printing cheaper? Under ~25 shirts or with multi-colour designs, DTG. Over ~25 shirts with 1–2 colours, screen printing — the per-shirt price keeps falling as quantity rises.

Can you print photos on t-shirts? Yes — DTG handles full-colour photographic prints on cotton garments.