Most comparisons of DTG and screen printing are published by companies that only offer one of the two, and the conclusion usually reflects that. We run both at our Leicester site alongside hybrid printing, so we have no stake in which one you pick.
Screen printing generally suits repeat designs at volume. Direct-to-garment suits small quantities and complicated artwork. The point at which one becomes cheaper than the other sits lower than most people assume, and it moves depending on how many colours are in your design.
DTG vs screen printing at a glance
| Screen printing | DTG | |
|---|---|---|
| Sensible minimum | 25 pieces per design | One item |
| Colours | Up to 24, each adds setup | Unlimited, no penalty for more |
| Suits | Bold shapes, solid spot colours | Photographic images, gradients, fine detail |
| Hand feel | Ink sits on top of the fabric | Ink absorbs into the fibres |
| Durability | Very high | High |
| Special finishes | Metallic, puff, foil | Limited |
| Cost behaviour | Setup per colour, then low per unit | Flat per unit, no setup |
These are the two methods most orders come down to. For the full set, including sublimation, embroidery and transfer, see t-shirt printing methods.
How screen printing works
Each colour in your design gets its own screen, a fine mesh with that colour’s stencil burned into it. Ink is pushed through the mesh onto the garment with a squeegee, one colour at a time, and the print is then cured with heat.
Making those screens takes time and materials regardless of whether the run is 25 shirts or 2,500. On a short run that setup cost dominates the price. On a long run it becomes close to irrelevant, so the per-unit cost of screen printing keeps falling as quantities rise while other methods stay flat.
The same logic sets the colour limit. A four-colour design needs four screens and four passes through the press. We print up to 24 colours, though every additional colour adds setup, so designs built from a few solid spot colours are where screen printing works hardest for the money.
In return you get a thicker deposit of ink sitting on the surface of the fabric. Screen prints stay opaque on dark garments and hold their colour through repeated washing. Screen printing also produces metallic, puff and foil finishes, since those are physical ink effects rather than image data.
Our screen printing minimum is 25 pieces per design, roughly the point where the setup starts to justify itself.
How DTG (direct-to-garment) printing works
A DTG press works more like a large inkjet than a traditional press. The garment is loaded flat and pre-treated so the ink binds correctly, then water-based ink is sprayed directly onto the fabric, where it soaks into the fibres.
With no screens to make there is no setup cost, and no reason for the machine to care how many colours the file contains. A full-colour photograph prints for the same cost as a two-colour logo. Single items become viable on that basis, and our digital printing and Print On Demand® work carries no minimum at all.
There are trade-offs. Ink absorbed into the fabric produces a softer finish that some buyers prefer and others find less punchy, particularly on dark garments where a white underbase is doing much of the work. Durability is good and has improved considerably, though a well-cured screen print will generally outlast it. DTG also performs best on high cotton content, so garment choice matters more than it does with screen printing. Fabric weight plays into it too, which our guide to t-shirt GSM covers.
DTG vs screen printing cost: where the crossover sits
Screen printing starts expensive per unit and gets cheaper as the run grows. DTG starts cheap and stays broadly flat. Somewhere between those two lines is a crossover point, and its position depends almost entirely on how many colours are in the design.
A single-colour design crosses early, because there is only one screen to pay for. A six-colour design crosses much later. Anyone quoting you a fixed quantity as the universal answer is guessing, because the answer moves with your artwork.
We quote each job individually rather than working from a price list. Send the design and the quantity and we can tell you where your crossover falls.
Hybrid printing: combining DTG and screen printing
Hybrid printing is the option most comparisons omit, generally because the company publishing them does not offer it.
Our hybrid printing service combines digital printing with traditional screen printing in a single process. The digital element supplies the wider colour range and vibrancy associated with DTG. The screen printing element supplies the speed and efficiency that makes high-volume work economic.
The practical effect is that detailed artwork and large quantities stop being competing requirements. A photographic or heavily graduated design that would be slow to separate into screens can run at closer to screen printing throughput, and quality stays consistent across small and large orders alike.
For retail drops and full tour ranges, where artwork tends to be detailed and quantities high, hybrid is often the method we recommend.
When to use screen printing and when to use DTG
A tour run of one design across several thousand pieces. Screen printing, unless the artwork is photographic, in which case hybrid.
A retail drop with detailed, multi-colour artwork. Hybrid, which gives you the colour range without the screen count.
Samples before you commit to a run. DTG. Print one, assess it on the actual garment, then scale the same artwork up.
A design with more than about six colours, or a gradient. DTG for small runs, hybrid for large ones. Screen printing can handle it, but the setup mounts up.
Anything needing metallic, puff or foil. Screen printing, as digital cannot reproduce a physical ink effect.
A test design you are not sure will sell. DTG or Print On Demand®, so you avoid holding stock of something unproven.
Send us the artwork, the quantity and the garment if you are unsure. We will tell you which method suits the job, including when the one you had in mind is the wrong call.
DTG vs screen printing FAQs
Is DTG as good as screen printing? On detail and colour range, DTG is better. On opacity over dark garments, special finishes and long-term durability, screen printing keeps the advantage. Neither method wins outright, so any printer running both will ask about your design before recommending one.
What are the disadvantages of DTG printing? A softer and less opaque finish on dark garments, durability that is good rather than exceptional, a reliance on high cotton content, and a per-unit cost that does not fall as quantities rise. On a large single-colour run, DTG will be the more expensive option.
How can you tell if a shirt is screen printed or DTG? Run your hand over the print. A screen print sits on top of the fabric and usually has a slight raised edge where the ink stops. A DTG print is absorbed into the fibres and feels flat, closer to part of the shirt itself. The artwork gives it away too: fine gradients and photographic shading indicate DTG, while flat blocks of solid colour indicate screen printing.
Is DTG better than DTF? The two methods solve different problems. DTG prints into the fabric and performs best on high cotton content. DTF prints onto a film that is then heat-pressed onto the garment, making it more flexible across mixed fabrics and easier on polyester. DTG usually gives a softer result on cotton, while DTF copes better with garments DTG struggles with. We also run transfer printing and sublimation where either suits the job better.
What artwork do you need for screen printing and DTG? High-resolution files in AI, PSD, PDF, PNG or EPS. Vector files are best for screen printing because they separate cleanly into individual colours. If your artwork is not print-ready, our in-house design team can prepare it, and our colour separation service splits each design into its core colour layers so every shade reproduces as intended.
Get a quote for screen, DTG or hybrid printing
If you are starting a range rather than reordering, how to start a clothing brand in the UK covers the steps before this one. Send us the design, the garment, rough quantities and the date you need stock in place, and we will come back with the method we recommend and a price. Our standard turnaround is 5 to 10 working days from approval of artwork and payment.
Call 0116 242 6300 or email info@meeshagroup.co.uk. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.