Walk into any print shop — including ours — and you'll hear three terms thrown around: vinyl, DTG, and screen printing. They all put designs on t-shirts, but they work completely differently, cost differently, and last differently. Here's the plain-English breakdown, from people who run all three for custom t-shirt printing in Clapham every day.
Heat-transfer vinyl: the precision option
How it works: your design is cut from coloured vinyl sheets and heat-pressed onto the garment.
Best for: names, numbers, and simple one- or two-colour designs. Sports kits, stag and hen names on the back, staff names under a logo.
Feel: vinyl sits on top of the fabric — you can feel a slight edge. Modern vinyls are thin and flexible, nothing like the crackly iron-on transfers of the nineties.
Durability: excellent for what it is. It won't fade, though sharp folds over many years can eventually lift an edge. Wash inside-out and it'll last the life of the shirt.
Cost: economical for small runs; every extra colour adds cutting time.
DTG (direct to garment): the detail option
How it works: a specialised printer jets ink directly into the fabric — like a paper printer, but for shirts. This is what our new same-day garment machine does.
Best for: full-colour designs, photographs, gradients, and small runs. One shirt or fifty — no setup penalty either way.
Feel: the ink soaks into cotton, so the print feels like part of the shirt. No edge, no stiffness.
Durability: very good on cotton with proper care. Wash cold, inside-out, and skip the tumble dryer — heat is the enemy of all prints, DTG included.
Cost: the per-shirt cost stays flat whether you print one or one hundred, which is why DTG rules small runs and same-day jobs.
Screen printing: the volume option
How it works: ink is pushed through a mesh screen, one colour at a time. Each colour needs its own screen, prepared in advance.
Best for: large runs (50+) of bold, simple designs. Band merch, company uniforms, event staff shirts.
Feel: soft and durable — the classic printed-tee feel.
Durability: the longest-lasting of the three when done properly. This is why your ten-year-old gig t-shirt still looks fine.
Cost: the setup cost per colour is real, but spread over 100+ shirts the per-unit price is the lowest by far. Under about 25 shirts, it rarely makes financial sense.
So which lasts longest?
Straight answer: screen printing, followed closely by DTG on cotton with good wash care, then vinyl — though the gap is smaller than most people think, and all three will outlast the shirt itself if you wash cold and inside-out. Honestly, the method matters less than the care.
Can you mix methods on one shirt?
Yes — and team kits do it constantly. The classic combo is a DTG-printed full-colour crest on the front with vinyl names and numbers on the back: the detailed logo and the crisp personalisation, each done the way it does best. Just tell us it's one job, not two, and we'll plan the print order so nothing interferes with anything else.
Which should you choose? The 30-second version
- 1–20 shirts, any design: DTG
- Names and numbers on team kits: vinyl
- 50+ shirts, bold simple design: screen printing
- Full-colour photo on one shirt, needed today: DTG, obviously
- Not sure: bring the design in and ask — genuinely, it's the fastest route to the right answer
(And if you're wondering about turnaround for your quantity, here's our honest guide to how many t-shirts can be printed in a day.)
What we recommend at the shop
Most of our walk-in jobs — stag dos, birthdays, charity runs, small business logos — go through DTG on the new machine: full colour, no minimum order, same-day. When a job genuinely suits vinyl or screen better, we'll tell you. We'd rather print it right than print it fast.
Still deciding?
Pop into 264 Lavender Hill, London SW11 1LJ with your design (or just an idea) — we're open daily — or call +44 20 3507 1549. We'll point you at the right method in about thirty seconds.