One of the more popular choices people make when it comes to printing polo tshirt wholesale is screen printing. It is one of the easiest methods of printing, it has been around for thousands of years and it works well when you have a large order to make as you can get lower per-shirt prices. But there are other printing methods to consider such as sublimation and heat transfer so here is a look at all three.
T-shirt printing using the screen printing method
Using mesh screens, once made of silk hence its former name of silk screen printing, this is where ink is pushed through into the shirt to create the image, with one screen being needed for each colour in the design. The inks are specially treated and the screen has a coating of substrate that hardens with exposure to light. The image is printed on paper that is put onto the screen then that light exposure happens so what is hidden stays soft. Washing that away leaves the image on the screen and that can then be placed on the garment and ink is pressed through using a squeegee. Screens can be re-used after washing and then re-coating them with the substrate to then burn a different image for cotton tshirt wholesale printing.
Sublimation printing
This is a quick method for polo tshirt wholesale printing and lasts a long time but is more costly. The printing needs to happen just on synthetic materials so would not work on cotton for example. The ink used in this type of printing is heated and turns into a gas which then transfers to the synthetic material such as nylon. You need specialist equipment, special inks, substrates and heating elements.
Using heat transfer for t-shirt printing
The heat transfer method for cotton tshirt wholesale printing is an easy one but the results do not last as long as other options. While it could be done on any colour shirt it looks best when done on white t-shirts. Using a pre-made transfer you heat it up and apply it to the shirt, or place it over the shirt and use a hot press or iron to move it from the transfer paper onto the shirt. It is easy and quick but over time and washing the transfer does tend to start cracking and fading.
Conclusion
T-shirt printing has come a long way as new technology is developed, but some of the methods used, screen for example, have been used in some similar form for hundreds of years! The choice you make depends on how many colours you need in the design, how much detail you need in the design, what type of shirt you are using and how many printed shirts you need! It also depends on what the shirts are to be used for and what your budget is for the whole thing.
