Which lasts longer, screen printing or DTG?

Properly cured screen prints generally outlast DTG. Plastisol ink bonds to the fabric surface and survives 50+ washes with minimal fading. Quality DTG holds up well too, but typically shows more fading over heavy wash cycles, especially on dark garments.

Is DTG cheaper than screen printing?

For small runs, yes, DTG has no setup cost, so 10-30 pieces usually price better. Screen printing has per-color setup fees but a much lower per-piece cost, so it wins from roughly 30-50 pieces upward, especially for designs with few colors.

Can you DTG print on any color garment?

DTG works on most colors, but dark garments need a white underbase layer and pretreatment, which adds cost and slightly changes hand feel. DTG looks best on white, natural, and light garments.

Which method is better for photographic designs?

DTG. Photographs and designs with gradients or dozens of colors print in a single pass on DTG. Reproducing them with screens requires simulated-process separations, which only makes sense at larger volumes.

Screen printing vs DTG: which is right for you?

June 11, 2026 · 7 min read

How screen printing and direct-to-garment (DTG) printing compare on cost, color, feel, durability, and minimums, and how to pick the right method for your run.

How each method works

Screen printing pushes ink through a fine mesh stencil (one screen per color) directly onto the garment, then cures it with heat. It lays down a thick, opaque layer of ink that sits boldly on the fabric. It has been the standard for merch for decades because the results are vivid and extremely durable.

Direct-to-garment (DTG) works like an inkjet printer for fabric: water-based inks spray directly into the fibers in a single pass. There are no screens and no per-color setup, so any design, gradients, photographs, hundreds of colors, costs the same to print.

Cost: where the break-even point sits

Screen printing carries setup cost for each screen, but per-piece cost drops fast with quantity. DTG is the opposite: nearly zero setup, but per-piece cost stays flat no matter how many you order.

Under ~30 pieces: DTG usually wins, especially for multi-color art.
30-50+ pieces with 1-3 ink colors: screen printing pulls ahead.
100+ pieces: screen printing is almost always cheaper per piece.

Exact numbers depend on your design and blanks, which is why we confirm everything on a written quote rather than a generic price chart.

Color, feel, and durability

Screen printing produces the most saturated, opaque color, including on dark garments, and can hit exact brand colors with Pantone-matched inks. The print has a tactile hand you can feel, and cured plastisol survives heavy washing for years.

DTG produces softer prints with essentially no hand feel, and it reproduces fine detail and gradients that screens cannot match at small volumes. On dark garments DTG needs pretreatment and a white underbase, which adds cost and can slightly stiffen the print area. Expect somewhat more fade over many wash cycles than a screen print.

The short decision rule

Bold logo, 1-3 colors, 30+ pieces → screen printing.
Photograph or complex full-color art, or under 30 pieces → DTG.
Premium feel on fleece or caps → consider embroidery instead.

Not sure where your design lands? Send it with your quantity and we'll recommend the method in your quote, see our screen printing and custom t-shirt services for what each looks like in production.

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