Screen printing is the right choice for a run of identical shirts with a few flat colors, because the setup cost is paid once and spread across every piece. Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing suits small batches and full-color artwork such as photographs, since there are no screens to make. Embroidery is the choice for polos, caps and jackets, where a stitched logo looks professional and outlasts the garment. Big Apple Press offers screen printing and embroidery. We do not offer DTG.
Three things decide it: how many pieces you need, how many colors are in the artwork, and what the garment is made of. Get those three on paper before you ask for a quote and the method usually picks itself.
How do screen printing, DTG and embroidery compare?
| Method | How it works | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen printing | Ink is pushed through a mesh stencil, one screen per color, then cured into the fabric | Runs of identical tees and hoodies with one to a few flat colors | Each color and each print location adds setup, so small multicolor runs cost more per piece |
| DTG | An inkjet printer applies ink directly to the garment, like printing on paper | Small runs, one-offs, photographs and gradients | Best on cotton. Dark garments need a pretreatment and a white ink layer first |
| Embroidery | The logo is converted to a stitch file (digitized), then sewn with thread | Polos, caps, jackets, aprons and anything worn daily | Fine detail and small type do not sew well. Gradients have to be simplified |
When is screen printing the cheapest option?
Screen printing becomes the cheapest method once you are printing the same design on enough shirts to spread the setup. Each ink color needs its own screen, as Kornit's comparison of screen printing and embroidery explains, so a one-color logo is quick to set up and a six-color design is not.
Dark shirts usually add one more screen. The printer lays down an opaque white base first so the colors on top do not sink into the fabric, and that underbase counts as a color. A second print location, such as a back print or a sleeve, is a separate setup too.
- Screen Printed T-Shirts: the default for event tees, volunteer shirts and staff tees. The ink cures into the fabric and survives years of washing.
- Custom Hoodies and Sweatshirts: heavyweight fleece for staff, teams and campaigns. A large chest or back print screen prints well on fleece, and a small left-chest logo can be embroidered instead.
Mixed sizes do not need extra screens. The same screen prints a small and an XL, so a run of 100 shirts across six sizes is still one setup per color.
When does DTG make more sense?
DTG makes sense when the order is small or the artwork has too many colors for screens: a photograph, a watercolor, a gradient sky. It works like a desktop inkjet, so there is no setup per color and a run of ten is not penalized for being small.
The limits are fabric and color. DTG gives its best results on cotton. On dark garments the printer has to apply a pretreatment and print white ink under the colors. Epson, which makes DTG printers, states that pretreatment is required whenever white ink is used on dark garments and is not needed on white or light ones.
We do not offer DTG. Our apparel is screen printed or embroidered, the two methods that suit staff, team and campaign orders. If your order is small and full color, tell us when you ask for a quote and we will say plainly whether screen printing or embroidery can do it well, or whether you would be better served by a DTG printer.
When should a logo be embroidered instead of printed?
Embroider the logo when the garment is a polo, a cap or a jacket, or when it will be worn and washed every working day. Thread does not crack or fade the way a print can, and a stitched logo reads as a uniform rather than a giveaway.
- Embroidered Polos: uniform polos with a digitized left chest logo. The standard for front desks, sales teams and hospitality staff.
- Embroidered Hats and Caps: snapback, dad hat, trucker and beanie. A cap front is curved and small, so the logo has to be simplified to sew cleanly.
Embroidery has its own design rules. A common rule of thumb among digitizers is that lettering should be no smaller than a quarter inch tall, and ASI's guide to small embroidered lettering adds that serif fonts under about half an inch rarely sew well. A tagline in 8 point type that looks fine on a business card will not survive on a polo.
Once a logo is digitized, we keep the stitch file on record, so a reorder six months later matches the original exactly.
Which method fits each kind of order?
| Order | Method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign T-Shirts for volunteers and staff | Screen printing | Large runs of one design in campaign colors, needed in many sizes at once |
| Campaign Hats for field teams | Embroidery | A stitched name or logo on a cap holds up to months of canvassing in sun and rain |
| Spirit Wear for a school store | Screen printing | Shirts, hoodies and totes in school colors, reordered each year from the same artwork |
| Staff uniform polos | Embroidery | Washed weekly, worn daily, and reordered for new hires |
| Team or staff hoodies | Screen printing or embroidery | Print for a large back design, embroider for a small chest logo |
| Ten shirts with a full-color photo | DTG (we do not offer it) | No screens to make, and every color reproduces |
| Jackets for outdoor staff | Embroidery | Holds up on heavier fabric and looks like a uniform |
Campaign apparel
Campaign T-Shirts are screen printed volunteer and staff shirts, usually one or two colors so they print fast and cheaply in volume. Campaign Hats are embroidered caps for field teams. Order the shirts early and keep the artwork final: volunteer numbers tend to grow in the last weeks, and a second run from approved artwork is quicker than the first. Our guide to campaign printing in New York covers the paper side of a campaign, and the political campaign printing page lists everything else.
School spirit wear
Spirit Wear means screen printed shirts, hoodies and totes for school stores, teams and PTA fundraisers. Collect sizes before you order rather than guessing, because guessed size runs leave the wrong sizes unsold. More on school orders is in our guide to school printing in NYC.
Most apparel orders stall on two things: the size breakdown and the logo file. Send the sizes as one list (for example 10 S, 25 M, 30 L, 15 XL) rather than in emails from five people. Send the logo as a vector file, such as AI, EPS or a PDF saved from the design program. A logo copied from a website is a small image that cannot be separated into screen colors or digitized cleanly, and redrawing it adds a step nobody planned for.
Apparel printing questions
Is screen printing or DTG better for a small order?
For a handful of shirts with a full-color design, DTG is usually better because there are no screens to set up. For a small order with a one-color logo, screen printing can still be competitive.
Does Big Apple Press offer DTG printing?
No. We offer screen printing and embroidery. If your artwork is a full-color photo on a few shirts, we will tell you so when you ask for a quote.
Does embroidery cost more than screen printing?
Per piece, usually yes, because each logo is sewn stitch by stitch. It is the better value on polos, caps and jackets, which are worn longer and look wrong with a print.
Can you embroider a logo with small text?
Only if the text is large enough to sew. Lettering under about a quarter inch tall tends to fill in. We will check the logo and suggest a simplified version if needed.
Does printing on the back or sleeve cost extra?
In screen printing, yes. Each print location is its own setup, so a front and back print is two setups even with the same ink color.
How long does a custom apparel order take?
Longer than paper printing, because screens have to be made or the logo digitized before production starts. Tell us the date you need the garments and we will tell you plainly whether it holds.
See the full range of custom apparel and screen printing, including uniforms and promotional products, or send your artwork and size list for a quote. For uniform programs, read our guide to work uniforms for NYC businesses.
Need this printed? We are at 40 Wall Street, and we deliver free anywhere in Manhattan.