How to Choose the Best T-Shirt for Your Digital Printing Type

Fabrics range from low quality to high and when it comes to the type of Tshirt to print on, the location of the tiny bar that represents the gauge matters a lot. Any wall painted on by a graffiti artist plays a crucial role in determining the quality of his art. Similarly, the quality of your fabric goes a long way to determine the quality of the print result.  So it is important for us to pay attention to the textiles we are about to use for a certain print method.

In this article, you will be learning about the type of tshirt fabrics and the perfect printing method that goes for each.

FABRICS

Depending on whom you ask, the type of tshirt fabrics that exist may be divided into two or three.

Natural
Synthetic
Or/and a blend of Synthetic & Natural.

Natural Fabric: These are the fabrics that are known to have existed since the beginning. Some cotton found in Pakistan and Mexico were dated back to around 5000BC. The earliest piece of wool was traced back to 1500 BC in Denmark.

These examples of fabric come from plants and animals. Common examples are wools extracted from sheep coats, silk which is extracted out of the fibers of silk-worm, while cotton is made out of cotton-plant seed pods.

Synthetic Fabrics: The synthetic fabrics are man-made textiles. Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, an English physicist, and chemist was the first man to create synthetic fabric in the late XIX century. Even though most synthetic textiles have the reputation of being plastic like, technology has helped improve the output to seem more natural.

The goal of Synthetic fabrics was to create textiles that would possess a more elastic and impermeability value than those made from natural fabrics.

The Connection between Printing methods and Fabrics.

Natural fabrics effectively absorb water while synthetic fabrics don’t, which is a major difference that influences printing results on these fabrics. But don’t conclude just yet as some printing techniques have been specifically made to work on synthetic textiles

The number of printing techniques currently in use around the world is limitless, and each method has a unique interaction with the fabric it is used on. Here are some of the most common and effective printing methods with their preferred fabric.

DTG (Direct To Garment) Printing Method

The best fabric that works effectively with this method is the cotton fabric. Direct to garment is especially recommended for designs that may require a high level of coloring and detailing. The Direct to Garment print method also works exclusively with water-based kind of inks.

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Screen Printing Method

This is a technique involves ink being poured onto a piece of fabric through a silk screen. The most preferred fabric for this method are cotton fabrics and the results are known to look wonderful.

Transfer Printing Method

The perfect material for this printing method is the polyester fabric. This method involves using a computer to cut a design out of a self-adhesive vinyl after which heat will be used to transfer the design onto the fabric. Though this method may work on almost any fabric, it is more efficient on synthetic fabrics.

Sublimation Printing Method.

The preferred fabric for this method is still the polyester fabric. Unlike other printing methods, sublimation transfers pigment of designs onto a material making it one with the material. This method is commonly found in overall prints. It can only be used on polyester synthetic fabric as the color won’t blend with any other fabric.

Embroidery Printing Method

This method can work on any sturdy material. Embroidery is more embellishment than printing. Not every fabric can withstand the simultaneous drilling of several needles so it is important to ensure the sturdiness of the materials being used.

In summary, Cotton is the most efficient fabric for any printing method except transfer and sublimation which requires polyester fabric. The right choice of the fabric can improve your project, take notice of  this detail during the creative process and we assure you that will have results beyond your expectations.