How to choose the printing process for T-shirt printing?
The performance effects of T-shirt printing process can also be divided into many kinds, such as all T-shirts can be three-dimensional, abstract, and virtual. Therefore, if we want to print T-shirts, we have a variety of T-shirt printing processes to choose from, such as: digital inkjet printing, digital heat transfer printing, thermal transfer printing, traditional screen printing, and other printing processes. Among them, digital direct printing is recognized by T-shirt printing process because it does not require plate making and has good printing effect.
1. Water slurry printing
This is the most traditional T-shirt printing process. Water slurry is somewhat similar to the pigments we usually use for painting. The printing technique is also very easy to understand. The water slurry is printed on the clothes through the hollowed-out grid on the printing plate pattern. There is no hollowing in places where there is no pattern. The disadvantage of the water slurry printing process is that only one color can be printed at a time. If you change the pattern printing, you have to make another screen. However, it has the characteristics of low printing cost and good air permeability.
2. Digital thermal transfer printing
Thermal transfer printing is also called hot stamping printing process. This printing technology uses thermal transfer paper to transfer the medium. The printing process is to print the pattern on the heat transfer paper, and then use high temperature and pressure to transfer the pattern of the heat transfer paper to the T-shirt. This method is currently the most popular printing method for small batches of T-shirts and other clothing customization. Digital heat transfer printing does not require a plate, which simplifies the printing process. This is somewhat similar to digital direct printing, but the process is different.
3. Ink printing process
The ink printing process is also called thermosetting ink printing. Chemical ink is used as a pigment to solidify the ink onto the fabric under high temperature. The ink printing process also requires the production of a printing plate, but the ink printing process is relatively poor in air permeability compared to water slurry. At the same time, this printing process on chemical fiber clothes will be easier to fall off. However, this printing process can reduce the possibility of falling off for clothes such as T-shirts and Polo shirts.
4. Digital direct printing
Digital direct printing is currently the most popular T-shirt printing process for printing T-shirts. Its advantage is that it does not require the production of a screen like water slurry printing, nor does it require heat transfer paper like heat transfer printing. The working principle of digital direct printing is to design the pattern through the computer and then issue the instruction. After receiving the instruction, the digital direct printing machine can carry out the printing process and directly print the ink onto the T-shirt. It is a simple, convenient and practical printing process.