What direct-to-garment is best for
- One-off gifts, birthday and bachelorette tees
- Photo prints, gradients, illustrations and detailed art
- Small runs of 1–24 with lots of colors
- Testing a merch design before a big screen print run
- Online drops and print-on-demand style collections
How our direct-to-garment process works
- Design online. Upload a photo or illustration, add text, and see it on the shirt in the designer.
- Pretreat. Dark garments get a pretreatment so white ink sits on top and colors stay bright.
- Print. The garment goes flat onto the platen and the printer lays down CMYK plus white ink in one pass.
- Cure and ship. Heat sets the ink into the fibers for a soft, washable print. Small orders ship in 3–5 business days.
Pricing and minimums
DTG is priced per piece with a small quantity break rather than per color, so a full-color photo costs the same as a single word. A Premium Soft Tee with a front DTG print starts around $18 per piece, and the online designer applies discounts at 12, 24, 50 and 100 pieces. Because there is no setup, one shirt is as easy as fifty.
Direct-to-Garment vs. the other methods
| Direct-to-Garment | Screen printing | Embroidery | Heat transfer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best quantity | 1 – 24 | 12 – 1,000+ | 12+ | 1 – 50 |
| Colors | Unlimited, photo quality | 1–6 spot colors | Thread colors | Full color |
| Feel | Softest, in the fabric | Slightly raised | Textured | Film layer |
| Best fabric | 100% cotton | Almost anything | Knits, caps | Polyester, cotton |
Not sure which to pick? Tell us the quantity, the fabric and the art in a quote request and we will recommend the method that looks best and costs least.
Direct-to-Garment FAQ
What is the difference between DTG and screen printing?
DTG prints the whole image at once with unlimited colors and no minimum; screen printing uses one screen per color and gets cheaper the more you order. Under 24 pieces or with photo art, choose DTG. For 24+ pieces of simple art, screen printing costs less.
Does DTG work on dark shirts?
Yes. Dark garments are pretreated and printed with a white underbase so colors stay vivid.
How do DTG prints hold up?
Very well on 100% cotton: 50+ washes with minor softening. Wash cold, inside out, and tumble low.
Can I print a photo on a shirt?
Yes, that is what DTG is best at. Send the largest, sharpest version of the photo you have; 300 dpi at print size is ideal.
Which shirts can you DTG print?
100% ring-spun cotton gives the best results, which is why we recommend the Premium Soft Tee. Cotton-poly blends print a little lighter; we will tell you on your proof.