Choose the Right Print Method For Your Shirts: A Quick and Easy Guide

Merch is a great way to build a sense of belonging and community. It's a tangible item that makes whatever you're celebrating even more special! Whether you're printing an inside joke on a shirt for your friends, or you're printing your sorority's symbols on hoodies for your sisters, custom merch is a wonderful way to memorialize what's important to you.

While you will have conversations about your design and product choices with your merch vendor, an often overlooked aspect is the actual print method that will be used to put your designs on the products. If you're willing to learn a bit about print types, you can make your merch even cooler!

Changing your merch print type can change things like the texture, dimension, and vibrancy of the design on the apparel. What's more? You can add additional decoration prints aside from your design to make your merch really stand out.

Here's a simple guide to help you decide on a print type that suits your needs best. To learn more about any of these print types and place your next custom order, email us at: hi@freshprints.com and we'll be in touch.

Let's get started.

"I just want a simple design on a shirt"

If this is you - screen printing is where it's at. It's our most popular print method and for good reason! It's not as pricey and makes simple designs pop. In this method, we squeegee ink through burned screens to create a vibrant print.

Fun fact: 67.5% of all our custom orders in 2022 used screen printing.

Your sales rep may also recommend print types like DTG (Direct-To-Garment) and DTF (Direct-To-Film) if your designs are complex. Complex designs are designs with ~8 colors.

In DTF, we print your design onto film and then heat press it onto the apparel.

In DTG, we print the designs directly on the garment with a huge printer. Think paper printing but for shirts!

"I want something different"

Everyone's first pick when they want something other than screen printing is embroidery. The texture and durability of embroidered thread are timeless - we get it!

But maybe you want to be extra extra. That's when we'd recommend the following:

Chenille is a type of embroidery that uses thick yarn to print ultra-soft 3D designs. It works best on thicker apparel like varsity jackets and hoodies.

Sublimated patches feel particularly vintage. If that's what you're after - this is a great choice. We print onto a patch and then sew that patch onto the garments. The placement of the patches can be random but it's best to ask your sales rep as it depends on the apparel quality.

Leather Vinyl is for when you want a leather pattern to your design. Here, we heat press vinyl that looks like leather onto your garment to create a textured pattern.

Puff ink slightly raises the design off the shirt and feels particularly retro. Here, we include an additive when screen printing with puff ink. Once the heat is applied, the design rises.

"I want names and numbers on it"

Whether it's for your sports team or you just want everyone's names on their shirts - Heat Press Vinyl is the way to go.

Here, we cut a sheet of vinyl to the specs of your design and then use a giant heat press to adhere it to the garment. It's particularly recommended for custom designs that are personalized further with things like names and numbers - like the backs for sport jerseys.

"I want to add something extra"

Let's say you like your product, design, and print choice but want to add something extra because you're cool like that. You can do the following:

Add a cover stitch! Here, we give classic tees and tanks a glow-up. We sew colored thread around the seams of any top (which looks great on our mini tee) to add cute detailing. We offer the following colors for the stitch so you can pick your favorite.

If you want studs instead - add rhinestones. This gives your top Y2K energy and looks best around the seams.

There you have it! But remember - we carry more print types too! If you want something classic, different, or decorative, or if you have questions on any of the types featured above - talk to us and we'll recommend the best option for you.

Happy Customizing!