Printing process advisor
Which printing process is suitable for my design?
Which printing process fits best depends primarily on three factors: edition, number of colors, and design complexity. Therefore, there is no blanket answer. However, there are clear guidelines you can follow.
In general: The larger the edition and the simpler the design, the more worthwhile screen printing becomes. The smaller the edition and the more complex or colorful the design, the more suitable digital printing is.
Edition of the products
The ordered quantity is one of the most important factors in choosing the printing process.
With screen printing, fixed pre-costs arise, such as for screens and films. These are distributed across the entire edition. As a result, the unit price decreases significantly with increasing order quantity. The higher the edition, the more economical screen printing becomes.
With digital printing, these fixed setup costs do not occur in the same way. Therefore, this method is often the cheaper and more straightforward solution, especially for smaller to medium quantities.
At Prinovia, the minimum quantity for screen printing is 50 products. Digital printing (DTG and DTF) and embroidery are possible from just 1 piece.
As a rough guideline:
Up to about 100 pieces, digital printing is often the cheaper and more suitable choice. At higher quantities, screen printing can become more economical, depending on the design and number of colors.
Number of printing colors
The number of colors in the design also influences which method is better suited.
In general: The more printing colors a design contains, the more this favors digital printing.
Multicolored designs can usually be implemented more easily and economically in digital printing, especially for smaller editions. In screen printing, the effort increases with each additional color, as these must be prepared and printed individually.
If your design contains many different colors, digital printing is often the better choice. In screen printing, up to 9 spot colors can typically be implemented.
Color gradients and complex designs
As soon as a design includes color gradients, photorealistic elements, or very fine gradations, digital printing is generally recommended.
This applies especially to:
- Photos
- Illustrations with soft transitions
- Full-color designs
- Complex designs with many details
Such designs can usually be implemented more directly and cleanly in digital printing. For very high editions, a screen printing with raster may also be sensible. However, this is more relevant for larger quantities.
As a rough guideline: For full-color designs with color gradients, screen printing or raster screen printing can become economically interesting starting from about 500 pieces.
When is which printing process sensible?
The following examples help with simple classification:
- 50 T-shirts, regardless of the number of colors: usually digital printing
- 100 T-shirts with a simple design: often still digital printing
- 250 T-shirts with a full-color design and color gradient, for example, a photo: usually digital printing
- 500 T-shirts with a full-color design and color gradient: depending on the design, screen printing can become more economical
Important: These examples are only meant as a guideline. Which solution is better in individual cases always depends on the specific design and the desired quantity.
The most important rule of thumb
If you are looking for a quick decision-making aid, you can orient yourself by this simple rule:
- small to medium editions: more likely digital printing
- high editions with a simple design: more likely screen printing
- many colors or color gradients: more likely digital printing
- large quantities with clear spot colors: more likely screen printing
In case of doubt, the price calculator decides
If you are not sure which printing process is best suited for your design, the easiest way is the price calculator. There, you can quickly check which variant is economically sensible for your design and your edition.
