Almost every print shop eventually runs all three of these methods: screen printing, direct-to-garment (DTG), and heat transfer (including DTF — direct-to-film). They overlap in the middle but each one dominates a specific corner of the quote sheet. The shop that knows which to use on which job is the shop that stays profitable.
The one-line summary
- Screen printing: cheapest above ~36 pieces; highest startup cost; best for solid-color designs at volume.
- DTG: cheapest for photo-realistic 1-offs; highest per-shirt ink cost; limited to cotton-rich fabrics.
- Heat transfer / DTF: cheapest startup; best for small quantities and multi-fabric orders; durability varies widely by vendor.
Where each method wins
Screen printing wins when:
- Order is 36+ pieces of the same design
- Design has 6 or fewer solid colors (no photographs)
- Customer wants “that retail feel” (plastisol, true spot colors)
- The shirt will see 50+ wash cycles
Per-shirt cost at volume: $0.80–$2.50 decoration. The kill shot is the setup labor — burning screens, mixing inks, registering the press takes 45 minutes before the first shirt goes through. You need volume to amortize that.
DTG wins when:
- Order is 1–24 pieces with complex artwork
- The design is a photograph or has more than 8 colors
- You need different sizes/colors mixed into the order
- Customer wants a “sample” before committing to a big run
- The blank is 100% cotton (or 90%+ cotton)
Per-shirt cost: $4.50–$8.00 ink + labor. DTG machines also pretreat the garment before printing (so white ink bonds), which adds time per shirt.
DTG gotcha:polyester and triblends don’t print well. The pretreat reacts with the polyester and dye-migrates — your bright white turns ghost gray after a couple washes. Stick to cotton-rich blanks like BELLA 3001 or Gildan Softstyle 64000.
Heat transfer / DTF wins when:
- Quantity is 1–12 pieces
- You’re mixing shirt types in one order (polos + hoodies + tees)
- You need to print on polyester or performance fabric
- The customer brings their own blank
- You want zero setup time between jobs
Per-shirt cost: $1.50–$4.00 transfer + labor depending on whether you print the transfers in-house or buy them pre-made. DTF has a higher startup cost (a DTF printer + powder shaker is $3,000–$12,000) but no screens, no curing chemistry, and almost no setup per job.
Heat transfer gotcha: hand feel. A low-quality transfer sits on top of the fabric like a sticker. A premium DTF feels almost like a screen print. Get samples from 3 vendors before you commit to a supplier — quality varies 5x between them.
The crossover chart
Roughly where each method becomes the cheapest option (assuming a 2-color design on a $4.50 blank):
- 1–12 pieces: Heat transfer / DTF
- 12–35 pieces: DTG (or DTF for non-cotton)
- 36+ pieces: Screen printing
A 6-color photo-realistic design on 100 shirts is an edge case where the crossover moves — DTG stays competitive up to about 60 pieces on complex art because screen printing a 6-color halftone takes an hour of setup.
Durability comparison (laundry test)
We ran 50 wash-and-dry cycles on three identical blanks printed with each method:
- Screen print (plastisol):No visible wear, no color loss. The classic reason it’s still the industry standard.
- DTG: ~10% color fade by cycle 25. Still presentable at cycle 50 but noticeably softer than original.
- Heat transfer (hobbyist grade): Edge lifting by cycle 15. Complete delamination by cycle 40.
- DTF (pro grade): No visible wear at cycle 50. Matches or beats screen printing.
The takeaway: cheap heat transfers destroy your reputation. Either invest in pro-grade DTF or skip it entirely.
Which method should a new shop start with?
Most new shops we’ve watched launch with either:
- Option A: Manual screen press + DTF printer. Total startup ~$9,000–$15,000. You can quote any job that walks in the door, from a single event shirt to 500 team jerseys. This is our recommended combo.
- Option B: DTG only.Total startup ~$18,000–$25,000 for an entry-level commercial DTG. Higher cost to start but zero setup between jobs. Works if your niche is POD drop-shipping, Etsy, or custom 1-off merch.
Whichever path you take, you’ll save cash by not stocking a warehouse of blanks. Use a wholesale dropship supplier, pull inventory only for your booked jobs, and have the blanks shipped plain-packed to your shop the day you need them. Start your cart here — we ship same-day on orders placed before 3 PM EST.