I went to a screen printer today to show him some of my designs. most of my designs have a raster look vs a vector look. he told me the best way to go is DTG. that if he screen print my designs it will come out in dots with a vector look which i don't want. DTG looks good to me,only difference i saw between the two, was screen printing has a thick texture on the t-shirts and price. also i was told by the screen printer its harder to screen print a raster image and keep that realistic look, is that true. so i told him what about t-shirts i see companys selling with the same look and he told me that 99% of the time that is DTG but they advertise it as a screen print, is that true. he told me if was to stay with a raster image with color seperation, etc i'm looking at $300 a t-shirt. Do anyone sell t-shirts with a raster image whats the process like. this is only the first screen printer i talk to, is he right are do i need to keep looking .
Show us the image, there's almost nothing that can't be done with screen printing. Sometimes it's more cost effective to go the DTG route for small runs, but you can achieve very accurate results with a good screen print - many times without a heavy "feel" to the print.
"he told me that 99% of the time that is DTG but they advertise it as a screen print"
i highly doubt this, DTG is not cost effective for large volume.
With silkscreening you can reproduce photographic images on dark garments using simulated process and/or index separations. Not all printers are equipped or skilled enough to handle these jobs tho.
he told me if was to stay with a raster image with color seperation, etc i'm looking at $300 a t-shirt. Do anyone sell t-shirts with a raster image whats the process like.
We produce photographic designs all the time with high detail, these prints usually are between 6-11 colors including a 'mask' (base coat).
I think the 300$/shirt quote was taken a bit off, i believe this is more the initial costs involved. The initial costs are for the films, screens and setup. With multiple colors these costs increase fast but once you've paid these costs, the price to print the actual shirt shouldn't be more then $3 at the most (for a 11 color print).
DTG looks good to me,only difference i saw between the two, was screen printing has a thick texture on the t-shirts and price.
Silkscreening doesn't have to have a heavy hand feel, that's just sloppy printing. You will always feel something on the shirt with silkscreening but you can still achieve a very soft hand feel with standard plastisol inks, it just takes proper prep and setup on the press.
The $300 price is made up of a lot of factors most likely. For example, the screen printer would have to take your artwork and separate it to make the different screens. Some people can do this with a raster graphic, but many cannot and will only deal with vector artwork. Then, you have to look at the number of colors in the design to determine the number of screens that need to be created. This takes time and money. Next, you have to register all the screens up on the press (automatic or manual) and get it ready to print. At the end, you then have to break the job down, clean the screens and apply new emulsions to the screens so that they are ready for the next job.
Stating all of this, I can see where in some cases if you wanted one shirt... the cost of $300.00 is appropriate. In fact, I know of companies that create the artwork and run less than 6 shirts and charge over $500.00 for it. (Most of them sell the design concept to major theme parks and large corporations that can afford it). We also don't know what type of printing he wants. Look at the effort Pony Prints (I think that is the name) and Bare Apparel are going through with the design that won the annual contest.
The other thing to consider is maybe this screen printer does not have the talent or equipment to do the job and was quoting a price so the customer would not ask him to do it. I know people of people that have quoted a very high price for one reason or another because they did not want to do the job or don't have time based on their current schedule.
The original poster never stated the quantity of shirts (s)he wanted. So with the lack of information (quantity, artwork, desired garment,...), I think it is wrong to make a judgment based on the price at this point. Bottom line, lots of reasons can go behind the logic of a price. More information is needed and you might want to consider talking to more than just one screen printer.
This is probably "beating a dead horse", but I think KC may have simply been quoted $300 per shirt design separation by a shop that would outsource the seps for his various "shirt" designs.
Nevertheless, it's worthwhile to note in this string of posts that the "Flemenco" method of lining up CYMK angles commonly at 22.5 degrees (for screen process printing seps) dramatically reduces the "dot graininess" and actually mimics DTG to a reasonable extent.
So, KC, it will come down to the # of shirts you'd like printed with each design you have. Just a few, and DTG will cost out your printed "raster" art results at lower $/shirt. Many shirts (opinions vary on threshold) and you'll have more shirts printed at a lower cost per unit via silkscreen.
We produce photographic designs all the time with high detail, these prints usually are between 6-11 colors including a 'mask' (base coat).
I think the 300$/shirt quote was taken a bit off, i believe this is more the initial costs involved. The initial costs are for the films, screens and setup. With multiple colors these costs increase fast but once you've paid these costs, the price to print the actual shirt shouldn't be more then $3 at the most (for a 11 color print).
you can screen print photographic designs,do you have a website or any contact information. i'm using black & white t-shirts,36 a piece with 2 colors.white tees want black & red,black tees red&white printed
@KC: feel free to pm me on these forums, i no longer have a web site but have been meaning to put up a gallery.
I no longer own my own print shop, gave that up several years ago. I'm currently under contract with a licensing company and handle all the separations and do consulting with the print shops we deal with. Most of the shops we deal with will not touch a 36 piece order but i do have other contacts for small runs, if you're interested. Unless you are in our area i don't think it would be worth producing through me. I'd like to see you working with your local shop and i'd be happy to help guide you with the art work to make it feasible and cost effective for you and for them to produce.
KC, never ever go back and talk to that printer again. He may have a print shop but he is not a knowledgeable printer.
What part of the country are you in? I know a terrific printer that does fantastic work and has no problem with any raster art. He also has a 36 piece minimum and very good prices.
KC, never ever go back and talk to that printer again. He may have a print shop but he is not a knowledgeable printer.
What part of the country are you in? I know a terrific printer that does fantastic work and has no problem with any raster art. He also has a 36 piece minimum and very good prices.
question about screen printing and DTG 
Re: question about screen printing and DTG 
