[cirvine2]

How are photos generally printed on shirts?

Are they screened or dtg or transferred?

One like this from Supreme is what I mean,

 

[splathead]

They can be applied with any of those methods you mentions.

 

[martinwoods]

That design looks like a big transfer because of the white box around it and it looks kind of wrinkled but maybe it is just the way the photo was taken. Transfer is my guess for sure on that one.

 

[GraphicsFactory]

Your sample is more of a graphic than a photo. Or, it looks that way to me.

But, a "photo" can be applied to a shirt many different ways. The main difference with a screen printed photo or picture is that it must be converted to "halftone" dots or a "dither" pattern. This can be done from within Photoshop or out-put with a postscript printer.

Hope this helps.
Mike

 

[Solmu]

The main difference with a screen printed photo or picture is that it must be converted to "halftone" dots or a "dither" pattern.

That's not really a difference - inkjet printers print the same way. In that case it's just happening at a level a little beyond the user's awareness, and to a smaller dot size.

 

[GraphicsFactory]

That's not really a difference - inkjet printers print the same way. In that case it's just happening at a level a little beyond the user's awareness, and to a smaller dot size.

Yes, you are technically correct...but, the point is, that an inexperienced printer should know and understand how dithering and halftone dots work. When screen printing a "picture" or photo, calculating the correct dot size and frequency in relation to the screen mesh, will be a factor effecting the quality of the print. When outputting the film, the operator makes those choices. The default settings will almost certainly not work.

Also to take your point further, whether you use a laser printer or ink jet, the halftone dots and dither dots are made up of thousands of micro dots. But, those individual micro dots alone would not likely be adequate on a film to burn an image on a screen printing screen. You may be able to print with the screen, but the results would not be as close to the original image as it could be with dithering or halftone dots.

Thank you for the clarification.

Mike

 

[Kime]

They can be done any of the ways you mentioned but that looks like it was done with something like Alpha Gold transfer paper. It is sort of stiff like that looks. You print the image on the transfer paper with an inkjet printer, peel the backing off, and apply it to the shirt with a heat press. With screen printing or DTG Kermit would be there with no white box around him.