DTF vs screen printing: which for your tees?
Two ways to put ink on a shirt. One wins on full colour and small runs, the other wins on volume and feel — here is how to pick in ten seconds.
Two ways to decorate a shirt, and they behave nothing alike. DTF prints your artwork onto film and heat-presses it on — full colour, any fabric, one shirt no problem. Screen printing pushes ink through a mesh screen — unbeatable value once a run gets serious. We print both every week at Moorebank, and the right answer is almost always decided by your run size and your artwork, not by which method is trending.
What DTF actually is
- Artwork printed onto film, pressed onto the shirt. Direct-to-film prints your design in full colour onto a special transfer film, coats it in adhesive powder, then heat-presses it onto the garment. One pass, every colour — gradients, photo logos, small text — with no per-colour setup.
- Any fabric, including the synthetics. Cotton, poly-cotton blends, performance tees and modern hi-vis where pure cotton is not an option — the adhesive bonds to all of them. That is why DTF has quietly taken over sports clubs and trade teams.
- One shirt is a real order. No screens to burn means the first shirt costs close to what the fiftieth costs. Staff tees, event one-offs, sponsor names on the back — all workable without a volume commitment.
Where screen printing still wins
- The maths flips at volume. Screens are made once, then ink goes through for cents. On a simple one or two-colour design from about 50 pieces, screen printing is usually the cheapest way to buy a quality shirt — and the gap widens with every dozen you add.
- Big solid prints feel like the shirt. A chunky one-colour front print on good cotton softens into the fabric after a wash or two. Stiff, plasticky prints are usually badly cured or over-inked, not proof the method is wrong.
- Solid brand colours stay solid. Spot ink means your navy is your navy — identical across a 200-piece run, no dot pattern and no colour drift between batches.
DTF vs screen printing at a glance
| DTF | Screen printing | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-colour art | Yes — one pass, no setup | Four-colour process, only pays off on big runs |
| Feel | Slight film hand, softens with washing | Ink sits in the fabric; softens fast on cotton |
| Wash life (cared for) | Roughly 40–60 washes | 50–100+ washes on cotton |
| Best runs | 1–30 shirts, full-colour art | 30+ shirts, simple colour counts |
| Price behaviour | Flat per shirt | Drops fast with quantity |
| Fabric range | Everything, incl. poly blends | Best on cotton and cotton-rich |
How to choose in ten seconds
- Under 30 shirts, or full-colour art? DTF. Small runs, photo logos, sponsor bars, names and numbers — that is its lane.
- 30+ shirts with a simple design? Screen printing. The per-shirt price keeps falling and the print is bulletproof on cotton.
- Polos, caps or structured workwear? That is embroidery territory — we cover that call in our embroidery vs screen printing guide.
- Still torn? Quote both. We price the same artwork both ways so the decision comes down to feel and budget, not guesswork.
FAQs
Both methods start at one shirt at CRINO. Screen printing only becomes the cheaper option as quantities climb — on a simple design the crossover usually sits around 30 shirts, and your quote will show both prices so you can see exactly where it flips.
DTF. Screen-print inks need special curing on synthetics and can crack or migrate on poly blends, while DTF's adhesive bonds cleanly to them. It is the safe call for performance wear and modern hi-vis.
With sensible washing, both outlast most garments. Screen printing on cotton edges ahead for shirts washed weekly, but DTF holds colour better on blends. How the shirts are washed matters more than the method — see our uniform care guide.
Yes. DTF prints gradients and photos in a single pass with no extra setup. Screen printing would need four-colour process, which only makes sense on larger runs.
If you are weighing thread against ink for polos and caps, our embroidery vs screen printing guide makes that call easy. Minimums, fabrics and decoration options are on the uniforms & apparel page, and ready-to-print tees and merch sit in the CRINO shop.
Send the design. We'll price both ways.
Email your artwork or drop into the Moorebank studio — we will match the method to your fabric and run size, send a free proof, and quote DTF and screen printing side by side.