printing tips from the experts: 3 steps to perfecting your first prints

This post was written in collaboration with customplanet.co.uk.

Printing your designs onto different garments is a great option if you want to join the fashion world or widen your appeal — but how can you make sure it looks professional enough to take off? In this article, Andrew Dark, Director and Co-Owner of Custom Planet, shares his top tips for pulling off prints. 

Whether you’re thinking about getting into t-shirt printing or something more complicated, there’s a few things you should know before you start putting your designs in ink. Below, I’ll take you through some expert tips for perfecting your prints. 

Pick the right technique for your needs 

Before you start your design, speak to the printer. They will be able to give you guidance on what is achievable and how best to achieve it, including the sizes, colours (particularly fades and blends), and print methods you should go for. 

There are quite a few different printing methods to consider depending on how you’ll be using your design, but these three tend to be the most common: 

Screen printing 

Screen printing works best for block coloured logos and text that contain around four colours or less. As it’s fast, it’s the preferred method for printing in high volumes and bulk orders. 

Heat transfer  

The heat transfer method is where the print is pressed onto the shirt and melted onto it. These prints are better for short term promotional items rather than everyday clothing. 

Digital printing  

Digital printing is also known as direct-to-garment printing, because it applies the ink directly to the garment. This approach is best for photos, intricate logos and designs in full colour. 

Choose your colours carefully 

Red, green, blue colours (RGB) that you use for digital artwork are created using light, which doesn’t translate properly when converting a digital image into ink. When printing, they are converted to cyan, magenta, yellow, and key/black (CMYK) instead. That means a printed graphic can sometimes look different than it did on your computer, and you shouldn’t rely on the image on your screen to tell what your final design will look like. Always ask for proofs from your printers so you can colour match effectively. You can use universal, pe-mixed spot colours to achieve the most accurate results, but these are often more expensive.  

Additionally, you should be wary of colour clashing when selecting your fabric, and printing onto very dark colours such as black comes with its own challenges. If you’re experimenting with digital prints or want to save money, stick to printing onto white fabric or very pale pastels, as it’s much easier to achieve a good result (and cheaper, too). But, when screen printing, the ink is applied thicker than digital direct-to-garment methods so you can print vibrant colours on top of a darker shirt more effectively if you choose this method, particularly if you apply a white base first. 

Don’t forget about materials 

You have plenty of fabric options when it comes to printing, although the most popular (and thus expensive) tends to be 100% cotton. For a more cost-effective option, you could consider man-made polyesters, nylons or blends. Your inks may be more likely to migrate unless you use low bleed inks, as they are less absorbent than natural fibres, but the vibrancy of your design will be about the same.  

The quality of your chosen materials will affect the outcome of the print as some will absorb take the ink better than others, but things like the thickness of the material will have an effect too. For example, tightly woven fabric will show up prints better than a thicker fabric, regardless of whether they’re both made from 100% cotton. In terms of care, remember that garments can shrink up to 5% after washing, and if you wash at 40 degrees or under, you can help preserve your prints for longer. 

From t-shirts to tote bags, the possibilities are endless once you nail the printing process. The tips in this guide can help you approach prints in a more effective way and achieve better results.