The whole logic of printing condenses into one sentence: the dye must be "in tune" with the fibre. Cotton is a cellulosic fibre and needs reactive dyes; polyester is a synthetic fibre and needs disperse dyes applied by heat sublimation. Once the fabric composition is set, most of your printing options are already locked in.
1. Four Main Printing Methods Compared
| Method | Principle | Fabric suitability | Order suitability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen print (water-based) | Dye paste passes through the screen into the fibre | Cotton, linen, Tencel | Large volumes; 1–3 colours, simple patterns |
| Screen print (plastisol) | Plastisol sits on top of the fabric surface | Cotton, blends, knits | Dark fabrics, saturated colour |
| DTG (direct to garment) | A printer jets ink straight onto the garment | Cotton and high-cotton blends | Small batches, full colour, gradients |
| Heat transfer | Disperse ink is printed to paper, then sublimated into the fibre at high temperature | Polyester, poly blends | Full-colour gradients, swimwear, sportswear |
There are also reactive print (print the fabric first, then cut — the whole garment is dyed in one batch, giving the best colourfastness but a high MOQ) and heat-transfer vinyl (a finished look like a sticker; low cost but the weakest hand and wash durability, mostly used for childrenswear decorative patches).
2. Quick Decisions by Fabric Composition
- Pure cotton tees / dresses: small batch, full colour → DTG; large batch, few colours → screen print; soft hand required → water-based.
- Polyester sportswear / swimwear / mesh: heat transfer is almost the only right answer — disperse dye sublimates into the fibre, giving good colourfastness without affecting stretch. Screen plastisol on polyester is the most common wrong choice, and the print edges tend to crack after washing.
- Cotton-poly blends: decide by cotton content — ≥ 60% cotton leans to DTG / screen, ≥ 60% polyester leans to heat transfer; in between, you need a sample for colour matching.
- Silk: digital reactive print; higher cost but a great result, and it can be done even on small orders.
3. Cost Logic: Screen by Colour Count, Digital by Area
- Screen printing: one screen is made per colour (screen fee RMB 30–80 per colour), and processing is priced per print run. The unit cost amortises quickly with quantity — 1,000 pieces of 2-colour print may cost only RMB 2–4 each, while 50 pieces cost RMB 10 or more.
- DTG / heat transfer: no plate fee, priced by printed area, and the unit cost is essentially constant (about RMB 8–20 for an A3 area) — the price does not change however small the order, which is exactly why small-batch brands favour digital.
- Registration and repeat placement: cut-piece printing (print first, then sew) costs more than garment printing but registers precisely; garment printing is limited by the shape of the piece and cannot print right up against zips or seams.
4. Acceptance: Colourfastness and Registration
- Colourfastness: wash ≥ grade 3 and rubbing ≥ grade 3 (wet rub on dark colours ≥ grade 2–3) are common contract standards;
- Registration: deviation of a cut-piece print relative to the seam ≤ 3mm; on striped or checked fabric, the effect of the pattern on registration must be assessed;
- Hand: on styles with a large plastisol area, test the hand and breathability, and add a soft-hand overprint if needed;
- Whiteness and colour difference: match against the approval sample; batch-to-batch shade variation within the same lot ≤ grade 4 on the ISO grey scale.
5. Quick Answers to Common Questions
Q: Why does the same artwork match differently between sample and bulk? Digital printers have different ink curves from machine to machine, so always require a digital proof on the bulk fabric (not an A4 paper proof) as the colour-matching baseline.
Q: How much more does an all-over print dress cost than a solid one? The difference is mainly in fabric (printed greige costs 20%–50% more than solid) and cutting waste (matching the print adds 5%–10% waste), not in the printing itself.
Q: How is printing done on a mesh dress? Polyester mesh → heat transfer; stretch mesh needs temperature control to prevent shrinkage, and is normally printed first and set afterwards.
The heart of printing is "choose the chemistry, then do the colour matching properly". Once the fabric composition is confirmed, the process route is largely set; half the remaining effort goes into colour matching alone.