Posted By TeckWrap Craft On September 11, 2022
What Do I Need To Print T-Shirts At Home? T-Shirt Printing Guide
Table of Contents
- Types of T-Shirt Printing Methods
- Direct-To-Garment Printing
- Screen Printing
- Printable Vinyl Printing
- Dark Transfer Paper / Light Transfer Paper Printing
- What’s the easiest t-shirt printing method for starters?
- What do I need to print t-shirts at home?
- Heat Transfer Vinyl Printing
- Supplies to Gather When Heat Transfer Vinyl Printing
- Reasons Why You’ll Love Heat Transfer Vinyl Printing
- How to custom shirts using heat transfer vinyl
- Sublimation Printing
- Supplies to Gather When Sublimation Printing
- Reasons Why You’ll Love Sublimation Printing
- How to custom print t-shirts using the sublimation method
- Tips When Printing Shirts at Home
- Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re planning to print t-shirts at home, this guide will help you. There are different types of garment printing methods. But the two easiest printing methods you can do at home are sublimation printing and heat transfer vinyl printing. These two methods of printing t-shirts are the recommended process because they won’t take up so much space at home. Plus, you don’t need high start-up costs. For sublimation printing, all you need is a sublimation printer, sublimation paper, and a heat press machine.
For heat transfer vinyl printing, what you'll need is heat transfer vinyl, a cutting machine, and a heat press machine. Printing t-shirts may start as a hobby, but in the long run, you can make money out of it. You can start custom-printing shirts for your friends and family.
Then you can go big and sell your funny shirt ideas online. All of these can be done from the comfort of your home. For the next parts of this craft post, you’ll learn about sublimation and heat transfer vinyl printing. Plus, other types of printing methods are available if you want to start a t-shirt business.
Funny Vinyl Shirt Ideas for Gift-Giving
Types Of T-Shirt Printing Methods
If you intend to start a t-shirt printing business, you need to familiarize yourself with the different types of t-shirt printing methods. Other than sublimation printing and heat transfer vinyl printing, the other options for t-shirt printing are:
Direct-To-Garment Printing
Direct-To-Garment Printing uses a direct-to-garment printer (DTG). DTG prints directly on the shirt, much like an ordinary printer, instead you're printing directly on the garment. The downside of a DTG printer is it’s costly.
Screen Printing
Screen printing is a printing method where a mesh screen is used. An emulsion or stencil is used as the outline of the design in a mesh. Then fabric paint is used to print on the garment. Screen printing requires a wide workspace and is a tedious process of t-shirt printing, but is cost-efficient.
Printable Vinyl Printing
With printable vinyl printing, you’ll need a printable vinyl for garments, a printer with eco-solvent ink, a heat press machine, and a cutting machine. It’s much like printing heat transfer vinyl, except you can print on the printable heat transfer vinyl. The drawbacks of printable heat transfer vinyl printing are expensive set-up costs and a limited number of colors that can be printed.
Dark Transfer Paper / Light Transfer Paper Printing
With transfer paper printing, what you need are dark or light transfer paper, a printer with pigment ink, a cutting machine, and a heat press machine. If you want to print on light-colored shirts, you can use light transfer paper. If you need to print on dark-colored shirts, printing on dark transfer paper is recommended.
Using dark or light transfer paper when printing on garments is of advantage if you print a small number of shirts. However, the overhead costs are too high for large batch printing. Additionally, the prints are stiff and may get ruined when directly ironed.
What’s The Easiest T-Shirt Printing Method For Starters?
In the printing industry, the top two easiest printing methods are sublimation printing and heat transfer vinyl printing. If you’re just starting out in the t-shirt printing industry, it is best to master these two printing methods first before trying out the other ones.
Why are these printing methods recommended for beginners? Both printing methods have a low start-up cost and are easy to do. If you want to custom t-shirts, you also need to familiarize yourself with an image editing program and hone your skills with that too. It’ll come in handy.
Without further ado, here is a list of supplies or machines you need to gather for each kind of printing method. Included in this post, you’ll learn everything that you need to know about sublimation and heat transfer vinyl printing.
What Do I Need To Print T-Shirts At Home?
Let’s get to the point and discuss the three main things you’ll need if you want to print t-shirts at home. These are the machines you want to invest in if you want to venture into heat transfer vinyl printing and sublimation printing.
A Heat Press Machine
A heat press machine is a commercial-grade iron that uses heat to transfer prints. There are different kinds of heat press machines available. There’s the flat surface heat press machine used to print shirts, cotton pillowcases, and many more.
Heat press machines are also available in different types like a mini heat press machine, cap press for hats, and mug press, of course for mugs. You can invest in these heat press machines one at a time so you can offer more customized projects for your future clients.
An Inkjet Printer
For sublimation printing, you’ll need an inkjet printer with dye sublimation ink. The most common printer brands used for sublimation are Epson and Sawgrass. An inkjet printer is widely used as a sublimation printer as compared to a laser printer.
A Cutting Machine
A cutting machine like Silhouette, Brother, or Cricut is a must if you intend to enter the heat transfer vinyl printing business. There are plenty of cutting machines available in the market now. There are small to industrial cutting machines. But if you’re just starting out, a 12-inch cutting machine is good enough. Bigger cutting machines like 24-inch big, are better used for wall decals. That’s why a 12-inch cutting machine is good enough for starters.
Other Supplies
There are other supplies you also need to gather if you want to start t-shirt printing at home. These supplies are:
- Cutting mat
- Scissors
- Weeding tool or pen
- Desk lamp or a light pad
Heat Transfer Vinyl Printing
What is heat transfer vinyl printing? Heat transfer vinyl printing uses specialty vinyl for fabrics. The heat transfer vinyl (HTV) has a heat-activated adhesive backing that permanently sticks to the fabric. You use a cutting machine and its design studio to layout and cut the design. You'll love heat transfer vinyl printing because of the variety of colors, textures, and patterns of HTV available especially at TeckWrap Craft.
Not only can you custom-print on cotton shirts using heat transfer vinyl. You can print HTV on other fabrics like canvas tote bags, hoodies, sweaters, denim jackets, and activewear as well. Plus, you can create multi-colored designs with heat transfer vinyl printing.
Supplies To Gather When Heat Transfer Vinyl Printing
- Heat transfer vinyl
- Cutting machine (Silhouette, Brother, or Cricut)
- Weeding tool or pen
- Cutting mat
- Heat press machine or EasyPress machine
- Any kind of fabric — t-shirt, canvas bags, denim