The print method is the single biggest decision in a custom textile quote. Pick the wrong one and you either overpay on a small run or hit a quality ceiling on a big one. Here's how to choose well.
The three methods at a glance
| Method | Best for | Setup | Where it wins |
| Digital | Small runs, gradients, full-color artwork | None | Cost and speed on low volume |
| Screen | Flat colors, large panels, long runs | One screen per color | Cost drops as quantity grows |
| Sublimation | Polyester, light fabrics, photorealistic | Transfer paper | Durability and photographic detail |
Digital printing
Digital printing applies ink directly to the fabric, the way a desktop printer works — no screens, no plates. Because there's no setup, it's the natural choice for small runs and for artwork with gradients, fine detail or many colors.
The trade-off is unit cost. Digital is efficient at low volume but doesn't fall in price the way screen printing does as quantity rises. For a low-minimum first run, digital is usually the fastest and most affordable route.
Screen printing
Screen printing pushes ink through a mesh stencil, one screen per color. Making the screens is the fixed cost — once they exist, each additional piece is cheap. That's why screen printing becomes more economical as quantity grows, especially for flat colors and large panels such as a repeated logo or a bold border.
It's less suited to gradients or many-color artwork, where the screen count and setup climb.
Sublimation
Sublimation turns dye into a gas that bonds into the fibre itself, rather than sitting on the surface. The result is a print that won't crack or peel, with true photographic detail — but it requires polyester or light-colored synthetics. It's a common choice for activewear, gym towels and anything that needs to survive repeated washing.
How to choose
- Small run, complex artwork → digital.
- Large run, flat colors → screen.
- Polyester, needs to last → sublimation.
- Not sure → we recommend a method per job, based on your artwork, fabric and price point.
Your choice of fibre also narrows the options, since sublimation only works on synthetics. And the method you pick feeds directly into the weight and cost of the finished piece.