When it comes to apparel printing, promotional t-shirts are one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing available. They can be used to promote an upcoming event, raise awareness for your company, or simply grab the attention of people walking by your booth at a trade show. They can be a huge factor in building brand loyalty and creating a following for your business, especially if they are printed with your logo and tagline.

This is a classic, time-tested way of printing on apparel. It is a fairly labor-intensive process that involves pushing ink through a stencil on the fabric manually. This method is great for shirts that need to be very detailed or require multiple colors. It is also ideal for a wide variety of fabrics, including stretchy jerseys and athletic wear. The downside to this type of printing is that it can be very costly if you’re trying to create a small run of shirts, as each color requires its own separate screen and ink.

Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing uses digital printers to spray water-based ink onto fabric. The prints are extremely vibrant and durable, making them suitable for a wide range of clothing. This method is also perfect for high-quality, custom tees that will be worn regularly. The downside to this type of printing is the time it takes for the ink to dry, which can be a problem if you need your shirts quickly.

Embroidery is another time-tested, traditional printing method that uses needles to stitch designs onto fabric. It is a very durable method that can be used on a variety of fabric types, from cotton to spandex. It is also an excellent option for hats, bags, and other accessories. One of the downsides to embroidery is that it can be very expensive, especially if you’re creating large quantities of shirts.

The first step in preparing your shirts for printing is to choose an image to use. Our graphic designers can help you come up with a creative, eye-catching design that will attract customers’ attention and showcase your brand. Once you’ve chosen an image, it’s important that it be in a digital format that is suitable for garment printing. The ideal format is a vector drawing, which is created with mathematical equations rather than pixels. Pixels can cause image edges to look rough when enlarged for printing, so vector images are the way to go. In addition, you should always ensure that the text on your shirts is arranged in logical, standard sentence order. This will prevent your message from being garbled as people read it. This is particularly important for English speakers, as they naturally read left-to-right and top-to-bottom. It’s an easy thing to overlook, but it can make all the difference in how readable your text is. Contact a Minneapolis printing company such as Spark Printshop to learn more about how they can help your t-shirt marketing campaigns reach their full potential.