Is screen printing more expensive than digital printing?
The cost comparison between screen printing and digital printing depends on the order quantity and complexity of the design. Screen printing involves a higher initial setup cost, making it generally more expensive for small orders. However, for larger orders, the cost per unit decreases significantly, potentially making it less expensive than digital printing for bulk orders.
Digital printing, on the other hand, has a relatively consistent cost per unit regardless of the order size, making it more cost-effective for small to medium-sized orders.
Does digital printing last on shirts?
Yes, digital printing does last on shirts, especially when proper care instructions are followed. Advances in digital printing technology and inks have significantly improved the durability and wash-fastness of digitally printed garments. While it may not have the same lifespan as some traditional screen-printed garments, a digitally printed shirt can still maintain its vibrancy and detail for a considerable number of washes.
Is screen printing better quality?
"Better quality" can be subjective and depends on the specific requirements of the print job. Screen printing is renowned for its vibrant, opaque colors and its ability to print on a variety of materials and fabric types. It's particularly effective for designs that require a high level of vibrancy or special ink effects.
Digital printing, however, excels in reproducing intricate details and a wider color palette, making it ideal for complex or photorealistic designs. The best method depends on the specific needs of the project, such as the complexity of the design, the type of material being printed on, and the quantity of the order.
Why is screen printing so difficult?
Screen printing can be seen as difficult because it involves a more labor-intensive setup process, requiring the creation of stencils (screens) for each color in the design. It also demands precise alignment or registration for multi-color designs, along with the mastery of various inks and their respective curing processes.
The physical process of pushing ink through the screens requires technique and practice, especially to maintain consistency across multiple items. However, for those who invest the time to master it, screen printing can be both rewarding and effective.
Which is better: Screen printing or digital printing?
The choice between screen printing and digital printing depends on the specific needs of the project. Screen printing is often preferred for larger orders, designs requiring vibrant, opaque colors, or special ink effects. It's also better suited for certain types of fabrics and products.
Digital printing is ideal for smaller orders, designs with high levels of detail or a wide range of colors, and when quick turnaround times are needed. It allows for greater flexibility with order quantity and design changes.
Left: Mimaki digital roll solvent printer Right: Mimaki digital flatbed UV printer
Flatbed printers can print on flexible vinyl just like roll printers, but have the extra ability to print on flexible polyester and various rigid surfaces, such as polycarbonate, hard-coated polyester, PVC, and even directly onto products. In addition to being more versatile for substrates, flatbed presses also have higher color gamuts, meaning they can hit a larger array of colors, and they usually include the capability to print white ink. Today’s digital UV printing can even rival screen-printed parts in both color and durability.
Subsurface printed digital flatbed parts, backed with white ink.
With the screen print method, each screen must be created and set-up before printing, torn down after printing, and films (stencils) and other tooling are required. Screen printing adds one-time fees and high set-up costs that are not present with a digital job.
When set-up costs are divided out over a large quantity, screen printing starts to make sense. The prints completed per hour is vastly faster with screen print than with digital, so high quantities will be much cheaper, even when set-up costs are factored in.
On the other hand, low quantity jobs will be much cheaper when ran digitally, as the set-up fees are low or non-existent.
When color is critical, screen printing is usually the better option over digital. Because digital presses use a CMYK four-color process, their color ranges are inherently limited. Screen printing ink utilizes spot colors, just like the Pantone Matching System (PMS). The difference means that digital presses cannot hit some of the brighter colors that screen printing can, especially reds, oranges, greys, and greens. Banding, which is the subtle transition between one digital print head and the next, may be visible in digital prints if high enough quality equipment is not used. Metallic and fluorescent colors are usually only achievable with screen printing, although many strides have been made in the past few years of digital printing to make these colors more accessible. Lastly, all colors tend to be more vibrant when screen printed, because the ink is a solid color throughout and a thicker layer of ink is deposited onto the material.
Because screen-printed parts are done one color at a time, the number of colors affects the price for screen print, while digital pricing is the same no matter how many colors are present. Screenprinting simple images almost always results in crisp lines (without the possibility of pixelation), but more complex prints are usually better suited for digital printing. Gradients and finely detailed images, even photographs, are easily printed with digital presses. Screen printed parts can still incorporate simple gradients with the use of half-tones (reduced dots of ink and blank space are used to simulate fades), but the resolution is noticeably lower quality. Digital presses also allow for mass customization and variable data, such as sequential numbering and varying backgrounds, colors or text within the same run.
Screen printing ink has a history of adhering to a larger variety of surfaces (direct to glass, aluminum, etc.), although digital ink has come a long way, and different series of digital inks can now be used to adhere to different substrates. Still, digital material itself may be more expensive than the same material used in screen printing, because many printers order special ink adhesion coatings to ensure the digital ink sticks. Screen print ink is also more durable and weather-resistant than digital ink, especially when compared to ink from standard roll presses. To further protect images, a screen printed UV-resistant clear coat can be added to parts, while a clear digital top coating is not often available.
Overall, screen printing is best for high quantity, high durability, low number-of-color runs, while digital printing is better suited for lower quantity and more complex images. Your graphics supplier should know from your job specifications which type of printing is right for you, and if you could benefit from a combination of both screen and digital printing. If you want more information on a certain process, are curious how your current decals are made, or are interested in switching from one process to the other, feel free to reach out by email, web, or call 260-748-0577.
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