Textile Vinyl or Screen Printing For T-Shirts

[Steve Underhill]

You cant really compete with a full automatic screen printing press for detail unless you go DTG (direct to garment) which is prohibitively expensive,
manual screen printing would be your next best option depending on what sort of designs you want to do, T shirt vinyl is great but limited in the fact that intricate designs take forever to weed,
I have a Roland GX-24 from Xpres and its a seriously good bit of kit, couldn’t recommend it highly enough.
For what you will pay for a Camm-1 though you could buy a 5 colour carousel and some screens for, you just have to work out what you are going to be doing most of, screen printing is very involved but well worth it, but space is always a problem unless you have a big workshop.
Also you would need an exposure unit, dryer, and wash out booth, all incresing space needed for the job, if you are starting out I would say go with Xpres, some T shirt vinyl and some Transfers, and of course a heat press.
That way you wont buy all the kit and find out that its more difficult than you imagined.

[Lisa Duncan]

Thanks for your advice Steve

Space is a issue, so i’m thinking more along the lines of the vinyl cutter. I’ve requested some samples from Xpres + Grafityp so i’ll have a look at them when they arrive.

With the vinyl prints does the print last long on the T-shirts or will it eventually peel off. The reason i ask is i bought a vinyl printed T-shirt for a friend and it peeled off after about 5 washes, i’ve got a few screen printed T-shirts that i’ve had for ages and there fine.

[Steve Underhill]

I have some T shirts that I printed 2 years ago, have been worn weekly or more and have been snowboarding, with me, I also produce flex printed sweatshirts for a tree surgery, they have to be the ones that get the most abuse of any trade or profession and they are still going strong, and the first lot i did were only superflex and not ultra cut.
They have not peeled or cracked and are in no way damaged and look good as new, in fact some T shirt vinyl outlasts screen prints.
But it is dependent on how well they are both produced.
I know of one (idiot( by me who tried to use T shirt vinyl to do himself some polo shirts but used an iron……
Both methods will last years if applied right, IE correct pressure and the correct heat.

[Lisa Duncan]

Can i ask who you use for your vinyl?
Also looking at the swing away heat press from Xpres do you know if it’s any good or can you recommend one

[Chris Wool]

dont get sreve going on swinging arms again

[Steve Underhill]

I use xpres and grafityp, I have to say though now I have used grafityp’s compared to xpres, the xpres stuff is better for weeding, for finish there is no difference really.
For the money Revolution transfers does a very well priced one, at about £699 I think, people here will recommend Adkins also and hix, George knight etc, just buy the biggest platen you can afford, and if possible buy one with changeable heads, so you can do caps, mugs, etc.
All depends on budget though.