Go with DTF when the art is full color, has small detail, or changes from guest to guest. Go with screen printing when one or two solid colors go on the same shirt over and over. Lots of Fort Worth bookings use both in one footprint.
DTF transfers
- Good at: photos, gradients, fine lettering, and a guest's name or a date on each piece.
- On site: we print the film ahead of time and heat-press it while the guest watches. No screens, so new art mid-shift costs nothing.
- Trade-off: a thinner feel than plastisol ink, and less to watch at the table.
Screen printing
- Good at: bold one- to three-color marks printed a few hundred times.
- On site: one screen per color, ink pulled by hand and cured at the table, which is the part people film.
- Trade-off: a new design means new screens, so art changes halfway through the day are out.
Rule of thumb: a clean logo at volume goes to screen printing. Color, detail or names go to DTF. Send your art and headcount and we'll recommend the mix.
How it tends to split in Fort Worth
A sponsor putting one mark on a few hundred tees on a Fort Worth Convention Center show day is a screen job. A Western brand activation where guests pick from several full-color designs, or a Stockyards party with a name and date on each shirt, runs on DTF. Plenty of rodeo and Stock Show sponsors want a press for the house design and a DTF table beside it. Caps usually go to the hat bar or embroidery.