Home › Screen Printing › Sublimation vs Screen Printing: Which Is Better for Your Shirts?
| Screen printing | Dye sublimation | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Ink is pressed through a mesh stencil, then heat-cured on top of the fabric | Sublimation ink is printed on transfer paper, then heat turns it into a gas that dyes polyester fibers |
| Fabrics | Cotton, poly, blends, fleece, canvas, nylon (with the right ink) | Polyester and poly-rich blends; polymer-coated mugs, tiles, metal panels |
| Shirt color | Any color — white underbase makes colors pop on dark shirts | White or light colors only (sublimation ink has no white) |
| Colors / detail | One screen per color; photo looks need halftones or simulated process | Unlimited colors and photo detail at no extra cost |
| Feel (hand) | Ink layer you can feel; soft with the right ink and mesh | No feel — the ink is inside the fiber |
| Durability | Very durable when fully cured | Very durable; will not crack, peel or fade from washing |
| Setup | Film, screens and emulsion for each color | Nothing to set up — print and press |
| Best order size | Dozens to thousands of the same design | One-offs, short runs, every-shirt-different (names, photos) |
| All-over prints | Hard | Easy with a large-format printer and press |
| Special effects | Puff, metallic, glow, glitter, high density | None — flat, full-color only |
| Screen printing shop | Sublimation shop |
|---|---|
| Press (from a 1-color tabletop to Vastex V-2000HD 4-color 4-station manual press ($5,587.00)) | Sublimation printer — from desktop to Mimaki TS200, TS330 and Tx330 production printers |
| Screens (20" x 28" aluminum screen, 110 mesh ($30.00)), emulsion, film and an exposure unit | Sublimation ink (for example Mimaki SB300 dye-sublimation ink, 2,000 ml bottle ($184.00)) and transfer paper |
| Flash and conveyor dryer to cure plastisol | Heat press (or a calender for roll-to-roll) |
| Plastisol ink, squeegees, tape, chemicals | Polyester blanks |
Many shops run both: screen printing for cotton team tees and bulk orders, sublimation for jerseys and personalized items. If you need cotton and dark shirts in short runs, also compare DTF vs sublimation and screen printing vs heat press.
Screen printing lays a layer of ink on top of the fabric through a mesh stencil, one screen per color. Sublimation dyes polyester fibers with ink that turns into a gas under heat, so there is no ink layer and no color limit, but it only works on light-colored polyester or coated items.
Neither is better for everything. Sublimation is better for full-color designs on white polyester and one-off personalized items. Screen printing is better for cotton, dark shirts, special-effect inks and larger orders, where it is usually cheaper per shirt.
Both last the life of the garment when done right. Sublimation cannot crack or peel because the ink is inside the fiber; a fully cured plastisol screen print is also very durable. Under-cured screen prints are what crack and wash out.
Not reliably. Sublimation needs polyester fibers (or a polymer coating) to bond to, and plastisol ink is not a sublimation surface. Shops that combine them usually sublimate the garment first, then screen print on top with a low-bleed ink.
Not directly. Sublimation ink only bonds with polyester, and it has no white, so it disappears on dark garments. For cotton or dark shirts use screen printing or DTF transfers.
For one shirt or a handful of different designs, sublimation is usually cheaper because there are no screens. For dozens or hundreds of the same design, screen printing is usually cheaper per shirt.
Related guides: What is screen printing? · DTF vs sublimation · Screen printing vs heat press · Embroidery vs screen printing vs DTF · Mimaki printers · Screen printing cost
