Can anybody recommend a good company for printing photos on T-shirts? I've tried 'Streetshirts' and the print is sort of stuck on the front so it's stiff and doesn't wash well. I really want something more 'ingrained' in the material if you know what I mean. I need a UK company (or one that ships here) but if anybody from elsewhere knows what type of printing I should be searching for that would be a really useful starting point. Thanks!!
Sorry Judith I don't know of any t shirt printers but there must be loads somewhere...you don't want the ones with that plasticity stuck on front ones but the actual t shirt picture printed in the material. Hard to tell what they are like unless you can feel them. Hope you find someone.
I think you want the kind where the image is actually printed on the shirt... Not where it's printed on a transfer and then ironed on, right? Is that what they used to call silk screening? I'm pretty sure this is available quite broadly - just maybe be sure to ask a few questions to confirm quality before you commit
@northy That is what I want - I think what I got before was described as 'screen printing' but it was the transfer thing when it came. You're probably right - I should talk to them first.
we got some done at work a while back - think we used Vistaprint...they were all right (I don't expect we paid a fortune for them!) agree with the others, screen printing is the way to go...plenty of DIY screen printing stuff on youtube!!
Silkscreening/screen printing is typically solid colours only -- you can use it for full colour prints, but it does so using solid CMYK colours and halftoning (similar to how photos are printed in newspapers), and is better for artwork or anything else with strong, solid, colours, rather than photography.
For full colour printing without the transfer feel, I think you need direct to garment printing, but on anything other than very light or white colours, I think they still have to apply a thick white base layer, which will give it a stiff feel still. If you want to get it printed onto a dark colour, you'll need to find somewhere that does discharge printing, where a chemical is applied to the t-shirt first to remove the dye in the areas that will be printed. Both of these have only really taken off in the last 2-3 years so not as many places can do them yet.
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For full colour printing without the transfer feel, I think you need direct to garment printing, but on anything other than very light or white colours, I think they still have to apply a thick white base layer, which will give it a stiff feel still. If you want to get it printed onto a dark colour, you'll need to find somewhere that does discharge printing, where a chemical is applied to the t-shirt first to remove the dye in the areas that will be printed. Both of these have only really taken off in the last 2-3 years so not as many places can do them yet.