Screen printing and DTG (direct to garment) are the two dominant methods behind almost every custom apparel order, and understanding the tradeoff explains why print-on-demand exists as a category at all. Screen printing pushes ink through a mesh stencil, one screen per color, which makes it cheap per piece at high volume but expensive to set up for a single shirt. DTG prints a design directly onto the fabric like an inkjet printer, with no per-color setup, which is what makes single-piece orders economical. A print-on-demand marketplace network can include providers running either method depending on the product and order size. Bear Grips Pro Shops runs a print-on-demand process built specifically for single-piece orders at a flat per-piece price.
Screen printing creates a physical stencil (a screen) for each color in a design, then pushes ink through it onto the garment. Setting up screens takes time and materials, which is why screen printers typically require a minimum order (often 24 to 50 pieces) to make the setup cost worthwhile per piece. Once set up, screen printing is genuinely the cheapest method per piece at high volume, and the ink sits slightly raised on the fabric with a distinct texture buyers associate with team and event merch.
DTG works more like an inkjet printer scaled up: a machine prints the design directly onto the fabric with no screens and no per-color setup. That is what makes single-piece and small-batch orders economical, since there is no fixed setup cost to spread across a minimum quantity. DTG handles complex, multi-color, photographic designs more easily than screen printing, though the per-piece ink cost is typically higher than screen printing at true bulk volume.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.| Screen printing | DTG (direct to garment) | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup cost | Per color, per design | None |
| Typical minimum order | 24-50 pieces to be cost effective | 1 piece |
| Best for | Large single-design bulk orders | Print-on-demand, small batches, unlimited colors |
| Cost at 1 piece | High (setup cost concentrated on one item) | Flat, no setup penalty |
| Cost at 500+ pieces | Lowest per piece | Higher per piece than screen print at true bulk |
A print-on-demand marketplace network, including the range of independent providers Printify connects sellers to, needs a method that works economically at order quantity one, since that is the entire business model: print only after a customer buys. DTG (and related digital methods like DTF, direct to film) fit that model because there is no setup cost tied to order size. Screen printing still shows up in some provider networks for bulk-only products, but it is a poor fit for the single-piece, unpredictable-quantity orders that define print-on-demand.
A business running a screen-print-only vendor for a one-time bulk team order (24+ identical pieces, one design, one color count) may get the lowest per-piece cost that way. A business running an ongoing shop where each buyer picks their own size, color, and quantity needs a digital print-on-demand method like DTG. Bear Grips Pro Shops runs that print-on-demand model across the full 63-product catalog, with unlimited colors per design at the same per-piece price whether the order is one piece or a full team run.
DTG-based print-on-demand across 63 products, unlimited colors, free shipping, no order minimum.
Start FreeFor most single and small-batch orders, yes. DTG handles detailed, multi-color, and photographic designs very well. Screen printing still has an edge on very simple, high-volume, single-color runs.
Both methods are rated for standard wear and care when washed correctly (inside out, cold water). Neither should fade meaningfully faster than the other under normal use.
Because DTG has no per-color setup cost, the per-piece price reflects the ink and process cost directly rather than being averaged down across a large minimum order.
No. Unlimited colors are included at the same per-piece price across the catalog.
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