DTG Printing vs Embroidery – which is right for your brand?

Are you comparing your customisation options but not sure where to start? With so many choices available, it can be difficult to know whether printing or embroidery is best for your garments. That’s why we’re here to help you make the right decision for your branding.

What is the difference between DTG and embroidery?

What is DTG printing?

DTG printing put simply is the process of printing your logos and designs directly onto garments. With this method, the inks are injected directly into the fabric, allowing great durability and longevity for your prints.

What is embroidery?

Embroidery is the process of your designs being stitched directly into the garments. With this method, artwork files firstly have to be digitised, to allow the embroidery machine to read the file. Once digitisation has been completed, the machine works its magic and turns your once 2D design into a textured dimensional design.

Which is better, DTG or embroidery?

The good news is that neither method is superior to the other, meaning when done correctly, they both produce durable and professional results.

DTG Printing is ideal for those who have complex designs, larger areas to be printed or lots of colours and gradients within the artwork.

Embroidery is better suited to simpler, smaller designs and for those who might want to achieve a 3D effect with their branding. Embroidery is also great for a more corporate feel.

Are there any limitations with DTG or embroidery?

When it comes to DTG, it is highly recommended to print onto 100% cotton garments. However, as long as the clothing has at least 80% cotton content, DTG printing is suitable.

An important factor to note if you’re looking to DTG print onto any coloured garment other than white, is that artwork files should be 100% opaque with no transparencies in them. If artwork transparency is a whole new world for you and you’d like to read up more on this, head over to our help centre to learn more about transparencies in design files.

Embroidery doesn’t have any limitations when it comes to fabric composition and is suitable for most clothing garments and accessories including hats. However, it’s much better suited to simpler logos and designs and isn’t as effective if you’re looking for large scale artwork.

For larger designs DTG is likely the better option, especially on something like custom T-shirts, as larger embroidered designs can feel quite heavy on a lighter weight fabric.

Which is more economical, DTG or embroidery?

The price for both DTG and embroidery is very much dependent on a variety of factors such as the quantity of products being ordered, the amount of locations you’re printing/embroidering and the size of your embroidered design.

The amount of colours in your artwork doesn’t affect the pricing for either DTG or embroidery. However for embroidery, the size of your design can affect the price. A smaller embroidered design will always work out cheaper.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that on smaller order quantities or samples, DTG printing will work out much more economically than embroidery.

Which has faster production times, DTG or embroidery?

Naturally, DTG printing does offer a quicker lead time over embroidery. However, we’ll always try to be accommodating where possible. If our production team has the capacity, we’ll be more than happy to fulfil your order for either DTG or embroidery rush deadlies.

Which is more sustainable, DTG or embroidery?

If sustainability plays a key factor into your branding, then you’ve come to the right place! We offer the most sustainable options for all customisation methods.

Our DTG Kornit Atlas and Kornit Avalanche HD6 printers are some of the most advanced and environmentally friendly printers in Europe! We use water-based NeoPigment inks which are completely free of heavy metals, formaldehyde, and APE, making them non-toxic and biodegradable. Our DTG printing is also significantly less water-intensive than other print processes, with zero water wastage.

If you’re ordering embroidery, you can also feel confident with the sustainability of your branding. We use the most environmentally friendly embroidery threads which meet the world class OEKO-Tex certification and are produced in facilities that utilise recycled water and energy. This helps ensure that every single thread used on your products is as eco-friendly as possible.

Ready to make your order?

Hopefully you have read up to this point and now have a much better understanding of the differences between DTG and embroidery. Whichever method you choose, you’ll be guaranteed professional, durable and environmentally friendly designs when placing an order with us. If you’re still yet to decide, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to help!