DTG, DTF and Screen Printing: The Real Comparison

Last Updated: Wednesday 28th October 2026 By Ben Gellbert

This is the comparison most buyers actually need, and the answer has now changed.

DTG used to be the only digital option available. Now DTF transfers do a lot of what DTG does, and on some fabrics they are the only option.

The Honest Comparison

Feature	DTG	DTF / digital transfers	Screen printing
Feel of the print	None. The ink is in the fabric.	A film you can feel on the surface.	A layer you can feel, thicker with more colours.
Best fabric	Cotton and cotton-rich	Almost anything, polyester included	Most fabrics
Photographic artwork	Excellent	Very good	Poor without halftone tricks
Colour count affects price	No	No	Yes, a lot
Runs from 1 unit	Yes	Yes, not economical against DTG	No
Cost at 25 units, dark garment	Fair	Usually better	Poor
Cost at 250 units	Poor	Fair	Best by a distance
Wash life, correctly produced	25 to 50 washes typical	Comparable, though edges can lift with heavy use	Longest of the three

Read that table honestly and DTF wins on cost at low quantities on dark garments, which is a large slice of what people ring us about. We print DTF too, and we will quote your job that way when it suits.

What DTG keeps is the work where the print has to disappear into the shirt. Retail and fashion garments that a plastic-feeling print would ruin.

Photographs and heavily detailed artwork on cotton. Soft-hand prints on premium cotton tees. Anything a customer is going to pick up and feel before they decide.

Getting a Price

Send us the garment, the quantity, the print positions and the artwork, and we will quote it. If your job sits near one of the crossover points above, we will price it both ways and tell you which one wins.

Get an instant quote
Design online and order from one unit
Or call 1300 916 433 and talk it through. Office hours are 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday, AEST.