How to · Fabric
Screen print vs. DTG vs. embroidery: decorating your apparel
The three main ways to brand a garment — screen printing, DTG, and embroidery — compared on cost, quantity, detail, and durability, so you pick the right one.
Founder, Trishakti Apparel 2 min read
How you put your logo or artwork on a garment affects cost, look, and durability. The three main methods each win in different situations — here’s how to choose.
Screen printing
Ink pushed through a stencil, one screen per colour. Best for bold designs with few colours at higher quantities — durable and cheap per piece at scale. Setup cost per colour makes it less suited to tiny runs or photo-realistic art.
DTG (direct-to-garment)
A printer sprays ink straight onto the fabric, like an inkjet. Best for detailed, full-colour, or photographic designs and low quantities (no per-colour setup). Works best on cotton; print can feel softer but may be less durable than screen over many washes.
Embroidery
Thread stitched into the fabric. The most premium, durable, and tactile — ideal for logos on polos, caps, and workwear. Priced by stitch count; not suited to large or highly detailed artwork.
Quick guide
- Bold logo, big run → screen print.
- Detailed/photo art, small run → DTG.
- Premium logo on polos/uniforms → embroidery.
We can advise the best decoration for your program and coordinate it alongside your garment production. Tell us your artwork and quantities.
About the author
Santosh Rijal runs Trishakti Apparel, the export knitwear factory his family built on three decades in Nepal’s fashion trade. He writes about sourcing, duty and production from the factory floor in Gaindakot.