T-Shirt Printing Machines

There are many different ways to print custom T-shirts. T-shirt printing machines vary in size as well as price. The type of business that you choose to have will determine the type of machine you purchase. Three types of machines that can print a quality T-shirt are as follows:

Heat transfer machines are one of the oldest and most common types of T-shirt printing machines. These work by transferring an image onto the shirt using heat. You can use this same concept to iron on a decal onto a shirt, although this will not be as professional as the iron cannot get to the heat of the heat transfer machine.

Paper that is used on heat transfer machines must be of professional quality and able to withstand high heat. These machines resemble a heat press and only take a few seconds to transfer the printed image that is put onto the transfer paper, onto the shirt. Some of the higher quality machines have timers on them so that you know exactly when to stop the press. These machines are usually inexpensive and are also small enough to store in your home.

Another type of machine that is used to project an image on to a shirt is an inkjet machine. This skips the decal and projects the image right onto the shirt. These machines are a bit costly but can prinT-shirts much quicker than heat transfer machines. They also turn out a more professional looking product. Depending on the size of your business, you may or may not want to invest in an inkjet machine.

Another older method of printing custom T-shirts is silk screening. This is a press in which the design is set up on a template and then transferred to the shirt using ink and pressure. This is just as old as the heat transfer machines and is still used by large manufacturers because it gives the best quality. However, it can be time consuming to set up a silk screen which is one reason why many small T-shirt businesses use heat transferring. Once the silk screen is set up, however, it is easy to print many shirts very quickly.

The type of business that you plan on having as well as the capital that you have to invest will determine the type of T-shirt printing machine that you purchase. If you are doing this for yourself or just for family, you can use an old fashioned iron. If you are looking for the best quality, you can invest in an inkjet machine or silk screen press. If you just want to start a quick T-shirt business without spending a lot of money, invest in a heat transfer machine which is inexpensive, easy to store and gets the job done efficiently and cheaply, while still giving you a good product.