There are many options for printing a picture onto a t-shirt. In this article, we’ll explain them.

Discover how to DIY t-shirt print and how to choose the best printing method.

How to Put a Photo on a T-Shirt Without Equipment

You don’t own a printer? Print on Demand allows you to add a high-quality print to your shirt.

POD is a method of order fulfillment in which each product is manufactured on Demand. You can design a shirt with your picture, have it printed, and ship it directly to you.

See how you can print a photo on a t-shirt in just a few easy steps.

Choose the Right Shirt

There are many options for selecting the shirt on which your image will appear. Choose from a variety of fabrics, colors, and printing methods.

Here are some important aspects to take into consideration.

Printing Method

Printify’s Product Catalog features a variety of Printing Methods, including direct-to-garment (DTG), all-over-print (AOP), and sublimation (DTF), as well as direct-to-film (DTF).

If you only want to print a single image on a T-shirt, then direct-to-garment or direct-to-film printing is the best choice.

DTG is best suited to shirts made from cotton or cotton blends, but DTF is great for various materials. It is also used for activewear. Later in this article, we’ll take a closer at these two printing options.

T-shirt color

Choose the color that will best complement your image.

If your image includes rich colors with darker details, you may want to print on a light-colored shirt. Dark-colored shirts are best for pictures with softer tones and subdued colors.

To get the best result, experiment with colors and shades.

T-shirt fabric

Consider comfort, durability, and cost when choosing your shirt’s fabric.

What will it be used for? Casual wear or workouts. What type of printing do you prefer? What is your budget? These questions will help determine the best fabric for your shirt.

Browse our T-Shirt Fabric Guide for all the information you need to choose a fabric.

Create your T-shirt Design File

To ensure that your image looks good on the shirt, you need to use an image file of high quality and resolution. Printify accepts JPEG, PNG, and SVG file types for the design. Print file requirements are available for each t-shirt.

You can edit your photos using many free or low-cost tools, such as Canva, GIMP and Fotor.

Our Design guide will help you optimize your designs.

Use your file to apply the shirt

It’s time to add your design to the shirt. Printify’s Mockup Maker allows you to add your photo and customize its size and position on the shirt.

After you finish editing, click Preview at the top-right corner to see a realistic mockup of your shirt.

Order for Yourself

You can order a T-shirt now if you are making one for yourself. Make a test order for your shirt.

Once you have created and saved your design,

Click on My Products

Choose to get samples, and then choose the shirt

Select the size of the shirt and the quantity you wish to order

Add your shipping details

Select Fill, and wait for the custom shirt to arrive

This is a great step to take if you plan to sell your custom-made tees on the internet and want to make sure of the quality of the product before listing it.

Or Publish and start selling

Printify helps eCommerce merchants to build their online business. You can sell your printed T-shirts online.

Connect to all major eCommerce platforms and online marketplaces, including Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, etc. Start selling immediately.

Printify’s print-on-demand solution will handle the production and shipping of your item once you have added it to your store.

What is the best method for printing T-shirts

There are many ways to transfer a design onto a t-shirt, but some are more effective than others. Here are some of the most common apparel printing methods.

Direct-to-garment (DTG), or direct-to-garment printing, is a method of printing directly on the fabric.

DTG printers work similarly to regular office printers, using modified inkjet technologies to apply water-based inks on apparel. The result is a high-quality print with fine details. Setup time is also much faster than other methods, such as screen printing.

Why choose DTG Printing

Durable Designs With this option, you can transfer images directly onto the shirt. This ensures that the design is bonded to the fabric with a smooth finish.

It’s a time-saver. The printer applies the images directly to the fabric.

There are no order limits. Order as many or a few T-shirts as you like.

Please find out more about direct-to-garment printing in our guide.

Direct-to-film (DTF) printing

DTF printing uses a heat press to transfer the visuals on the shirt. A film and powder are used. DTF printing is more time-consuming than DTG because it involves more steps. However, you can rest assured that the image transferred will look fantastic on your shirt.

Why Choose DTF Printing

Print any fabric. DTG works best on cotton fabrics. Direct-to-film prints work well with any shirt.

Vibrant Prints DTF printing guarantees vibrant colors and durable prints.

Popular printing methods

Screen Printing. This stencil-based technique is very popular, and the ink gets applied to the fabric by using a mesh screen.

Dye sublimation or all-over printing. Images are digitally printed on a special heat transfer sheet that is used to transfer designs onto fabric using heat. You can cover your entire shirt in the design.

Consider the cost when choosing a method of printing for your custom shirt.

Please find out more about the different options available for adding your image to a shirt with our Ultimate guide to the eight most common types of shirt printing.

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