Three numbers decide which printing method you should use: how many shirts you need, how many colors are in the design, and what fabric you're printing on. Get those three right and the choice between DTF, screen print and DTG is almost automatic.
We do DTF in-house at our Lehigh Acres shop and run screen printing through trusted local partners in Lee County. That gives us no incentive to push you toward one method over the other — we win when you get the right shirt at the right price, period. Here's how we'd actually pick.
Quick comparison at a glance
| Factor | DTF | Screen Print | DTG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup cost | $0 | $20–30/color | $0 |
| Per-shirt cost (50 pcs) | $5–9 | $4–7 | $8–12 |
| Per-shirt cost (200 pcs) | $4–7 | $2–4 | $7–10 |
| Minimum order | 1 | 12–24 | 1 |
| Color limit | Unlimited | 1–6 typical | Unlimited |
| Feel | Slight rubbery layer | Soft, sinks into fabric | Soft, prints into fibers |
| Best fabric | Cotton, poly, blends, performance | Cotton, blends | Cotton (best) |
| Wash durability | 40–60 washes | 50–80+ washes | 30–50 washes |
| Detail capability | Photo-realistic | Limited fine detail | Photo-realistic |
What DTF actually is
DTF stands for Direct-to-Film. Your design is printed onto a special PET film with a white underbase plus CMYK inks, then dusted with a hot-melt adhesive powder and cured in a small oven. The finished transfer gets heat-pressed onto the garment at around 300°F for 15 seconds. The result is a full-color graphic that bonds to almost any fabric.
Why it matters: there are no screens to burn, so setup cost is zero. Unlimited colors at no extra charge — a single-color logo and a photographic gradient cost the same to print. And it works on moisture-wicking performance shirts, which is huge for Florida outdoor crews (landscapers, marine, construction).
What screen printing actually is
Screen printing builds a mesh stencil — a "screen" — for every color in the design. Ink gets pushed through the screen onto the shirt, one color at a time. Setup is the slow part: each color means burning a screen, mixing the ink, aligning the registration, and doing a test pull. Once setup is finished, the actual printing is fast — a skilled press operator runs hundreds of shirts an hour.
This is why screen wins on volume. The setup cost is fixed, so the more shirts you print on top of it, the cheaper each one gets. Under about 50 shirts, screen rarely makes financial sense. Over 200 shirts on a simple design, almost nothing beats it.
And DTG, briefly
DTG (Direct-to-Garment) is essentially an inkjet printer for shirts. Water-based ink sprays directly into the fibers, like printing a photo onto paper. No film, no screen, no transfer. Best results on 100% cotton in small quantities where you want photographic detail. It loses to DTF on polyester and performance blends (won't bond reliably) and loses to screen on cost at volume.
Not sure which one you need?
Send us the design, the quantity and the shirt type. We'll quote DTF and screen side by side so you can see the numbers — no obligation.
Get my apparel quote →Real 2026 prices by quantity
These are typical per-shirt prices we see in Southwest Florida for a 4-color front print on a Bella+Canvas 3001 (mid-weight cotton tee). Numbers shift slightly with garment cost, print location count and ink type, but this is the right ballpark to compare.
- 1 shirt: DTF $18–25 · Screen $80+ (rarely worth it) · DTG $22–30
- 12 shirts: DTF $11–15 each · Screen $14–18 each · DTG $13–17 each
- 50 shirts: DTF $7–9 each · Screen $5–7 each · DTG $9–12 each
- 200 shirts: DTF $5–7 each · Screen $3–5 each · DTG $7–10 each
- 500 shirts: DTF $4–6 each · Screen $2–4 each · DTG $6–9 each
The crossover happens around 50 pieces. Below that, DTF usually wins on total cost because there's no screen setup to amortize. Above 200 on a design with 1–3 colors, screen pulls ahead and stays ahead.
What they actually feel like
Hand & texture
Screen print sinks into the fabric and ends up the softest — when it's done right, you barely feel it on the shirt. DTG prints water-based ink into the fibers, so it also feels soft, especially on cotton. DTF sits on top of the fabric as a thin flexible layer, so it feels slightly rubbery the first time you wear it. After a wash or two it relaxes and most people stop noticing.
Detail & color
DTF and DTG both handle photographic detail, gradients and small text perfectly. Screen needs simplification for the finest detail — halftone screens help, but it never matches digital. On dark shirts, DTF wins on color vibrancy because the white underbase makes everything pop. On light shirts with spot inks, screen has the most saturated color of any method.
Durability
A properly cured screen print can outlast the shirt itself — 80+ washes is normal. DTF holds up well to 40–60 washes before you start seeing edge wear on the transfer. DTG fades fastest, especially on dark garments, often noticeably faded by 30 washes.
Setup time & minimum orders
- DTF: No setup. Single-shirt orders are fine. Production turnaround at Brittoprint is 3–5 business days from approved artwork.
- Screen: 1–2 day setup per design (burning screens, mixing ink, registering). Typical minimum is 12–24 pieces to justify the cost. Production through our partners runs 5–7 business days.
- DTG: No setup. Single-shirt orders are fine. Production 3–5 days.
The cheapest shirt isn't always the cheapest order. A 24-piece screen print job might beat DTF on per-shirt cost but lose on total when you add setup fees. Always compare the total invoice, not just the unit price.
How we'd actually pick
Walk through this list in order — the first match is usually the right answer:
- 1–11 shirts: DTF wins on total cost. (DTG only if you need photo-realistic detail on 100% cotton.)
- 12–49 shirts, 1–3 colors, simple design: Screen if the budget is tight. DTF if you're mixing fabric types or want detail.
- 12–49 shirts, 4+ colors or photo: DTF.
- 50–199 shirts, simple design under 4 colors: Screen wins on price.
- 50–199 shirts, complex design or mixed garment types: DTF.
- 200+ shirts, same design, same garment: Screen almost always wins.
- Performance or polyester fabric: DTF, regardless of quantity.
- One-off promo shirts, event giveaways, custom names/numbers per shirt: DTF.
Florida-specific notes
- Heat resistance: Both DTF and screen survive Florida heat fine. Neither melts in normal use. Even a 150°F+ hot car interior won't damage a properly cured print.
- Humidity & storage: Pre-press DTF transfers absorb humidity if they sit out — a real issue in SWFL summer when we hit 90%+ humidity for weeks. We store finished transfers in sealed bags inside our climate-controlled shop.
- Sun fading: Both methods fade roughly equally under direct Florida sun over the years. Usually the garment fabric fades first; the print outlasts the shirt's color.
- Performance fabrics: For outdoor teams running dri-fit polyester — landscapers, marine crews, construction — DTF is the only reliable answer. Screen and DTG don't bond to performance polyester well enough to recommend.
Need shirts for an outdoor crew?
If you're putting your logo on dri-fit polyester for a Florida outdoor team, DTF is what you want. Call (239) 880-6856 or WhatsApp 239-961-6856 with your quantity.
Quote my crew shirts →How we run it at Brittoprint
We do DTF in-house out of our Lehigh Acres shop — Epson F-Series printer, automated powder shaker, conveyor curing oven, the whole setup. That means we can hit small orders fast (one shirt for a customer who needs a uniform replacement) and mid-volume orders cleanly (50–150 shirts for a contractor's team) without bouncing the project to a third party.
For high-volume single-color jobs (200+ shirts, 1–3 colors), we partner with two trusted screen print shops in Lee County to get you the best per-shirt price. Same project management on our end, transparent markup, you talk to one shop instead of three.
Real examples from our shop
- Local landscaping company: 35 dri-fit performance shirts in 3 colors. DTF — the polyester fabric required it.
- Local church: 250 cotton tees, 2 colors, simple logo. Screen print through partner — saved them about $400 vs DTF at that volume.
- Brabo's Barbershop: 12 cotton tees in 4 colors with a detailed shop logo. DTF — small quantity plus color complexity made it the clear winner.
- Real estate brokerage: 80 polos with embroidery + 80 t-shirts with a DTF logo. Mixed — embroidery for the polos (more upscale on a polo collar), DTF for the tees.
The short version
If you're under 50 shirts or printing on performance fabric, go DTF. If you're over 200 shirts of the same simple design on cotton, go screen. Everything in the middle depends on the specifics — that's where it pays to get an actual quote on both methods and compare the real numbers.
Tell us your project.
Quantity, design, fabric — we'll quote both DTF and screen so you can compare. Call (239) 880-6856 or WhatsApp 239-961-6856.
Get my quote →