How to Print Logo on Shirt: A Clear Guide to Methods, Materials and Best Practices

Want a printed logo t-shirt that looks sharp and lasts? Decide whether you’ll use screen printing, heat transfer, direct-to-garment or embroidery based on design detail, fabric and quantity, because that choice determines cost, durability and final appearance.

Gather a high-resolution logo file, pick the right shirt fabric and colour, and confirm sizing and placement before ordering or printing — these small choices prevent costly mistakes. Whether you DIY at home or use a professional service like T-shirt printing Manchester, knowing the basics puts you in control of quality and cost.

Key Takeaways

• Pick a printing method that fits your design complexity and order size.

• Prepare a high-resolution logo and choose fabric and colour carefully.

• Follow placement and care guidelines to keep the print looking good.

Methods for Printing a Logo on a Shirt

Choose a method based on design complexity, fabric type, order size and budget. Each approach below lists setup needs, cost factors, colour limits, durability, and ideal use cases to help you decide.

Screen Printing Techniques

Screen printing uses a stencil (screen) and ink pushed through mesh onto fabric. It excels for bold, flat-colour graphics and large runs because each colour requires its own screen, so per-unit cost falls as quantity rises.

Key steps:

• Create vector separations for each colour.

• Expose screens with emulsion and the film positives.

• Align screens on a press and pull ink through with a squeegee.

• Cure ink with conveyor dryer or heat press for durability.

Pros and cons:

• Pros: very durable, vibrant on dark garments, cost-effective for 20+ pieces.

• Cons: not cost-effective for small runs, struggles with fine photographic detail, each colour adds labour and cost.

  
  

Material and ink choices matter. Use plastisol for longevity and opacity on dark shirts, water-based for softer feel on light fabrics, and discharge for vintage looks on cotton. Choose mesh count (e.g., 110–160 for solids, 230+ for fine detail) to match ink and design.

T shirt printing Manchester recommends screen printing for bulk orders of printed logo t-shirt designs, especially when bold colours and durability are a priority.

Heat Transfer Printing

Heat transfer applies a printed logo t-shirt design onto fabric using heat and pressure. It covers a wide range: vinyl cutting (HTV), printed transfers (sublimation or pigment transfer), and commercial transfer paper.

How it works:

• For HTV: cut mirrored vinyl, weed excess, and press onto garment with a heat press.

• For printed transfers: print design on transfer paper, then heat-press to transfer ink to fibres.

• Sublimation requires polyester or polyester-coated substrates and uses dye-sublimation inks.

Advantages and limitations:

• Advantages: good for small orders, full-colour prints without screen setup, and precise placement.

• Limitations: HTV can feel thick on large areas, printed transfers may crack over time, and sublimation only works on polyester or light-coloured garments.

  
  

Temperature, pressure and dwell time matter. Typical settings: HTV ~150–170°C for 10–15s; printed transfers often 160–180°C for 15–25s. Always test on sample garments to avoid scorching and ensure washfastness.

T-shirt printing Manchester often uses heat transfer for limited runs of printed logo t-shirt designs with intricate details or for custom one-off creations.

Direct-to-Garment (DTG) Printing

DTG prints ink directly onto fabric using inkjet technology. It reproduces complex, photo-quality designs with unlimited colours and fine gradients, ideal for detailed one-off prints and small runs.

Process essentials:

• Pretreat the garment (especially dark fabrics) to improve ink adhesion.

• Load a high-resolution PNG or TIFF with a transparent background.

• Use a DTG printer to lay down water-based textile inks, then cure with heat to fix.

Strengths and limitations:

• Strengths: excellent for small quantities, minimal setup, best for cotton or high-cotton blends, fine detail reproduction.

• Limitations: slower per unit than screen printing, less durable on dark shirts without proper pretreatment, higher per-item cost for large runs.

  
  

Maintain your printer and use proper pretreat and curing to prevent fading and poor wash performance. Expect softer hand-feel than transfers; however, repeated heavy washing can reduce vibrancy unless cured correctly.

For a printed logo t-shirt with vibrant, detailed graphics in small quantities, T-shirt printing Manchester recommends DTG as the ideal solution.

Essential Tips for Successful Logo Printing

Choose the right fabric, prepare a high-resolution vector logo, and follow proper washing and heat-setting procedures to make your Printed logo t shirt durable and sharp. Small choices—fabric weight, colour contrast, file format, and ink type—have a big impact on final results.

Selecting Quality Fabrics

Pick fabric with a tight knit and even surface for crisp prints. For cotton, choose 180–220 g/m² ringspun cotton to reduce texture showing through; for blends, aim for 60/40 cotton-poly for balance between softness and ink adhesion. Avoid open-weave or heavyweight fleeces unless you plan to use specialised printing like puff or embroidery.

Match fabric colour to ink or use an underbase for dark garments to maintain colour fidelity. Pre-shrunk garments prevent post-print distortion; always check the garment label for shrinkage rates. For moisture-wicking sportswear, select polyester with a matte finish and use sublimation printing for durable, breathable results.

Test-print on the same fabric batch before full production. Even identical labelled garments can vary by dye lot, so a 1–2 sample run saves rework and ensures the print sits and stretches correctly.

Preparing a Print-Ready Logo

Provide a vector file (.AI, .EPS, .SVG) or a 300–600 dpi raster at final print size in CMYK or spot colours. Convert fonts to outlines and embed or attach linked images. Keep artwork at the actual print dimensions to avoid unintended scaling artefacts.

Limit colours for screen printing; use Pantone (PMS) spot colours where exact matching matters. For DTG, flatten layers, remove transparency, and use sRGB profiles; ensure white ink separations are correct for dark garments. Save a transparent PNG for heat transfer and embroidery digitising.

Simplify fine details below 1 mm; tiny lines and small text often disappear in fabric printing. Create a colour-proof and a registration mock-up on a garment template, and request a physical sample or digital colour-rendering with ICC profiles before approving production.

For the best results with your Printed logo t shirt, consult with T shirt printing Manchester for expert guidance on artwork preparation and fabric selection.

You may also find our blogs T-shirt with Logo on Back and Logo Printing Price helpful for exploring placement options and understanding printing costs in more detail.

Caring for Printed Shirts

Turn shirts inside out before washing to protect the print surface and reduce abrasion. Use cold water and a mild detergent; avoid bleach and harsh stain removers that degrade inks and fibres. Line-dry or tumble dry on low to preserve print adhesion and brightness. Printed logo t shirt care is essential for maintaining vibrant designs, especially with products from T-shirt printing Manchester.

Iron on the reverse side or place a Teflon sheet over the print; never iron directly on plastisol or heat-transfer areas. For long-term storage, fold shirts rather than hang them to avoid stretching shoulder seams and distorting prints. T-shirt printing Manchester recommends these steps for every printed logo t-shirt to ensure longevity and keep your shirts looking fresh.

If prints show cracking or lifting, stop machine drying and consult your printer about possible re-heat or repair options. Trust T-shirt printing Manchester for advice on how to restore your printed logo t-shirt and keep it in top condition.