Screen Printing vs DTG vs Embroidery: The Complete Guide for UK Fashion Brands

Whether you're launching a streetwear label, a tour merch range, or a corporate uniform line, one decision shapes everything: how you decorate your garments. The right method affects quality, cost, turnaround time, and ultimately how your product feels in your customer's hands. Here's a no-nonsense breakdown of every major decoration technique — and when to use each one.

Screen Printing

Screen printing is the gold standard for high-volume apparel decoration. Ink is pushed through a mesh screen directly onto the fabric, producing bold, vibrant colours with exceptional durability that lasts wash after wash.

Best for: ✅

• Runs of 50+ units per design

• Bold, graphic artwork with 1–8 colours

• T-shirts, hoodies, and heavyweight blanks

• Fashion brands that need consistent, repeatable colour

Not ideal for: ❌

• Full-colour photography or complex gradients

• Very small runs (setup costs make it expensive at low quantities)

• Designs with more than 8 colour layers

At Elusiv, our Leicester facility runs high-volume screen printing in-house, meaning faster turnarounds and no outsourcing markup. We use premium plastisol and water-based inks depending on your brand's requirements.

Direct-to-Garment (DTG) Printing

DTG uses a specialist inkjet printer to apply full-colour ink directly onto fabric. Think of it like printing a photo — every gradient, shadow, and detail comes through exactly as designed.

Best for: ✅

• Small-batch and sample runs with no minimum order quantity

• Complex, photographic, or full-colour artwork

• 100% cotton garments

• On-demand creators and independent artists

Not ideal for: ❌

• Synthetic or blended fabrics (ink adhesion is reduced)

• Very large runs where screen printing is more cost-effective

• Designs requiring a raised or textured feel

Elusiv operates DTG in-house alongside screen printing, so brands can mix production methods across a single collection without juggling multiple suppliers.

Direct-to-Film (DTF) Printing

DTF is one of the fastest-growing decoration methods of the last few years. A full-colour design is printed onto a special film, then heat-transferred onto the garment. Unlike DTG, DTF works on virtually any fabric — cotton, polyester, nylon, and blends.

Best for: ✅

• Mixed-fabric garments (hoodies, fleece, technical fabrics)

• Full-colour designs on non-cotton garments

• Brands wanting flexibility without MOQ restrictions

• High-detail work on darker fabrics

DTF fills the gap between DTG and screen printing — it's a versatile option that handles complex artwork across a wider range of blanks.

Embroidery

Embroidery stitches your design directly into the fabric using thread. The result is textured, premium, and highly durable — the decoration method of choice for workwear, caps, and elevated casualwear.

Best for: ✅

• Logos, crests, and text-based branding

• Caps, polos, jackets, and workwear

• Brands that want a premium, structured feel

• Designs that benefit from physical texture and weight

Not ideal for: ❌

• Large, complex, or photographic artwork

• Very fine detail (needles have physical limits)

• Lightweight fabrics where stitching may pucker

Our embroidery department at Elusiv handles everything from single logo placements to full all-over embroidery, with digitisation handled in-house for consistent stitch quality.

Garment Dyeing

Garment dyeing is where the finished, constructed garment — rather than the raw fabric — is put into a dye bath. The result is a rich, lived-in colour with natural variation that's become a hallmark of contemporary streetwear and premium casualwear.

Best for: ✅

• Brands chasing a vintage or washed aesthetic

• Collections built around soft, broken-in texture

• Premium product with distinctive colourways

• Pieces where the dye IS the story

Elusiv's in-house garment dyeing facility is one of a very small number in the UK. Combined with our screen printing and embroidery capabilities, it allows brands to layer decoration techniques on garment-dyed blanks for truly original product.

Which Method is Right for You?

There's no single best method — the right choice depends on your artwork, your fabric, your volume, and the feel you're after. Most established brands use a mix: screen printing for the core tee programme, embroidery for caps and outerwear, DTG or DTF for limited drops and sample development.

Elusiv handles all of the above under one roof, which means you can make those decisions without switching suppliers mid-collection. Book a call with our team to talk through your next project.