Why we tell customers not to use the method they asked for
About one enquiry in four asks for a decoration method that will not serve the garment, the artwork or the quantity it is meant for. We run every method under one roof in Lahore, so we have nothing to gain from steering anyone toward one. What we gain from saying no is a customer who comes back. Here are the six cases we see most.
- 50
- Piece minimum, mixed sizes
- 7–10
- Days at our fastest
- Lahore
- Our own factory, one roof
- 97
- Countries we ship to
Why a print shop cannot say this
A shop with a DTG machine sells DTG. A screen printer sells screen print. Neither is dishonest; each recommends the method it owns, and every job looks like a nail. A factory that runs screen, DTG, DTF, sublimation, embroidery and puff on the same floor recommends the method that will still look right after fifty washes, because that is the only way the customer reorders.
Six cases, and what we said instead
| Asked for | Because | We said | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| DTG on a polyester gym tee | Detailed artwork | DTF, or sublimation for all-over | DTG ink bonds to cotton; on polyester it prints dull and washes out |
| Screen print, 50 tees, 6 colours | 'Screen print lasts' | DTF | Six screens on 50 pieces is $180 of setup for a halftone DTF does better with none |
| Embroidery of a fine-line logo | 'Embroidery is premium' | Simplify it, or DTF | Strokes under 4 mm cannot be stitched cleanly; the result would be mud |
| DTF, 500 one-colour workwear polos | It was quoted first | Screen print | At 500 pieces screen print is half the price and twice the wash life |
| Full-back embroidery on a 180 gsm tee | A big logo | Screen print, or embroider a chest mark | A dense 30 cm embroidery on light fabric puckers and stiffens the whole back |
| Sublimation on a black cotton hoodie | 'The design becomes part of the fabric' | DTF or hybrid | Sublimation needs white polyester; on black cotton it is invisible |
The four questions that decide the method
What is the fabric? Cotton, polyester or a blend. This alone rules out DTG for anything with polyester and sublimation for anything without it.
How many colours, and is there a gradient or a photograph? One to four flat colours points to screen print. More, or any continuous tone, points to digital.
How many pieces? Below 150, methods with no setup — DTF, DTG — usually win. Above it, screen print's setup is spread thin and its per-piece price falls below everything else.
How will it be worn and washed? Daily at 60°C: screen print, embroidery or sublimation. Occasionally: anything. For sport: nothing heavy on the surface.
Why the no is worth more than the yes
A yes costs us nothing today and costs the customer the order. A DTG print on polyester looks fine on delivery and washes out by week three; the customer does not reorder and does not say why. A no costs a slightly awkward email and produces a garment that is still right in a year. Every long-term customer we have was told no at least once, usually early.
It also costs us less. The right method is almost always the cheaper one to produce well — the wrong method is the one that generates remakes, complaints and credit notes.
How we quote
Every quote prices the method you asked for and, where a different method would serve the job better, prices that too, side by side, with one line on why. You choose. Most people choose the recommendation; some have a reason to prefer the original, and that is fine — the point is that the choice is made with the information.
The calculator on this site does a version of this automatically: enter the garment, the placement and the quantity, and it prices the methods that suit the fabric, so the wrong one is not on the list.
Common questions
- Will you print with the method I ask for even if you recommend another?
- Yes. We quote both, say why, and you choose. The only methods we refuse outright are ones that will physically fail — DTG on polyester, sublimation on cotton or black.
- How do you decide which method to recommend?
- Fabric, colour count, quantity and how the garment will be worn and washed. Those four answers narrow it to one or two methods; price decides between them.
- Is the recommended method usually cheaper?
- Usually, yes — the right method for a job is generally the one that produces it most efficiently. Where it costs more, we say so and why.
- Why not just do what the customer asks?
- Because a print that fails in the wash costs the customer the order and us the reorder. The no is the more useful answer and the better business.
- Can I mix methods on one garment?
- Yes — embroidery on the chest with a screen-printed back is common. Each placement is chosen and priced on its own merits.
- What if I disagree with your recommendation?
- Tell us why. Sometimes there is a reason we did not know — a brand standard, a match to an existing product — and the original method is right after all.
- Does the calculator recommend a method?
- It prices the methods that suit the fabric you chose, so an impossible combination is not offered. The full recommendation comes with the quote.
- Do you charge for advice on method?
- No. It is part of every quote, because the quote is wrong without it.
Where this applies
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Ask us which method
Send the artwork, the garment and the quantity. We will quote the method you asked for and the one we would use, side by side, within a working day.
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