Can you print on dark garments?
Yes. DTF, screen printing, DTG and embroidery all work on dark and black garments. Sublimation is the exception — it only works on light-coloured polyester, because the dye is transparent and cannot print white. On dark fabric a print needs a white underbase beneath the colours so they stay bright, which is why DTG on black costs a little more than DTG on white and why screen print on black is one extra screen.
Dark garments by method
| Method | On dark garments | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| DTF | Excellent | Nothing — the white layer is printed on the film as standard |
| Screen printing | Excellent | One extra screen for the white underbase |
| DTG | Good | Pre-treatment plus a white underbase; a small surcharge |
| Embroidery | Excellent | Nothing — thread is opaque |
| Discharge print | Excellent on 100% cotton | Removes the dye instead of covering it; the softest print on black |
| Sublimation | Not possible | Needs a light polyester base |
| Vinyl | Excellent | Nothing |
Which to choose on black
For a bold logo at volume, screen print with an underbase — the most durable and cheapest per piece above about 150. For full colour or detail in a small run, DTF, which is our default on dark garments. For the softest possible finish on a black cotton tee, discharge printing, which bleaches the dye out where the design sits and leaves the print as soft as the shirt. For a premium logo, embroidery. DTG on black works for a few pieces or a photograph, but for a hundred or more a screened underbase — hybrid printing — is faster and more consistent.
Colour on dark fabric
Whatever the method, colours on black are approved on a strike-off or a printed sample, because an underbase changes how a colour reads and a screen cannot show it. Light colours and whites print cleanly; very dark colours on black — a navy, a charcoal — need contrast to be seen at all, and we will say so on the mockup.
Related questions
- Why does DTG cost more on black?
- Pre-treatment and a white underbase roughly double the ink and time per piece.
- Can you sublimate a black shirt?
- No — sublimation dye is transparent. Use DTF on dark polyester.
- Can you print white ink?
- Yes — in screen print, DTF and DTG. White is the underbase, and it can be the design too.
- What is discharge printing?
- A screen-print ink that removes the garment's dye and replaces it with pigment, on 100% cotton. The softest print you can put on a black tee.
Where to go next
More questions on decoration
Which decoration method should I use?
It depends on your artwork, your fabric and your quantity. Embroidery for logos and a premium, durable feel on polos, caps and fleece.…
Can I have embroidery and printing on the same garment?
Yes, and it is common: an embroidered chest logo with a printed back, a puff-print wordmark with a flat embroidered detail, a sublimated…
How long will the print or embroidery last?
Properly cared for, longer than the garment. Decoration fails because of heat — hot washes and tumble drying — and abrasion, not age.…
Ask us the rest
Send the garment, the quantity and any date you are working to. A real price and a mockup come back, usually within a working day.
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