Jersey Shore—MTV’s iconic 2009–2012 reality show—chronicled the lives of eight housemates as they tanned, partied, and sold t-shirts. Between the beach and the bar, the Jersey Shore crew mastered the art of making and selling custom t-shirts as employees at the Shore Store.
This show isn’t just a cultural time capsule, it’s also an effective example of the benefits of heat press printing. The Shore Store sells hundreds of designs. Instead of keeping all of these products in stock, employees create shirts on-demand with stencils and a simple heat press.
This printing method is ideal for the Shore Store business model—one that prioritizes quick turnaround times and simple operations. If they had chosen screen printing, they’d have to dedicate large portions of each episode to calibrating exposure times and cleaning up ink, but they also would’ve had designs that could stand the test of time.
Finding the right printing process for your custom designs can help your business thrive.
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What is heat press printing?
Heat press printing is an image transfer method that involves creating a stencil on transfer paper and using a press to apply it to the fabric. Heat transfer printing techniques are compatible with many textile materials, including cotton and polyester.
Compared to traditional printmaking techniques, heat transfer printing is a fairly neat and simple process. There are two primary techniques: vinyl and digital. Vinyl printing uses a special heat transfer paper called heat transfer vinyl (HTV). You can print designs directly onto HTV or create simple stencils by cutting vinyl sheets into desired shapes. Digital heat transfer printing is a slightly newer process, and it requires a special solvent ink.
Both vinyl and digital heat press printing can use standard inkjet printers to create stencils. With heat press transfers, the stencil holds all of the dye so there’s no need to clean up leftover ink after transferring.
Pros and cons of heat press printing
Don’t base your business choices off the behavior on Jersey Shore. Weigh the pros and cons of heat press printing to decide if this method is right for your operations.
Pros
Heat press printing offers the following advantages:
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Wide range of products. Specialized curved heat presses can print on anything from hats to mugs. By adjusting pressure, temperature, and press shape, these machines ensure high-quality, long-lasting prints on curved, rigid, or flexible surfaces.
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Simple stencil creation process. Once you have a design, creating a heat transfer stencil is as simple as printing a return label. With just a standard printer and heat transfer paper, you can quickly produce stencils that are ready to be applied with a heat press—no advanced design skills required.
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Multi-color made easy. There’s no limit to the number of colors you can put in a design with this printing method. Heat transfer designs can even capture subtle color variations like shadows and gradients.
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Ideal for small orders. Heat transfer printing is quick and cost-effective for small orders. The simple setup process makes it relatively easy to put new designs into printing production and helps keep upfront costs down.
Cons
On the flip side, disadvantages include:
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Susceptible to wear and tear. Heat transfer vinyl designs can crack and fade over time—even with proper care. Repeated washing, exposure to heat, and everyday friction can gradually break down the design, especially on frequently worn or stretched fabrics.
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Inefficient for bulk orders. Even though the initial setup is quick, the actual heat transfer process is slow. The heat press machine has to be reloaded with a new stencil for each garment. This hands-on process contributes to a higher cost-per-item for bulk orders.
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Potential hazards. Depending on the printing style, heat transfer paper and dye can include PVC, resin, and other polymers. Applying heat and pressure to these chemicals could potentially lead to fume exposure.
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Size limitations. The printer and press determine the maximum design size for heat transfers. Larger designs often require printing and applying in sections, which can create alignment challenges and visible seams.
What is screen printing?
Screen printing is a traditional printmaking technique. To make a screen print, artists first build a stencil on porous material such as silk or mesh. Creating a design requires making some sections of the material solid or impenetrable.
When it’s time to print, you press or ink over the stencil. The ink passes through the permeable portions, and the final product is a negative (or inverse) of the starting image. Once a screen printing stencil has been created, it can be used over and over again to print multiple copies of the same design.
Pros and cons of screen printing
The first known examples of screen printing date back to the 10th century CE. This technique has stood the test of time because it can create beautiful, high-quality prints. Though there are benefits and drawbacks to creating custom screen printing designs to consider first.
Pros
Screen printing has several advantages, including:
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Produces durable prints. Screen-printed designs soak into the fabric’s fibers, creating high-quality images that should resist peeling and last for years. The ink bonds deeply with the material through multiple layers of application and high-heat curing, ensuring a long-lasting, professional finish even after repeated washes.
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Ideal for bulk ordering. Screen printing may require a substantial initial investment, but once the stencil has been created, printing costs should decrease significantly. This can result in a lower cost per item for bulk orders compared to other methods.
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Creates vibrant colors. High-quality printing ink has a high opacity and can create vibrant, colorful designs. By layering thick, pigment-rich inks and using color-mixing techniques, screen printing produces bold, eye-catching graphics that stand out on both light and dark fabrics.
Cons
Here are the cons of screen printing to consider:
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It can be complicated to set up. Creating screen printing stencils is time-consuming and requires specialized equipment. The process involves coating screens with emulsion, exposing them to light with a design template, and carefully washing out the stencil—steps that demand precision and the right tools.
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Multicolored designs are more complicated. The screen printing process can only render one color at a time. Printing with more than one color requires working with multiple screens and separate stencils. The extra materials and time make multi-colored designs expensive.
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Designs can’t be edited. You can’t edit physical screen printing stencils. For example, if you create a stencil reading “Annual World’s Best Dinner Party 2025,” you won’t be able to replace the five with a six when a new year rolls around. Even small changes require creating a new stencil.
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Intricacy is harder to pull off. Screen printing works best for simple designs and bold graphic prints, but it struggles with fine details. The process uses thick ink and mesh screens, which can’t always capture ultra-thin lines, small text, or intricate patterns with precision.
Heat press printing vs. screen printing: factors to consider
Two ecommerce entrepreneurs looking to get into the world of custom apparel may have entirely different needs and goals. An artist who wants to print her designs on limited edition custom t-shirts might prioritize design integrity and materials, while a bakery owner looking to print her logo on a line of branded merchandise might care more about value and ease.
The best printing method depends on factors such as:
Design style
Heat transfer prints can depict photorealistic images with fine details. Screen prints, on the other hand, tend to be less intricate and more stylized. The ability to render detail is rooted in the printing technique.
To understand this, it might help to think of the fine mesh screen used in the screen printing process as a computer printer. In this scenario, each tiny hole in the screen is equivalent to a pixel—finer screens can print in more detail, but are also much harder to work with.
You can measure mesh density in threads per square inch. 110 and 156 mesh screens are both common for printing. Standard printers, like the ones used to create heat transfer stencils, print at a resolution of about 300 pixels per square inch.
Budget
If you’re looking for the least expensive printing option, it can be hard to get a straight answer. This is because the cost per item varies depending on how many products you order.
Printing businesses may offer bulk discounts or charge a set-up fee for creating silk screen stencils. It can be hard to justify this upfront cost if you’re only printing a few items but the calculation changes if you're printing large quantities with the same design.
Silk screen setup fees are a one-time charge—you can amortize the cost of creating a stencil across all of your products. This often makes screen printing cheaper in the long run;
Product standards
Both of these printing methods can create beautiful customized designs. Screen printing is generally better at producing durable prints with saturated colors that won’t fade after machine washing. With screen printing, you press the ink into fabric to create a long-lasting print.
Heat transfers, on the other hand, sit on top of the fabric as a single applied sheet. These designs are more susceptible to cracking or peeling up at the edges over time. If you're looking to print intricate designs with multiple colors, heat transfer methods might still be the best choice.
Heat press vs. screen print FAQ
Is screen printing or heat press better?
The best printing technique depends on your individual needs. Heat transfer printing is cost-efficient for small orders and can create detailed, multi-color designs. Screen-printed designs may be more durable and less expensive for bulk orders.
What are the disadvantages of heat press printing?
Some heat press printed products, especially vinyl heat transfer products, are prone to cracking and fading. Heat transfer printing can be a budget-friendly way to produce small product runs, but it is often more expensive than screen printing for bulk orders.
Do heat press shirts last?
Design durability varies depending on the exact printing process. Sublimation heat transfers resist cracking and peeling in the wash, but with UV light exposure, they may fade over time. DTF and vinyl designs can crack or peel with extended wear.
