It is surprising how big of a difference there can be between two seemingly similar things as screen printing and heat pressing. However, when you take the time to look at them and study the two processes, it becomes clear that they are not the same thing.

Screen printing is an age-old process in which ink or dye is transferred from a squeegee or roller onto a textile by placing it under some frame with a mesh or stencil. They use what’s known as dry printing because they are laying down one color at a time without any water involved.

On the other hand, Heat pressing is an ancient method that uses a hot metal die to impress intricate designs onto fabric. Some cultures have used it as a form of jewelry making or decoration. Still, with the computer and laser cutting technology available today, heat pressing is now easily replaced by screen printing. Here are their differences.

1. Durability

Heat pressed designs are not as durable as screen printed ones. The reason is that the heat used in the heating process can easily damage the fibers of a garment, which will eventually cause them to deteriorate over time. It is particularly true if you don’t use high-quality heat press machines and fabrics.

Screen-printed t-shirts, on the other hand, are more durable because they have a much higher degree of ink penetration, which makes them more resistant to fading and cracking when exposed to sunlight or various weather conditions. Statistically speaking, you can expect your screen-printed t-shirt to last at least three times longer than one made from heat-pressed designs.

2. Texture

Heat-pressed designs tend to be more smooth, and they tend pressed without the use of any mesh or stencil. For the most part, there is the usage of a very thick mesh or stencil, but it would require too much pressure to press through the fabric. It is also why you can’t see the design behind a heat-pressed t-shirt.

Screen-printed designs, on the other hand, are created using special screens that make it possible for the ink or dye to penetrate much deeper into the fabric so you can see some of the design’s details when looking closely at it. Screen printing provides a much more tactile and texturized feel than heat pressing.

3. Colors

Screen-printed garments can have a wider range of colors because there is doing screen printing without using any color dyes. It means that if you want a multicolored design, all you have to do is use as many screens as there are colors, and you can enjoy great flexibility when it comes to mixing and matching colors in your designs.

However, with heat-pressed designs, there are no other ways but to limit them to one or two colors only because it requires too much time and effort for anything else. The perfect thing about heat presses is that they can heat up and cool down more than a hundred times a day, which means that you only need to prepare the design once, and you can use it over and over again.

4. Production Capacity

Screen printing is not meant for mass production because many people will be involved in the process. There will always be a need for someone who designs the design, someone who makes the screens where there is the placement of the design, and someone who will print it through special screens. It is something that will slow down production time and make it harder to meet deadlines.

However, with heat pressing, you don’t need a lot of people to help you out. The person who runs the machine will be in charge of the whole process because it only needs one press at a time. They can take care of all the design requirements before and after production.

In conclusion, screen printing is sure to be a great fit for most people because it is much easier to produce quality garments with it. It will also help you save time, effort, and money by not wasting time and money on screen printing equipment.

However, the more times you do heat pressing in your life, the faster you will get bored of doing just that one thing. Heat pressing can be a great workout, too, but not if your entire day consists of standing over a machine with an air hose spraying steam all over the place.