Screen printing and vinyl transfer are the two most common ways to get custom artwork onto a t-shirt, hoodie or cap, and each suits a different kind of order. Rafiki's Creation Station prints using both, choosing whichever method fits the artwork.
What is screen printing?
Screen printing pushes ink through a fine mesh stencil directly onto the fabric, one colour layer at a time. The ink sits into the weave of the shirt rather than as a layer on top, which is why screen-printed designs tend to feel softer and last longer through repeated washes.
Because a separate stencil is needed for each colour, screen printing is most cost-effective when you're printing the same design multiple times — a team run, a school order, or a bulk batch for an event.
What is vinyl transfer?
Vinyl transfer cuts the design out of coloured vinyl sheet, then heat-presses it onto the shirt as a single layer. There's no setup cost per colour, which makes it the better choice for one-off designs, names and numbers, or artwork with fine detail and lots of colours.
Vinyl sits slightly on top of the fabric rather than into it, giving a crisper, more defined edge on detailed artwork — useful for text, small logos, or intricate line work.
Which one should you choose?
As a rough guide: screen print for bulk/team orders where the same design repeats across many shirts, and vinyl transfer for single shirts, personalised names, or detailed one-off artwork.
You don't have to decide this yourself — send your idea over WhatsApp and Rafiki's will recommend whichever method suits your artwork best.