Screen Printing Isn't One Process - It's Three
DTG lays ink into the fabric surface. Screen printing deposits ink on top of it, through a mesh stencil, then cures it with heat. That difference matters more on some of our styles than others. Across our lineup with 100% combed cotton tees and tanks (5.5oz, 185 GSM), the 87% cotton / 13% polyester fleece Oversized Hoodie, and the 87% nylon / 13% spandex Performance Polo - screen printing performs differently depending on what the ink is actually bonding to.
Plastisol on Cotton: The Reliable Default
Our tees, tanks, and hoodie are all cotton-dominant, and plastisol ink was built for exactly this. It sits on the surface of a tight, combed-cotton knit and cures at 320–330°F, fusing into a smooth, opaque layer that holds detail well even on multi-color runs. The 185 GSM weight on our tees and tanks matters here: a lighter, looser knit lets plastisol sink unevenly and can scorch through on thin spots. Our midweight construction gives the ink a consistent, stable surface to cure against, which is why registration holds up across a full press run instead of drifting color to color.
Water-Based and Discharge Ink: Where They Actually Work
Water-based and discharge inks soak into the fiber instead of sitting on top, giving a softer hand-feel but they only work on high cotton content, and they need higher cure temps (up to 320°F+ with longer dwell time) to fully set. That makes them a strong option on our tees, tanks, and the hoodie's cotton-rich fleece. They are not a fit for the Performance Polo's nylon-spandex knit, which has almost no cellulose fiber for the ink to bond into.
The Performance Polo Needs a Different Ink System Entirely
Standard plastisol was formulated for natural fibers, and it under-performs on synthetic knits: on 87/13 nylon-spandex, ordinary plastisol can crack or lift as the spandex stretches and recovers. This is the same reason we've steered decorators toward embroidery on the Polo in past guidance but for shops set on screen printing it, the fix is a low-cure or specialty plastisol formulated for poly/nylon blends, cured at a lower temperature (around 280–300°F) to avoid scorching or discoloring the synthetic yarn, paired with a low-bleed base if the garment color is dark.
Mesh Count Changes the Result More Than Most Buyers Expect
A lower mesh count (110–156) lays down more ink and suits bold, single-color logos on the tees and hoodie. A higher mesh count (156–230) is needed for fine detail or halftones, but it deposits a thinner ink layer which is where our tighter knit surface helps most, since it gives fine lines a clean, non-fuzzy edge to print against instead of catching on loose fibers.
Bottom Line
If you're screen printing our tees, tanks, or hoodie, standard plastisol at 320–330°F is a safe, proven default, with water-based or discharge as an upgrade for softer-hand designs. If you're printing the Performance Polo, plan for a low-cure, poly-compatible ink system rather than a standard plastisol run or consider embroidery, which remains the more forgiving option on that fabric.
