Custom apparel comes down to one decision most people make last and should make first: how the design gets onto the garment. Screen printing, direct-to-garment, embroidery and dye sublimation all put your logo on a shirt, and they are not interchangeable. The right one is set by three things you already know before you call anyone. How many pieces you need, what the garment is made of, and what the artwork looks like.
This is a plain guide to picking between the four methods Linprint offers for custom apparel and promotional products in Wilmington, NC, what each one is genuinely good at, and what to send so the first quote comes back right.
Key takeaways
- Quantity usually decides it. Screen printing starts at 12 pieces, embroidery at 6, and direct-to-garment and dye sublimation have no minimum.
- Fabric rules out options before you get to choose. Direct-to-garment wants cotton. Dye sublimation only works on polyester and light colors.
- Artwork decides the rest. Flat spot colors suit screen printing. Photographs and gradients suit direct-to-garment. Small text is the hardest thing to embroider.
- Linprint handles the artwork, proofs, ordering and quality checks in Wilmington. The decoration itself is done by their production partners.
- Apparel production runs about 7 to 10 business days after you approve the proof, and garment stock is the part nobody controls.
Start with quantity, because it removes options fastest
Before anything else, count the pieces. Quantity is the one input that eliminates methods outright rather than just making them less suitable, and it is the number a printer will ask for first.
If you need eight embroidered polos for a sales team, screen printing is already out. If you need 150 volunteer shirts in one color on one design, screen printing is almost certainly the answer and direct-to-garment would be a slow and expensive way to get there. Most apparel decisions in Wilmington are settled in that first sentence.
Screen printing: the value option from 12 pieces up
Screen printing is the workhorse for t-shirts, hoodies and team apparel, and Linprint sets its minimum at 12 pieces with the same design. It works by pushing ink through a stencil on a mesh screen, one screen per ink color, and that single mechanical fact explains everything else about it.
Because each color needs its own screen, the setup work is charged per color and then spread across the run. A two-color logo on 100 shirts is cheap per shirt. The same logo on 15 shirts carries the same setup over far fewer pieces. This is why screen printing gets better the more you order, and why it is the wrong tool for a run of eight.
It is the right call when the design is flat spot colors, the quantity is real, and the garment is a standard cotton or cotton blend tee. Bold, few colors, high count. That is the screen printing job.
Direct-to-garment: no minimum, full color, cotton first
Direct-to-garment printing, usually shortened to DTG, sprays ink straight onto the shirt the way an inkjet printer sprays onto paper. There are no screens, so there is no per-color setup, which is exactly why Linprint lists it with no minimum. One shirt is a legitimate order.
That makes it the method for full-color detail, gradients and photographic artwork, and for the small runs screen printing cannot reach economically. A staff shirt with a photograph on it, or twelve shirts in six different names, is a DTG job.
The constraint is fabric. DTG uses water-based ink and performs best on 100% cotton or high-cotton blends, because cotton absorbs the ink. On dark garments the process needs a pretreatment and a white underbase so the color sits bright instead of sinking into the fabric. None of that is a problem, but it is why a DTG quote asks what the garment is before it asks anything else.
Embroidery: thread instead of ink, from 6 pieces
Embroidery stitches the design in thread rather than printing it, and Linprint sets the minimum at 6 pieces. It is the finish that reads as professional on polos, hats, jackets and uniforms, and it is the reason a company polo looks like a company polo rather than a printed tee.
Two things about embroidery are worth knowing before you order. The first is digitizing: your logo has to be converted into a stitch file that tells the machine the path, direction and density of every stitch. That is a real production step, and it happens once per logo. The second follows from it. Thread has a minimum practical size, so very fine detail and small text are the hardest things to reproduce. A logo with a tagline in 6 point type will need the tagline enlarged, simplified or dropped.
The trade is durability. Stitched thread does not crack or wash off the way a print eventually can, which is why uniforms and hats go this route.
Dye sublimation: performance fabric, edge to edge
Dye sublimation is the fourth option and the most specialized. Heat turns the dye into a gas that bonds into the fiber itself, so the design is dyed into the fabric rather than sitting on top of it. There is no printed layer you can feel, and it can run edge to edge across a whole garment instead of stopping at a print area. Linprint lists it with no minimum.
It has one hard requirement. The process bonds to polyester, so it works on performance fabrics and jerseys and not on cotton. It also needs a light garment, because there is no white ink step to build on. Team jerseys, athletic wear and full-coverage designs are where it belongs.
What your artwork needs to be, method by method
The single biggest cause of a delayed apparel order is artwork that cannot be used as sent. What counts as usable changes with the method.
- Screen printing. Vector artwork with the colors separated. Each color becomes a screen, so the file needs to be built that way rather than flattened.
- Direct-to-garment. High resolution raster is fine, and gradients are welcome. Size the file at the print dimensions rather than scaling a small web image up.
- Embroidery. Vector again, and simplified. Expect fine detail and small text to be redrawn for stitch, and expect a one-time digitizing step.
- Dye sublimation. Build the file to the garment panel, including bleed past the edges, since the design runs to the seam.
If you are not sure what you have, Linprint’s guide to preparing artwork files for printing covers resolution, color and bleed in more detail, and applies to printed pieces as much as apparel. You can send what you have through the file upload page and let them tell you what is workable.
The proof is the step that protects the order
Linprint proofs apparel before production the same way they proof print, and on a garment order the proof is doing more work than people assume. It is where placement gets settled: left chest or full front, cap front or side, sleeve or back yoke. It is where thread and ink colors get matched against your brand colors. It is where a logo that is too detailed for stitch gets caught, while changing it still costs nothing.
It is worth being clear about who does what. Linprint handles the artwork, the proofs, the ordering and the quality checks from Market Street, and the decoration itself is done by their production partners. You deal with one local team on Market Street, which is the point of ordering apparel where you order your signage and your direct mail rather than through three separate portals.
Work the schedule backward from your date
Apparel production runs about 7 to 10 business days after you approve the proof. That figure moves with garment availability, decoration method, quantity and shop schedule, so treat it as the middle of the range rather than a promise.
The variable that catches people out is garment stock, because it is the one part of the job nobody controls. A specific style in a specific color in a full size run either exists in the warehouse or it does not. Choosing a garment early, and having a second choice ready, protects the date better than rushing the artwork does.
So count backward. Event date, then production, then proof approval, then artwork and garment selection. If the shirts are for an event that also needs signage, order them together: the tournament signage guide walks through the same backward-planning method for an event with eight jobs landing on one morning. Linprint’s turnaround times by service covers the rest of the catalog.
What to send so the first quote is right
An apparel quote needs less than people think, and the pieces it does need are the ones that usually arrive last. Send these together and the first number back is usable.
- Quantity and size breakdown. Not just 40 shirts. 40 shirts as 6 small, 14 medium, 14 large, 6 extra large.
- The garment. A style you have seen, or just the category: tee, polo, hoodie, cap, jacket, performance top.
- Where the decoration goes. Left chest, full front, back, sleeve, cap front. One location or several.
- The artwork. Whatever you have. The file type tells them more about the method than a description does.
- Your date. The day you need the goods in hand, not the day you would like to approve the proof.
Linprint replies to quote requests within one business day. You can request a quote online, call (910) 763-5103, or ask to see sample garments before production starts, which is the fastest way to settle a fabric question. The shop is at 3405 Market Street #2 in Wilmington and is open Monday through Thursday 8 to 4 and Friday 8 to 2.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order for custom t-shirts in Wilmington, NC?
It depends on the method. Linprint’s screen printing minimum is 12 pieces, embroidery is 6 pieces, and both direct-to-garment and dye sublimation have no minimum, so a single shirt is possible through those two.
Which is better for a company logo, screen printing or embroidery?
Screen printing suits bold designs on t-shirts and larger quantities. Embroidery gives a dimensional, professional finish on polos, hats, jackets and uniforms. Many businesses use both: screen-printed tees for events and staff, embroidered polos and caps for customer-facing roles.
Can you print a photograph on a shirt?
Yes, with direct-to-garment. It handles full-color detail, gradients and photographic artwork, and it has no minimum, so it also suits a run of one or two. Screen printing is not the right method for photographic artwork.
Why does embroidery cost more per piece on small orders?
Your logo has to be digitized into a stitch file before anything is sewn, and that is a one-time step per logo. Spread over 6 pieces it is noticeable. Spread over 60 it is not, and reorders of the same logo do not repeat it.
Does Linprint decorate the apparel in house?
No. Linprint handles the artwork, proofs, ordering and quality checks, and the decoration is done by their trusted production partners. You still deal with one local team in Wilmington for apparel, print and signage together.
Can apparel be coordinated with our printed materials?
Yes. Coordinating artwork, colors and placement across apparel, printed pieces, signage and vehicle graphics is the reason to use one shop. Linprint has been printing for Wilmington businesses since 1947, and you can reach them through the contact page.
