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A hoodie, simply stated, is a sweatshirt with a hood. It is somewhat similar to a sweatshirt. Sweatshirts are usually made of heavy cotton, which does not have a collar and is meant to be pulled over from head to torso.

The hoodies as a utilitarian garment originated in the 1930s in the United States of America. Back then, they were produced by Champion Products for labourers who used to protect themselves from the freezing cold in New York.

Over time, the hoodie culture started spreading along with hip-hop, which the masses adopted. Furthermore, the American movie Rocky published in 1976, proved to be a turning point in how hoodies are perceived and gave it iconic status.

Even today, hoodies are worn widely, especially by youngsters and young adults. People from all walks of life love hoodies or sweatshirts. People also gift hoodies to their loved ones to express their love and affection.

In recent times, custom hoodies have also gained popularity. People want to wear not just any hoodie, but they want to have a personalized hoodie—a hoodie designed by themselves, on their own. 

Some people love to design their own apparel, while others want to give a personal touch to a present they bought for their loved ones.

Everyone has their reasons. Thus to fulfil their desires to customize their hoodie, people often think of printing a picture on a hoodie which holds some significance in their lives. 

People put pictures that mean something to them or simply for aesthetics. Some people love to print a slogan, quote, or text they resemble, while some businesses use customized hoodies for their branding and marketing purposes. 

For instance, you may have often seen people wearing a custom t-shirt or a hoodie with a logo on it. The logo could be on their employer or a symbol representing an event they have attended in the past. These are examples of how even businesses use the power of customization to promote their businesses.

So, if you are planning to buy a hoodie or a customized hoodie, you must wonder how the hoodies are printed or which kind of printing is the best. 

But now you can stop worrying because, in this article, you will learn about the various types of hoodies and the various printing methods used while customizing hoodies. 

First, you must get familiar with the types of hoodies available in the market. There are multiple types of hoodies, for instance, pullover hoodies, zip-up hoodies, fitted, athletic, knit hoodies etc. But the most common and widely used hoodies are pullover hoodies and zip-up hoodies.

Pullover hoodies, as the name suggests, are meant to be pulled over from head to torso while wearing them and are warmer than zip-up hoodies. Besides, It is easy to print on their chest area and front pocket (also called kangaroo pocket). The only drawbacks of pullover hoodies are your can’t regulate the temperature as you can’t make them airy by unzipping them, and you have to wear them the same way every time, unlike zip-up hoodies.

On the other hand, Zip-up hoodies come with a zip and are meant to be worn like a shirt. Printing becomes a little challenging in these types of hoodies as the hoodie gets divided into two parts when unzipped, and the zip interferes with the entire look of the hoodie.

Before you customize your hoodie, you will be asked to choose between the two types of hoodies.

Methods Used for Printing Hoodies: 

Now that you might have chosen the type of hoodie you want to proceed with, the next question is, “what kind of printing method should I choose for my hoodie?”

To answer this question, let’s understand the various methods used to print hoodie designs.

1. Direct to Garment Printing (DTG):

DTG method is also known as Direct to Fabric printing, and as the name suggests, this method includes the use of a special printer which applies a thin ink on the hoodie while printing.

If you wish to use this method, you could upload your desired designs onto the computer, which would then command the printer to print the designs on the fabric. The ink used in this method is thin, which prevents the creation of thick layers on your shirt. The results of this method are generally excellent, but the only catch is that DTG printers costs around $20000. But you can always apply this method through a vendor.

2. Screen Printing:

Screen Printing is another famous yet easy method of hoodie printing. Screen printing is also known as silkscreen printing.

This method provides fantastic replication of the designs and is also used in professional settings.

This method is so widely used that if you purchased a t-shirt years ago and the design is still there, it is very likely to have been printed.

In this method, Each shade of ink is pushed through an alternate stencil (screen), layered onto the outer layer of the material (texture), and then heated to set the ink.

To print designs using this method, one requires a stencil or template, a mesh which helps hold the stencil still, a squeegee and the colours.

Before the printing begins, the mesh (usually made of nylon) must go through a cleaning process. 

After the mesh is cleaned, the ink is spilled on the mesh and then pressed by a squeegee so that the entire area is equally covered without any errors.

The design is then imprinted on the t-shirt, and if there is excess ink, it is wiped away.

Once done, the screen is removed and left to dry.

The printing done by the screen printing method is durable, vibrant and of better quality than the DTG method.

There are a few drawbacks of this method too. One, it cannot be used for complex designs that require multiple colours because it becomes difficult to use various colours with a mesh as the chances of getting it mixed or errors increase. Two, although the stencil can be used any number of times, the process might seem overly complicated for a small number of t-shirts.

3. Dye Sublimation:

Dye sublimation is a computerized printing innovation that utilizes heat transfer to apply a picture to the planned substance (which, in this case, would be your hoodie).

Although dye sublimation is similar to heat transfer, there are a few differences. For instance, dye sublimation involves a chemical reaction that turns the fluid into gas that bonds to the fibres and gives you astonishing results.

This process produces a long-lasting, soft, yet enduring print on synthetics like polyester. One thing to remember is that this method is not suitable for all kinds of fabrics. And also, this method is costly.

4. Heat Press Printing:

If you are a newbie or at-home designer, this method is suitable for you as it is cheap and easy to set up. But mind you, the quality might get compromised in this process.

Another benefit of using this technique is that you have the creative liberty to use or create your design. Moreover, you can also print a picture you found online or an image you clicked by yourself. 

To use heat press printing, you’ll need an inkjet or laser printer, an iron, a particular type of paper known as iron-on transfer paper, and a hoodie.

The process begins with printing the chosen graphics onto the iron-on transfer paper, and then you are supposed to use the iron or heat press to glue the design or print the design onto the sweatshirt.

One thing to remember is that this method works best on light-coloured shirts with dark graphics.

So, these are some of the most widely used methods for printing hoodies.

The best printing method for designing your hoodie depends on the fabric of your hoodie, the kind of design or graphic, the type of your hoodie and, at last, your preference. 

The best method is the one which suits your needs and gives your hoodie the best finishing. So go through the article if required and decide how you want to proceed. All the best!