The Best Way to Print Custom Hoodies (Screen, DTF or Embroidery)

A hoodie is the single most-ordered piece in our Ottawa shop — grad classes, hockey teams, startups, church groups, food trucks, and just about every staff Christmas order ends up being hoodies. And the first question is always the same: what's the best way to print them? Screen print, DTF, or embroidery? The honest answer is that all three are great — the trick is matching the method to your design, quantity, budget, and how long you need it to last.

We run all three under one roof, so we don't care which one you pick — we just want your custom hoodiesto look right and cost the least. Here's the same advice we'd give you across the counter.

The 30-second answer

If you only read this far: small batch or full-colour art → DTF; big run with a few solid colours → screen printing; clean logo with a premium feel → embroidery. A hoodie is a thicker, heavier garment than a tee, so a couple of things shift versus printing shirts — the screen-printing crossover happens at a slightly higher quantity, and embroidery looks especially good on the fleece weight. Everything below is the detail behind that rule.

How each method works on a hoodie

Screen printing burns each ink colour into its own mesh screen, then pushes ink onto the fleece. Setup takes time per colour, so it earns its keep on bigger runs of the same design. On a hoodie the ink sits bold and thick — that classic, slightly raised team-hoodie feel — and it lasts for years.

DTF (direct-to-film)prints your design in full colour onto a film, then heat-presses it onto the hoodie. No screens, no per-colour setup, so it's unbeatable for one-offs, small batches, and detailed multi-colour artwork. We cover the full trade-off in our DTF vs screen printing guide.

Embroiderystitches the design straight into the fabric with thread. It never cracks, peels, or fades, and it gives that upscale, corporate-gift look. It's priced by stitch count, not colour count, and it's ideal for a tidy left-chest logo. See our embroidery service for the details.

Hoodie printing, head to head

When DTF is the right call

• Small batches. A dozen grad hoodies, eight for a startup, or a single one-off? DTF, every time — there's no screen setup to spread out, so a small run stays affordable.
• Full-colour or photo art. Big back prints, mascots, gradients, photos — DTF reproduces every colour at one flat price, which is exactly why it dominates the small-run hoodie world.
• Everyone gets something different. Names and numbers on a team hoodie, or a roster where each piece varies — DTF handles per-piece changes without re-screening.

Most of the one-and-two-piece hoodie orders that come through our online mockup creator are DTF — design it, see it, and we print it fast. You can read more on our DTF printing page.

When screen printing wins

• Bigger runs. 24, 50, 100+ hoodies with a one or two-colour design — screen printing's per-hoodie cost drops below DTF as the setup spreads across the order.
• Bold, solid graphics. Nothing beats a screen-printed solid on fleece for that punchy, classic team-hoodie look. Perfect for school spirit wear and event merch.
• Maximum print durability. A quality screen print on a hoodie that gets washed every week is about as bulletproof as a print gets.

Hoodies sit a little higher on the screen-printing crossover than tees because the blank itself costs more, so the setup needs more pieces to pay for itself. Our screen printing page and our Ottawa printing cost guide show where the numbers land for your quantity.

When embroidery is the move

For staff hoodies, contractor crews, real-estate teams, and anyone who wants a premium, corporate look, a small embroidered left-chest logo is hard to beat. The stitched logo is raised, classy, and lasts the entire life of the garment — it won't crack or peel no matter how many washes it sees through an Ottawa winter. It also pairs perfectly with custom uniforms and custom hatsif you're building a full branded kit. The catch: embroidery isn't for big or photo-style art — keep it to a clean logo and it'll look sharp. We compare it directly in screen printing vs embroidery.

A quick word on the blank itself

The print is only half the hoodie — the garment matters just as much. A heavier midweight fleece (think 8–9 oz) feels premium and holds a print beautifully, which is what we steer most grad and staff orders toward. A cotton-rich blend gives the softest hand for screen printing; a poly blend resists shrinking but can be prone to dye-migration under heat, so we choose inks and films accordingly. If you're kitting out a team, you can match the hoodies to custom jerseysfor a consistent look. Not sure which blank? That's what the free mockup conversation is for.

Make it last: care for a printed hoodie

Whatever method you choose, the print lasts longer if you wash the hoodie inside-out in cold water and skip the high-heat dryer cycle. That's true of DTF and screen prints alike; embroidery doesn't care, but the fleece around it appreciates the gentle treatment too. Clean, high-resolution artwork also prints sharper — if all you have is a small or blurry logo, run it through our free image vectorizer first so the lines come out crisp on press day.

Hoodie printing near me, in Ottawa

We're a real Ottawa shop, not a faceless online order form. Every hoodie is printed in-house, you get a same-day quote and a free digital mockup before you pay a cent, and turnaround is typically 2–5 business days after you approve (rush available if your grad or event date is tight). There are no minimums for DTF — we'll print one — and screen printing starts around half a dozen. Free local pickup and delivery cover Ottawa and the whole National Capital Region: Kanata, Barrhaven, Nepean, Orléans, Gloucester, Stittsville, Westboro, the Glebe, Hintonburg, Manotick, and over to Gatineau. Shipping is free on orders over 12 pieces.

Still not sure? We'll pick for you

You really don't have to decide. Tell us the design, the quantity, and your deadline, and we'll quote whichever method gives you the best-looking hoodie for the lowest price — whether that's DTF, screen printing, embroidery, or a mix on the same order.

Frequently asked questions