Screen Print vs DTG vs Edge-to-Edge Tea Towel Printing

by: Mary's Kitchen Towels Team | March 2026

You've got your design. You've decided on flour sack cotton. Now you're staring at three printing options — screen printing, DTG, and edge-to-edge — and none of the descriptions quite tell you what you actually need to know: which one is right for your specific design, your quantity, and what you're trying to do with these towels.

We've been printing on cotton since 2006. Every week we talk to artists heading to their first craft fair, brands ordering for trade shows, and wholesale buyers restocking retail accounts. The question we get most often — before almost any other — is this one. So here's how we actually think about it.

The Short Answer

Screen Print

Your design is a logo, text, or solid-color illustration — clean edges, 1–4 distinct colors, no gradients.

DTG

Your design is full-color artwork, a painting, or has gradients — unlimited colors, no minimum on tea towels. Available on natural and white canvas.

Edge-to-Edge

You want your design to cover the entire towel surface with no white borders — patterns, botanicals, full-bleed artwork.

Most decisions are that straightforward. But the details matter — especially if you're ordering for resale, scaling a design that worked at DTG quantities up to wholesale, or trying to decide whether your artwork is better served by one method or another. Read on.

Screen print vs DTG vs edge-to-edge custom printed tea towels side by side — Mary's Kitchen Towels — Left to right: screen printed, DTG, and edge-to-edge printed flour sack towels. Three methods, three distinct results.

Screen Printing The Right Choice for Bold, Simple Designs

25 pc min

Screen printing is the oldest of the three methods and, for the right design, still the best. Ink is pushed through a mesh stencil directly into the cotton fiber. Each color in your design requires its own screen. The result is a print with clean edges, vibrant color, and a slight tactile presence on the surface — you can feel a well-executed screen print when you run your hand across it.

What screen printing does exceptionally well is produce consistent, bold results across large runs. Once the screens are made, each towel comes out identical. That consistency is exactly what you want if you're supplying a retail account, fulfilling a corporate order, or printing branded towels for an event where every piece needs to look the same.

✓ Works well for

Logos with clean edges and solid fills
Text — names, slogans, dates
Illustrations with 1–4 distinct colors and no gradients
Repeat patterns where color consistency matters
Designs on natural or black canvas

✕ Doesn't work well for

Designs with more than 4 colors
Photographic images or subtle gradients
Watercolors, oil painting reproductions
Designs with soft or blended edges

Minimum: 25 pieces/design Colors: Up to 4 spot colors Max imprint: 12″×13.5″ Canvas: Natural + black Production: 2–3 weeks after proof approval File format: AI, EPS, PDF (vector) · PNG 300dpi+ accepted Color matching: Pantone (PMS) codes required

See our screen printing service for tea towels →

DTG Printing The Right Choice for Full-Color Artwork

No minimum

DTG — direct-to-garment — works like an inkjet printer for fabric. Water-based ink is sprayed directly into the cotton fiber rather than sitting on top of it. There are no screens, no color limits, and no setup costs. A design with 12 colors costs the same to print as one with 2.

This is the method that opened custom tea towel printing to artists. Before DTG, printing a watercolor illustration or a detailed botanical on a flour sack towel was either cost-prohibitive or technically impossible at short runs. DTG changed that. An artist can now test a new design at a single piece, see how it translates to fabric, and scale up once they know it sells — without committing to a minimum run first.

On our flour sack towels, DTG prints are placed in the tri-fold position — at the bottom third of the towel. When the towel is folded and hung over an oven handle, the full design is visible. The most popular size for DTG is 27″×27″, with a 14″×16″ imprint area.

✓ Works well for

Paintings, watercolors, soft-edge illustrations
Designs with more than 4 colors
Photography or photographic elements
Gradients, shadows, subtle tonal variations
Testing a design before a full run
Limited or one-of-a-kind artist pieces

✕ Limitations to know

Natural and white canvas only — not black or colored
Imprint area only — not full surface coverage
Not ideal for very fine lines under 1pt
Tote bags require 25 pc minimum (no min on tea towels only)

Minimum (tea towels): No minimum Minimum (tote bags): 25 pieces/design Colors: Unlimited Imprint area: 14″×16″ tri-fold position Canvas: Natural + white Production: 2–3 weeks after proof approval File format: PNG 300dpi+, transparent background, RGB

DTG uses water-based ink that bonds into the cotton fiber rather than building up on the surface — the print feels soft and moves naturally with the fabric. It won't crack, peel, or flake with regular washing.

See our DTG printing service for tea towels →

Edge-to-Edge Printing When the Whole Towel Is the Canvas

25 pc min

Edge-to-edge is the method most people don't know exists until they see it — and then immediately want it.

In standard DTG printing, the towel is pre-hemmed before printing. That means the design goes on a finished towel, and the hem creates a natural border. Edge-to-edge works differently: the fabric is printed on a continuous roll first, then cut and hemmed. The result is a design that runs completely to every edge of the towel — no white margins, no unprinted borders, no visual interruption between the design and the seam.

For artists with bold repeating patterns, large-scale botanical illustrations, landscape artwork, or any design meant to fill a full surface, edge-to-edge is the method that does justice to the work. It's consistently our most popular choice for artists supplying museum gift shops, souvenir stores, and independent boutiques — places where the towel itself needs to look like a finished product, not a printed blank.

Close-up of edge-to-edge printed tea towel showing design running to the hem — Mary's Kitchen Towels — The design runs right to the hem — no white border, no unprinted margin. This is what makes edge-to-edge different from every other printing method.

✓ Works well for

Repeating patterns — florals, geometrics, nature prints
Large-scale illustrations for full-surface coverage
Maps, cityscapes, and scenic artwork
Designs where white borders break the composition
Retail-ready towels for gift shops, museums, boutiques

✕ Limitations to know

25 piece minimum per design
Longer production: 3–5 weeks vs 2–3 for DTG/screen
Requires bleed area in artwork file
Natural and white canvas only — not black or colored

Minimum: 25 pieces/design Colors: Unlimited Coverage: Full surface — edge to edge Popular size: 19″×28″ (other sizes available) Canvas: Natural + white Production: 3–5 weeks after proof approval File format: PDF, PNG, AI, EPS — 300dpi+ with 1–2″ bleed

See our edge-to-edge printing service →

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Screen Printing	DTG	Edge-to-Edge
Best design type	Logos, text, spot colors	Artwork, photos, gradients	Patterns, large illustrations, full-surface
Color limit	Up to 4 spot colors	Unlimited	Unlimited
Minimum order	25 pieces/design	No minimum	25 pieces/design
Coverage	Imprint area (up to 12"×13.5")	Imprint area (14"×16" tri-fold)	Full surface, edge to edge
Canvas colors	Natural + black	Natural + white	Natural + white
Print feel	Slight surface texture	Soft — bonded into fiber	Soft — bonded into fiber
Production time	2–3 weeks after proof	2–3 weeks after proof	3–5 weeks after proof
Best file format	AI, EPS, PDF (vector)	PNG 300dpi+, transparent bg	PDF, PNG, AI, EPS + bleed
Cost at volume	Lower per unit at larger runs	Consistent at any quantity	Lower per unit at larger runs

Best Design Type

Screen PrintLogos, text, spot colors

DTGArtwork, photos, gradients

Edge-to-EdgePatterns, large illustrations

Color Limit

Screen PrintUp to 4 spot colors

DTGUnlimited

Edge-to-EdgeUnlimited

Minimum Order

Screen Print25 pieces/design

DTGNo minimum

Edge-to-Edge25 pieces/design

Coverage

Screen PrintImprint area (up to 12"×13.5")

DTGImprint area (14"×16" tri-fold)

Edge-to-EdgeFull surface, edge to edge

Canvas Colors

Screen PrintNatural + black

DTGNatural + white

Edge-to-EdgeNatural + white

Print Feel

Screen PrintSlight surface texture

DTGSoft — bonded into fiber

Edge-to-EdgeSoft — bonded into fiber

Production Time

Screen Print2–3 weeks after proof

DTG2–3 weeks after proof

Edge-to-Edge3–5 weeks after proof

Best File Format

Screen PrintAI, EPS, PDF (vector)

DTGPNG 300dpi+, transparent bg

Edge-to-EdgePDF, PNG, AI, EPS + bleed

Cost at Volume

Screen PrintLower per unit at larger runs

DTGConsistent at any quantity

Edge-to-EdgeLower per unit at larger runs

Custom printed flour sack tea towels in use at home — durable, machine washable, all three print methods — All three methods produce towels that are fully machine washable and get better with every wash.

The Questions We Get Most Often

My design has 5 colors. Does that automatically mean DTG?

Not necessarily. Look at the nature of those colors. If they're 5 clean, solid, separable colors with distinct edges — a flag, a logo, a geometric — screen printing may still work with a slight design simplification. If they blend into each other, have soft transitions, or you'd lose something important by reducing them, DTG is the right call. Send us the file and we'll tell you honestly.

I'm an artist. I want to sell these. Which method gives me the best margin?

DTG first, then edge-to-edge once you've confirmed a design sells. DTG has no minimum, so you can test a design at a single piece before investing in a run. Once you know something moves — at a fair, on Etsy, at a market — move it to edge-to-edge at 25 pieces for the best-looking retail product. Screen printing is the right move when you have a simple design and you're ordering 50+ pieces of the same thing.

What's the difference between DTG and edge-to-edge if they both use inkjet technology?

The process and the result. DTG prints onto a finished, pre-hemmed towel — the design sits in the imprint area with the hem as a natural frame. Edge-to-edge prints onto fabric on a roll before the towel is cut and hemmed — the design runs to every edge with no border. Same ink chemistry, completely different visual outcome. If you want your design to look like it was woven into the towel rather than printed onto it, edge-to-edge is what you're after.

I need these for a trade show in 6 weeks. What's realistic?

DTG or screen printing — both are 2–3 weeks production after proof approval, plus transit time. Add 1–2 days for proofing. Six weeks gives you reasonable buffer if you order in the next few days. Edge-to-edge at 3–5 weeks is tight but possible if you move quickly. Contact us with your deadline — we'll tell you exactly what's achievable.

Do all three methods wash the same way?

Yes. All three are machine washable. Cold water, gentle cycle, tumble dry low. The ink in all three methods bonds into the cotton fiber rather than sitting on top as a surface coating — which means no cracking, no peeling, and no color transfer in the wash.

Still Not Sure?

Send us your artwork. We review files before you order — at no cost, with no obligation. We'll tell you which method suits your design, flag any file issues before they become production problems, and give you an accurate quote. Most people who send a file have an answer within a business day.

→ See all custom printing services

Ready to get started? Get a free quote — no obligation.

Send us your artwork and quantity. We'll confirm the right printing method, review your file for free, and have a proof to you within 1–2 business days. Nothing prints until you approve it.

Get a Custom Quote → All Printing Services →

Written by

Mary's Kitchen Towels Team

We've been printing custom tea towels since 2006 — screen printing, DTG, and edge-to-edge on 100% flour sack cotton. Every order includes a free digital proof and nothing goes to print without your approval. Contact our team →

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