It depends on how you look at the numbers. If you only compare the ink cost per piece, DTG white ink is indeed more expensive than screen printing ink. On a pure ink‑vs‑ink basis, screen printing might cost $0.03–$0.20 per garment, while DTG ink costs significantly more.

But that comparison misses a critical point: screen printing has many hidden costs beyond just the ink itself. Most printers who say “white ink is too costly” forget about the time and materials needed for screen making, coating, exposing, developing, reclaiming, and cleanup. Once you add all those hidden costs, the total expense of screen printing goes way up.

So the real question isn’t “Is DTG white ink expensive?” but “What does it really cost to finish the job?” – and that changes the picture completely.

When estimating screen printing costs, people often overlook everything that happens before you start printing, as well as the cleanup afterward. The full process includes:

• Printing film positives
• Coating screens with emulsion
• Exposing and washing out the design
• Drying the screens
• Blocking out
• Registering the screens on press
• Adding ink and aligning the design

After printing: removing ink, stripping emulsion, reclaiming screens.

Each screen takes 45–60 minutes from start to finish. Materials (film, emulsion, chemicals) add up to $10–$20 per finished screen. That means every screen printing order starts with a significant fixed cost before you print a single shirt.

Yes – using a 40‑piece black T‑shirt order with 4 colors as an example (excluding blank garment cost).

Screen printing total cost:

• Screen materials: 4 screens × $20 = $80
• Labor (setup + printing + cleanup, ~4 hours at $75/h) = $300
• Subtotal = $380 → $9.50 per piece

DTG total cost:

• Ink (white + CMYK, high estimate) = $5 per piece → $200 total
• Labor (1 hour at $75/h) = $75
• Total = $275 → $6.88 per piece

Key takeaway: DTG saved 3 hours of production time ($225 in labor). Including hidden screen‑making costs, DTG white ink is actually more affordable for this type of order.

DTG requires pretreatment on dark garments – an extra step. But in a real workflow, pretreatment can be done while the printer is running, so it doesn’t extend the total job time.

After pretreatment, you typically heat‑press the shirt (e.g., 3 presses at 8 seconds each). Even so, compared to the hours needed for screen making and reclaiming, pretreatment remains a minor factor and does not erase DTG’s overall advantage for small‑to‑medium runs with multiple colors.

• Optimize white ink layers – Adjust your RIP software (AcroRIP, etc.) to use just enough white ink for good opacity.
• Maintain white ink properly – Shake bottles regularly and keep printhead circulation running to reduce waste.
• Compare ink suppliers – Prices, brightness, and adhesion vary; test several options.
• Choose the right process for each job – Use DTG where it shines, and screen printing where that makes more sense.

One unique DTG advantage: when a client is short one shirt, you can fire up the DTG printer and reprint it immediately. Screen printing simply can’t do that economically.

The answer is: it depends.

If you look at ink‑only cost, yes – DTG white ink costs more per ounce than screen ink. But when you include all the labor, materials, and hidden prep work, especially for small‑to‑medium runs with multiple colors, DTG is actually the more cost‑effective choice.

DTG won’t completely replace screen printing, but for any printer who wants to stay competitive, DTG is a technology worth serious consideration.