TAO-Ink
Updated 3 weeks agoT-shirt printing and embroidery, Maitland, Cape Town
Cape Town, Western Cape
Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00; Sat 09:00-13:00
TAO-Ink is a Maitland-based custom apparel studio in Cape Town offering t-shirt printing and embroidery across a wide range of techniques under one roof. Services include Direct-to-Garment (DTG) digital printing for one-off and detailed orders, Direct-to-Film (DTF) transfers for full-colour prints on cotton, polyester and blends, Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) for bold single-colour graphics, screen printing for bulk runs, embroidery for corporate uniforms and team kit, and laser etching and cutting for specialty branding. The studio works with personal customers, schools, sports clubs and corporate clients, with quote and artwork support available online.
Services
DTG (Direct-to-Garment) Printing
Digital direct-to-garment printing on cotton apparel. Suitable for one-off orders, small runs and detailed photo prints.
DTF (Direct-to-Film) Printing
Full-colour DTF transfers for cotton, polyester and blends, suitable for detailed logos and small to bulk orders.
HTV (Heat Transfer Vinyl)
Vinyl decals heat-pressed onto apparel — ideal for names, numbers and bold single-colour designs.
Screen Printing
Traditional screen printing for bulk t-shirt orders. Cost-effective for large quantities of the same design.
Embroidery
Embroidered branding on t-shirts, caps, polos, jackets and corporate uniforms.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
DTF is a printing technique where the design is printed onto a special film, coated with adhesive powder, then heat-pressed onto the garment. It works on cotton, polyester, blends and dark or light fabrics, and produces vibrant, durable full-colour prints suitable for small or bulk orders.
HTV (Heat Transfer Vinyl) is a vinyl decal cut to shape and heat-pressed onto fabric — best for bold single-colour designs like names, numbers and team kits. DTF is a full-colour ink-on-film transfer for photo-quality detail. Sublimation dyes the polyester fibres directly for vibrant all-over prints that will not crack or peel.
For full-colour or detailed designs on any fabric, choose DTF or DTG. For team kits, names and numbers, choose HTV. For all-over vivid prints on polyester sportswear, choose sublimation. For large bulk orders of the same design, screen printing is usually most cost-effective. Ask the business for advice based on your artwork and quantity.
Minimums vary by business and printing method. Many providers offer no minimum on DTG, DTF and HTV, while screen printing typically requires a minimum of around 10 to 25 shirts. Contact the business directly to confirm their current minimums and pricing tiers.
Standard turnaround for custom-printed apparel in South Africa is typically 3 to 7 working days from artwork approval, depending on quantity, technique and the printer's current queue. Many businesses offer express or rush options on request.
For DTF, DTG, sublimation and screen printing, a high-resolution PNG with transparent background (300 dpi at print size) or a vector file (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF) is ideal. Most printers can also work with high-quality JPGs if the resolution is sufficient. Ask the business for their preferred artwork specifications.
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