For sure - companies like Spreadshirt and CafePress use digital printing as opposed to screen printing in order to avoid the heavy upfront costs of screen printing.
As soon as you print over 10 t-shirts screen printing becomes both lower cost (a t-shirt that starts at $15 on Spreadshirt can be $6 on Teespring) and higher quality (digital printing produces less vibrant colors and washes out much quicker).
Short version: Teespring allows you to produce higher quality products at a lower price point. We also add the benefit of game mechanics and make the experience more social.
My fault - I stand corrected. However I do believe that screen printing is still the leading printing technique for both quality and cost. Almost all tees sold in retail are screen printed.
As soon as you print over 10 t-shirts screen printing becomes both lower cost (a t-shirt that starts at $15 on Spreadshirt can be $6 on Teespring) and higher quality (digital printing produces less vibrant colors and washes out much quicker).
Short version: Teespring allows you to produce higher quality products at a lower price point. We also add the benefit of game mechanics and make the experience more social.