DTG (Direct-to-Garment Digital Printing) is a process that uses water-based ink to create your custom t-shirt design. This allows for multiple colors to be printed at once, unlike screen printing that applies each color one at a time and layers them. The ink is absorbed by the garment fibers and becomes part of the fabric, creating your custom t-shirt with a high-quality image that won’t fade or crack over time. DTG printing is typically done as a cost-saving alternative to screen printing for smaller orders of 100% cotton custom apparel.
Whether you’re an experienced graphic designer looking to launch your own t-shirt business, or you’re an e-commerce retailer wanting to add custom clothing as an additional product offering, dtg printing is a quick and easy way to start your new venture. With minimum set-up costs and easy to use software, even a first-time printer operator could manage a dtg machine.
With dtg printing, you can print on-demand as orders come in, meaning you don’t have to spend valuable production time and money creating inventory. This means you can create as few or as many t-shirts as you need for each event, sale, or promotional campaign. And with the right shirts and fabric, you can achieve stunning results that will boost sales and customer satisfaction.
Both DTG and Screen Printing are great options for producing high-quality, colorful t-shirts and apparel. However, there are a few differences in the printing processes that should be considered when deciding which method is best for your specific project.
Colors – DTG can produce full-color designs and logos that are more vibrant than screen-printed products because it prints all of the colors at once. It also prints white ink that helps make colors pop on dark garments. Screen printing requires the creation of multiple stencils for each color, which can be labor-intensive.
Garments for DTG – DTG works best on 100% cotton fabrics, such as ringspun cotton. It can also work on cotton-polyester blends and a few other fabrics, including silk, wool, linen, and denim. However, it’s important to be aware that certain polyester garments are coated with treatments that repel water and other water-based inks. If you want to use DTG on those types of garments, you’ll need to have a pretreatment process that prepares the garment for the ink.
DTG Printers – Commercial DTG machines can be bought from several manufacturers, including Brother, Mimaki, Kornit, and Epson. They are more expensive than manual machines, but they’re fast, versatile, and can produce a wide range of products for your t-shirt or apparel business. They include the white ink needed to print on dark-colored garments, and they’re compatible with graphic design software so that you can quickly mock up a design and print it onto a garment. These machines also come with RIP software that simplifies the workflow for a first-time user and makes it easy to manage a complex printing operation as your business grows. dtg printing
