Traditional Direct to Garment Printing
Direct-to-garment printing, or DTG, is a process of printing on textiles using specialized aqueous ink jet technology. DTG printers typically have a platen designed to hold the garment in a fixed position, and the print head jets or sprays the printer inks onto the textile. DTG usually requires that the garment be pre-treated with a PTM, or Pre-treatment machine, allowing for the following: better ink adhesion, more color vibrancy, wash resistance, and improved durability. The PTM also primes the garment for printing and ensures that the colors are properly absorbed by the fabric. Direct to garment printing is a great way to add custom images and designs to clothing and other textiles. The process is relatively quick and easy, and the results are high-quality and long-lasting.
Benefits of Direct to Garment Printing
Environmentally Friendly
Looking for an environmentally friendly printing option? Check out water-based pigment inks! These inks are certified by ECO PASSPORT by OKEO-TEX® and CPSIA compliant, making them safe for direct to garment printing. Plus, they’re more gentle on fabrics and produce less waste than other printing methods.
Photo Clarity
If you’re looking for a way to print your family photo or high resolution image with no loss of clarity, direct to garment printing is the way to go. This means that you’ll be able to enjoy your images in all their detail, without having to worry about pixellation or other issues.
Precision Printing
Our printer can print with a resolution of 1200×1200 dpi, which is significantly higher than the 55 dpi that screen printing can achieve. This means that you’ll be able to enjoy your images in all their detail.
Color Range
Unlike screen printing, which involves creating a separate stencil for each color, DTG printing uses digital technology to print multi-colored designs in a single pass. As a result, DTG printing is often more cost-effective for businesses that produce small runs of shirts with complex designs.
DTG Printing in Action
Traditional DTG and Direct To Film DTG:
There are some drawbacks to DTG printing. For instance, it is not well suited for larger sized orders or ideal for fabrics like dark polyester. Dark polyester garments, like performance shirts, require extra pretreat chemical and the logo does not print as vibrant as it does on 100% cotton. This chemical safely washes out but it leaves a slight stein on the polyester. So on your garment, you could see slight dark square behind the logo.
For garments that have polyester, screen printing or Direct To Film DTG printing is recommended. These imprint methods will not stein the garment and the logo is extremely vibrant and durable. In fact, Direct to Film is so durable that it’s practically bullet proof.