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Direct to Garment (DTG) printing is a revolutionary technology that has changed the garment industry since its inception in the late 1990s. Before DTG printing was invented, it was a lot harder to make custom shirts with clear, colorful designs. Screen printing requires setup for each color and doesn’t work well for photorealistic images.
With DTG, a business can take any digital image or graphic and print it directly onto a shirt or other item in full color. The turnaround can be super quick to print out one shirt or many. This allows online shops to easily offer all kinds of custom gear that they can print on demand. Helps a sports fan be able to order a shirt with their team logo, name, and number without waiting weeks for a special order.
What Is Direct To Garment Printing?
Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing (also known as D2 printing) is a sophisticated digital printing method that allows for graphics and images to be inkjet printed directly onto various pre-sewn fabric products. It’s like having an inkjet printer that prints directly onto t-shirts, sweatshirts, shoes, bags, and more instead of paper.
This method is ideal for creating high-quality prints with vivid colors and clarity like a real photo taken with the latest camera.
DTG printing is used on many different business scales. Big brands like Nike, Amazon, and Fanatics use it to make team jerseys, custom t-shirts, and fulfill online orders. However, it is equally valuable for smaller businesses and entrepreneurs. For example, a local T-shirt shop may have a screen printer for large orders but use DTG to print fun, custom shirt designs for individual customers or smaller groups. This versatility allows them to offer one-of-a-kind shirts with photos and artwork that are too intricate for standard screen printing.
The DTG printing method requires less floor space than screen printing setups, and storage of multiple screens. Great for home-based businesses, gift shops or promotional products companies. As technology advances, DTG printing continues to improve in speed, color vibrancy, and fabric compatibility, solidifying its place as a key player in the modern textile printing industry.
How Does DTG Works?
DTG printing utilizes specialized inkjet printers to directly print full-color graphic designs onto garments. First, the fabric is pretreated to create an even surface and optimize ink adhesion. The graphic file is then prepared in a high resolution format compatible with the printer software.
When ready to print, the garment is loaded onto a platen – a flat surface that holds the fabric taut. The printer’s printheads move back and forth across the garment, spraying microscopic droplets of water-based ink onto the fibers. Unlike standard inkjet printers, DTG printers use inks specifically engineered for textiles.
The inks chemically bond to the fibers for a soft feel that doesn’t sit on top of the garment. For dark shirts, a layer of white ink is first printed to allow colors to appear vibrant. Print heads apply different colored inks layered on top of each other to recreate the pixel-by-pixel appearance of the digital design file.
Once printing is complete, the garment is cured using a heat press. The heat from the press activates the ink, drying it completely and bonding it permanently to the fabric. This ensures the print remains crisp and clear even after repeated washing. The final result is a professionally printed, soft hand feel garment showcasing bright, accurate colors and fine detail.
Benefits of Direct To Garment Printing
DTG printing provides numerous advantages that explain its rising popularity in custom apparel decoration and on-demand fulfillment.
Superior Print Quality
DTG printing produces exceptionally high print quality unmatched by traditional decoration methods. Using specialized inkjet technology, it delivers photorealistic imagery, intricate details, sharp graphics, and vivid color tonality. DTG excels at color blending and gradients. The pre-treatment and soft hand feel provide long-lasting results that don’t fade, crack or peel after repeat washing.
Short Runs & Customization
A major advantage of DTG printing is the ability to have fast production times and mass production. It eliminates minimum order quantities, setup costs, and restrictions on colors or design complexity. This empowers businesses to pursue niche markets and enables limitless experimentation for creators.
Efficiency & Sustainability
DTG printing simplifies and speeds up the production process. The streamlined digital workflow saves lots of time since the art can be quickly created on a computer. It uses way less stuff like ink and screens and printers take up less space than printing machines. By printing on-demand, it prevents overproduction and waste of raw materials for a more sustainable process. The water-based inks are also gentler on the environment and end consumer coal plastisol inks.
Expanding Possibilities
Recent DTG advancements are removing prior limitations on fabric types and specialty applications. The technology now supports printing on 100% polyester, nylon, silk and other fabrics alongside the traditional cotton and blends. Specialty inks also enable printing reflective, metallic and glow effects. With print quality and speed continuously improving, DTG production capabilities will only expand further for the garment industry in the near future.
Types of DTG Printers
DTG printers come in three main categories – entry-level, commercial, and industrial models – to serve businesses across varying production volumes, applications, and budgets.
Entry-Level DTG Printers
Entry-level DTG printers offer an affordable introduction to direct-to-garment printing. Compact and simple to operate, they are ideal for home-based businesses, retail stores, and event printing. Entry-level models print designs in CMYK process colors on light colored cotton and poly-blend garments. Print quality and speeds are modest compared to advanced models. Leading entry-level printer brands include Epson, Ricoh, and Brother.
Commercial DTG Printers
Commercial DTG printers handle higher production volumes with faster print speeds and expanded capabilities versus entry-level models. They print full-color photographic quality images on both light and dark garments using specialty inks like white ink for underbase layers. Commercial printers have more advanced software for managing white ink layers and previewing final print results. They also support a wider gamut of ink colors for broader design options. Popular commercial DTG options come from Epson, Brother, ColDesi, Anajet, Kornit, and others.
Industrial DTG Printers
Industrial DTG printers are built to decorate hundreds of garments per hour in high-volume print shops and fulfillment houses. They allow a small staff to profitably print at a lower cost per piece than commercial devices. Industrial printers offer the fastest print speeds, lowest operational costs, and highest duty cycles. Many models hold multiple platens for improved productivity. They also leverage expanded ink gamuts, bulk ink systems, and specialized features like automatic wrinkle detection. Leading industrial DTG printer manufacturers include Kornit, Aeoon, and Brother.
As DTG print heads, inks, and workflow software continue advancing, speed and capabilities will improve across printer segments while hardware costs gradually come down. But each class serves distinct applications based on production needs and budget. Understanding these DTG printer categories allows businesses to select the right solution for their goals.
What can you create with DTG Printing?
DTG printing opens up a whole new world of possibilities! You can make super cool custom gear to express yourself. Here’s some ideas:
Custom Apparels
DTG unleashes unlimited possibilities for custom apparel decoration for both businesses and creators. It excels at printing personalized product with face, text or logo. And it will be printed full-color photographic imagery on t-shirts, hoodies, hats, socks, baby clothes, canvas shoes sneakers, and other garments.
Promotional Products
DTG printing brings high perceived value to branded merchandise thanks to photorealistic detail. It profitably prints logos, branding, and messaging in full color onto products like tote bags, pillows, phone cases, drinkware, and other promotional items big and small. DTG is ideal for event giveaways, corporate gifting, trade show booths, and experiential campaigns.
Personalized Gifts
For meaningful, customized gifts, DTG printing applies names, dates, photographs, illustrations or inside jokes onto apparel, blankets, wall art, and accessories to cherish for years. No minimum order requirements make DTG perfect for personalized one-offs.
Artistic Canvases
For independent artists and creators, DTG printing turns digital artwork into physical products without setup costs or middlemen. T-shirts offer an affordable artistic canvas to exhibit designs. Expanding capabilities also allows printing patterns, illustrations, and photographs directly onto sneakers, phone cases, posters, and other products to sell.
Overall, DTG empowers limitless applications across apparel, gifts, merchandise, art, and retail thanks to the combination of stunning print quality with on-demand efficiency and customization. New special effects, fabric types, and business models continue to expand possibilities.
DTG vs. Screen Printing: Which One Reigns Supreme?
DTG printing and screen printing each offer unique advantages for decorating custom apparel. DTG leverages digital inkjet technology to print stunning full-color graphics on demand, making it ideal for short runs and unlimited customization. Screen printing reigns supreme for long runs, simple spot color designs, and heavy ink deposits. The right technology depends on considering factors like order quantities, image complexity, ink limitations, fabric types, and product applications. Click here to dive deeper into a detailed comparison of DTG printing versus screen printing across key decision criteria to inform your custom apparel decoration strategy.
At Merchize, our print-on-demand platform allows you to harness DTG printing to create and sell customized clothing with no upfront costs. By connecting to our global fulfillment network spanning over 180 countries, Merchize empowers entrepreneurs to build scalable ecommerce brands and reach customers faster. Get started with DTG today to bring your apparel ideas to life!
