WHAT IS DIGITAL PRINTING?

Direct to garment printing, also known as DTG printing, is a technique of digitally printing an image onto cotton t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, and other apparel. DTG is a printing method that sprays ink onto a garment using inject technology. The inks then soak into the fibers of the garment. It’s sort of like printing on paper, except on apparel. Since this is a digital process, the print is sharper and has a higher resolution, or DPI, than traditional printing methods such as screen printing. However, unlike screen printing, there is no long setup or clean-up process, and DTG can print just one single t-shirt, sweatshirt, or hoodie for minimal cost. 

With DTG, the printer head makes one pass on white garments. If you're printing on dark apparel, the printer makes an additional pass to print a white under-base. Since DTG doesn’t have a color count, there’s no extra setup time to start printing, so your order is fulfilled as soon as the print file comes through. This is the perfect method to print small quantities. A good example of this would be a short run (10 or less) of spirit wear apparel for your high school.

Direct to garment printing in the United States began in 1996 with the introduction of the first commercially available DTG printer, but did not get popular for about 10 years. Initially, these printers had several problems which included print speed, clogging heads and print durability.  DTG ink had a reputation of washing out after a few launderings. Since then, the DTG printers have evolved and become very reliable with excellent print durability. Some manufacturers of DTG printers guarantee five-star washability from the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC). This means a properly cured DTG print can be as good as — if not better than — a properly cured screen-printed design.

Check out this video to see a DTG printer in action.