What is a DTG Printer and How Does it Work?

DTG (Direct To Garment) printing is a great way to print your artwork onto apparel. It offers a wide variety of color options and is easy to customize.

DTG prints are also highly durable and resistant to fading or cracking. They can withstand multiple items of washing and are very stretchable.

Printing

The first thing you gonna ask is, what is a dtg printer? A DTG printer is a computerized inkjet printer that prints your design directly onto a garment using water-based inks. These inks are designed to be soft and work well with natural fabrics like cotton.

DTG printing is a great way to print one-off items and small custom orders without the extensive setup time and costs involved with screen printing. It also produces much less waste.

The process works well with various shirts, including cotton, polyester, and other fabric blends. It can create a wide range of color and pattern designs and offers excellent image quality.

DTG printers are available from several manufacturers. They make printers for various industrial applications and have a strong reputation for customer service and warranties.

Designing

DTG printing is one of the fastest-growing garment decorating technologies on the market. It has several advantages over other garment printing methods, including low labor costs and a high-quality print quality that is machine washable and fade-resistant.

DTG printers are typically used to print t-shirts, but they can also print other types of apparel. They take the image from a computer and then print it directly onto fabric.

A DTG printer uses specialized RIP software to translate the design into a set of instructions that the machine can understand. The device will then jet the ink to the garment, producing an accurate and high-quality print.

DTG prints can be highly detailed and photorealistic. They also have excellent color blending properties, making it easy to replicate gradient changes and subtle design elements.

Prepping

If you’ve invested in a DTG printer, it’s essential to ensure you correctly prepped your garment before hitting the print button. This includes maintaining the machine daily, pre-pressing the garment, pre-treating it when printing on dark fabric, researching the material and its makeup, fine-tuning the settings, and performing tests.

If done correctly, these steps will ensure that your DTG-printed shirts will remain colorful and long-lasting on the t-shirt for years to come. They’ll also hold up well against abrasion, tears, and stretching.

However, DTG prints still need to compete with screen-printed designs regarding durability. Although they have superior print softness and color vibrancy, they cannot match Pantone colors and are more challenging to wash and dry than screen-printed designs.

Curing

When printing a DTG shirt, you must ensure that the ink is cured correctly. This will prevent your shirts from getting stained and fading in the wash.

When curing, you can use a heat press or a conveyor dryer. Both work by using heat to activate a binder that is in ink.

Curing ink with a heat press is a great way to get long-lasting prints that don’t fade. However, the temperature and pressure must be carefully tested to ensure that the ink is cured correctly.

A tunnel dryer is another option for curing DTG inks. The shirts are put through a high-heat chamber and pop out fixed on the other end.