Direct to Garment (DTG) printing – Step by Step T-Shirt Printing Process
Direct to Garment (DTG) printing is a fast and hassle-free way to get your customized t-shirts printed. It’s a great option for one-off designs and low-volume orders.
Before printing, your company will pre-treat your t-shirt using a process called heat pressing. This helps flatten the fabric and ensures the ink will adhere well.
1. Design your artwork
DTG printing is a fast and cost-effective method of customizing t-shirts. It can be used for smaller print runs and is a great alternative to screen printing.
DTG printers use water-based ink to apply a variety of colors to your garment. Unlike other printing processes, DTG can be applied to a wide range of fabrics without compromising on the vibrancy and detail of the artwork.
The first step in DTG printing is to design your artwork using a specialized software package. This will help you ensure that your design is placed correctly and accurately onto your t-shirt.
2. Pre-treat your t-shirt
Pretreatment is an important step in Direct to Garment DTG printing. It ensures that the print will be vivid and crisp.
The process of pretreating a shirt involves immersing or spraying the garment with a solution before printing. This ensures that the white ink will stick to the shirt’s fabric fibers and create a solid print.
The pretreatment can be applied manually or by using a pretreat machine. Make sure that you use a solution that is specifically designed for the chemistry of the DTG inks being used.
3. Dry your t-shirt
Pruf – Direct to Garment Printing is a popular method for printing full-color images directly onto shirts and other apparel. Water-based inks create vivid colors that are soft to the touch and durable.
In order to get the best results from DTG printing, your t-shirt must first be pretreated. This involves applying a special liquid to the t-shirt and curing it.
It is important to pre-treat your t-shirt because it helps the white ink sit on top of it. It also helps the inks stay on the fabric for longer and make your prints look better.
There are several ways to do this. Some shops daisy-chain their pre-treat machine, DTG machine, and curing dryer to create a “pod.” Others cure the ink using a heat press.
4. Place your t-shirt on the printer
One of the most gratifying aspects of Direct to Garment printing is being able to see your design come to life. This is especially true for larger orders, where the quality of your design is more important than quantity. The best way to ensure this happens is to be patient and do a little prep work.
To ensure that you get the highest quality print possible, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for your specific machine and printer. For example, some machines will only accept a certain size of design. It’s also a good idea to use a high-quality ink and cotton blend for the best results. The best t-shirts to print with DTG are typically made of 100% cotton. Having the right fabric isn’t just about looks though, it’s also about durability.
5. Print your design
Direct to Garment DTG printing is a modern method of printing your designs directly onto garments. It can create intricate images, colour gradients and subtle details that aren’t possible with screen printing.
DTG printers use water-based textile inks that work best on natural fibres such as cotton and linen. Pretreatment liquid is sprayed on the shirt before printing to “lock” the ink with the fabric fibers and increase color vibrancy.
You can pretreat a shirt manually using a hand sprayer or an automatic machine (such as the one provided with our ColDesi DTG printer). The pre-treatment must be evenly sprayed over the entire surface area of the shirt. This will prevent misprints and ensure that all parts of your artwork show up properly.
