Yes, direct-to-garment printing (DTG) is a fantastictechnique for imprinting robust, long-lasting designs on garments andaccessories. Expect DTG-printed T-shirts and other apparel to be of retailquality, at least as excellent as those you may buy at large box retailers oryour favorite shops in your neighborhood mall.
This implies that even after washing and wearing it severaltimes, a shirt with DTG printing will maintain its high quality. The industrystandard for printed apparel is 50 washes, according to one figure you may haveheard. DTG prints, however, are widely believed to endure longer than that. Adifferent perspective is that direct-to-garment printing typically lasts theentire life of the garment and deteriorates with it. According to certainindustry estimates, DTG prints on clothing have a 25% to 50% longer lifespanthan screen prints.
Select screen printing when you want your design to shineout and the shirt to be the true star. Despite significant advancements, DTGprinting still has a slightly less vibrant appearance than screen printing.What justifies the distinction? Plastisol ink, which is often made up of PVCparticles suspended in a plasticizing emulsion and is typically used intraditional screen printing, is extremely opaque and is available in a widearray of precise colors, either straight out of the bucket or with a bespokePantone mix.
White ink on t-shirts should remain visible for 20 to 30washes before beginning to degrade. Using a mild wash cycle, this can be gentlyexpanded while being washed. A fantastic technique to imprint clothing withenduring messages is direct-to-garment printing (DTG). You might have heardthat DTG printing only endures for roughly 50 washes or that the industrystandard for printed apparel is 50 washes.
The lifespan of a print depends more on several other factors,including how frequently the garment is used, the temperature at which thegarment is washed, the type of detergent used, and more. In reality, there isno magic number of washes that causes the print to disappear or disappear, andthe lifespan of a print depends more on these other factors. As long as thegarment itself, a DTG print typically lasts as well. A DTG machine isessentially a huge inkjet printer, much like the ones you might have in yourhome or office, except it's made specifically to print on t-shirts and otherclothing. The DTG G4 print appears clean, and this design is the greatest wayto show how exactly colors can appear on a shirt.
The Value of Pretreatment and Finish
The garment must be correctly prepared before printing andthen properly finished or "cured" after printing to guarantee that aDTG print remains brilliant and durable for as long as feasible. In thepretreatment process, a pretreatment fluid is sprayed on a garment and allowedto dry before printing is done on it.
Pretreatment makes the print surface smoother and aids inobtaining good print quality by making the fabric more receptive to ink. Whenit comes to clothing in dark colors, this is especially true. White ink needs apretreatment surface to cling to the fabric properly and provide real color inthe print, which is why dark clothes must have white ink under the base to makethe colors of the images appear brilliant and vibrant.
The ink still needs to be cured into the cloth for yourprinted garment to be permanent. A heat press is typically employed tocorrectly finish a piece of clothing with DTG printing. A tunnel dryer isoccasionally chosen instead by larger DTG operations. Any method you choosemust subject the garment to the proper amount of pressure, at the propertemperature, for the proper period. If everything is done correctly, you'llhave a lovely outfit that can last years of frequent washing and use.
There are numerous variables and aspects to take intoaccount with DTG printing, so it is not as easy as hitting a button. Over thenext five years, we anticipate the emergence of dozens more DTG printingproviders and manufacturers. These DTG machines are of a high caliber, and manyDTG producers get a lot of their parts from China (they then assemble themachines in the USA). UU.).
Keep in mind that your management software for your DTGprinting company is just as crucial as your printer. With process inks, andspecifically with inkjet printing on various print mediums, Pantone matching ispossible. Additionally, they have made significant investments in hybrid screenprinting, which combines DTG applications with a bottom substrate printed witha screen. Due to their leadership in the production of DTG printing components,Chinese manufacturers enjoy a significant advantage.
Pretreatment equipment for DTG printing is produced byLawson, Equipment Zone, and M&R. (along with many other manufacturers). Theyprovide a long list of offerings and services in addition to DTG printing, aswell as a strong support team with access to a wealth of educational materials.DTG printing can be incredibly inexpensive and effective if you design abusiness plan that can accommodate modest orders. Customers may notice asubstantial amount of print fading as a result of frequent washing and dryingdue to the ink used by DTG printers and the way it is applied.
If you take better care of your garment, printed pictureswill survive longer, just as printed images will start fading and degrading asthe garment on which they are printed ages. Recall all the guidelines yourmother attempted to instill in you regarding how to do laundry. Each one isappropriate in this situation. Your printed t-shirt will survive much longer ifyou wash it in a cold, mild wash cycle and line dry it as opposed to washing itin a hot, permanent press cycle and tumble drying it on "high" whilealso drying several pairs of blue jeans.
Try it out for yourself is one of the greatest ways todetermine how long a DTG print will last. Simply start putting it through thewringer after requesting a sample DTG-printed t-shirt. Put the t-shirt throughas many cycles of the washer and dryer as you'd like to see how the print holdsup.
DTG printing is ideal for urgent orders like those requiringa few shirts in less than 24 hours.