Direct To Garment (DTG) printing is a fabric printing method that includes spraying ink on fabric to create a choice design. The ink gets soaked into the fibers of the cloth, leaving it with a smooth finish.

Often, pre-treatment is done on garments before printing the final design. The pre-treatment uses heat pressing on the fabric to smoothen any frayed and loose fibers. It also promotes a stronger bond between the ink and the fabric.

After the pre-treatment, the fabric is placed on a flat, platen system that holds it down, as the pattern gets printed from a printer. The printer only sprays the ink over the garment and within minutes, the printed fabric is ready!

What is so good about DTG Printing?

• High quality: DTG technique is rich in color and saturation, and after printing, it feels soft, comfortable, and breathable, with good washing fastness and no fading.
• Minimal Setup: The setup required for fabric printing via the DTG process is very basic and easy. Unlike traditional printing, which takes time and costs to set up molds, greatly reduces production and time costs.
• Variety in Colour and Design: There is no color limit, so it can present full-color printing, gradient layers, etc. Unlike other fabric printing technologies, DTG printing does a great job for extremely detailed designs with a range of colors.
• Quick and Economical: Given the minimal setup in DTG printing, the printing can start as soon as the graphic is received. With one pass, the design gets printed on the fabric, no matter the number of colors or intricacies in the design. This makes the process cheaper for smaller orders.
• Eco-friendly: Since the setup is minimal and there are no mandates for bulk orders, textile waste and overproduction are zero. Only the part that needs to be printed will be inked, no ink waste, lower ink consumption, and more environmentally friendly, which is beneficial to sustainable development.

Things to Remember about DTG Printing:

• Type of Fabric: DTG printing can only be done on natural fabrics like cotton, hemp, or bamboo. The prints appear better in lighter shades, preferably white.
• Graphics' Details: The print on the fabric is as good as the image shared. Higher resolution images with at least 300 PPI (pixels per inch) are desirable for better results. Sharing raster or vector images in typical formats like JPEG, PNG, PSD, etc is a plus point.
• Not ideal for Bulk Production: Progress of DTG printing can be slow as it involves manpower to change the fabric in cases of bulk manufacturing. This also adds up to the production costs and can end up being very pricey.
• Issues with Pre-Treatment: If not done correctly, pre-treatment can cause staining, bleaching, or crystallization of the fabric, resulting in a bad print on the fabric.

What are the applications of DTG printing?

• Bedding products: such as door curtains, pillows, bed sheets, and various cushions can be printed on a large area.
• Fashion: Organic cotton polo shirts, cotton T-shirts, silk scarves, etc. can be printed by printing technology.
• Cotton masks: tri-fold organic cotton masks, one-piece organic cotton masks
• Other items: Eco-friendly beeswax fabric and some applications include marketing tools such as fabric strips, flags, and string flags.

Comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of DTG printing:

Irrespective of the above shortcomings, with the correct fabric type and quantity, Direct To Garment fabric printing yields very high-quality products.