A relatively new technology, digital printing is sometimes referred to as Direct to Garment printing (DTG) as it uses a specialist machine to apply the design directly onto the garment, rather than doing so in layers like screen printing. The machine in question isn’t dissimilar to a normal inkjet printer that you’d find in any home or office, but obviously it’s scaled up quite a bit!
Since the inks are applied directly onto the garment, it’s capable of producing bright, full-colour designs with detailed gradients. That makes it a brilliant choice for particularly intricate or complex designs, or those that incorporate a wide spectrum of colours. The ink itself is directly absorbed into the fibres, so that the final design is smooth to the touch.
DTG printing is notable for its low setup costs, making it the ideal option for short production runs on highly detailed cotton garments.
Before the garments go into full production, a fixing agent is first applied, designed to ensure that the colour adheres properly. You might notice the slightly chemical smell of the fixing agents on your workwear when it arrives, so we generally recommend that you wash your new purchases before wearing them for the first time.
Advantages Of Digital (Direct to Garment) Printing
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Full Colour Spectrum PrintingEffortlessly reproduce an even wider choice of colours, tones and gradients for your design.
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Easily Create Complex DesignsPerfect for rendering exceptionally detailed and intricate designs onto your workwear (even photographs!)
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Minimal Setup CostsThe low setup costs make digital printing a quick, convenient and affordable method.
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Ideal For Small BatchesBecause of the low setup costs, it’s highly economical for short runs of between 1 to 50 items.
Key Advantages Of Direct to Garment Printing (in detail):
Direct to Garment printing is able to render exceptionally complex artwork and intricate designs in the full colour spectrum, reproducing a digital image onto your garments down to its very last detail. It can recreate colour gradients and tones with a fine level of accuracy that can’t always be matched by other printing techniques, and it’s even capable of printing photographs onto garments.
Its low setup costs make it an affordable option, especially for relatively infrequent or one-off product runs. Though it’s less economical for large-scale batches, it’s a highly cost-effective option for printing between 1 to 50 garments.
It uses water-based inks that are better for the environment than their plastisol alternatives, and that eco-friendliness can make it excellent for appealing to certain audiences, especially when it’s used for promotional garments or limited-edition retail products.
Digital printing is a relatively quick printing technique (although more complex designs will take accordingly longer to print) and because it injects the colour pigments directly into the fibres, the final product is very soft to the touch.
What Garments Can Be Used For Direct To Garment Printing
Direct To Garment printing is an excellent choice for customising garments like T-shirts and hoodies. It works best on garments that are 100% cotton, and those with the tightest weave will produce the very highest quality results.
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