Direct-To-Garment:
What is it?
Direct-to-garment printing is the process of printing on fabrics using specialized water-based ink.
A garment is pre-treated, heat-pressed, and digitally printed according to the desired design and fabric properties. This process allows for sharper images to be printed at a higher resolution while decreasing setup and cleanup time.
Direct-to-garment printing has given us at See Our Designs the ability to print quality designs while lowering costs on orders ranging from hundreds of garments to one single t-shirt.
The Process
Step 1
A pre-treat mixture is applied to the garment, Once cured, this mixture helps the water-based inks bond more fully to the fabric.
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Step 2
The garment is heat-pressed so that all fibers are lying flat, thus allowing for the printed image to emerge clear and precise.
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Step 3
Its time to print! Each item is secured and the desired design is printed on the garment using a special water-based textile ink.
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Step 4
Once the design is printed on the garment, it passes through a final curing process, during which the design is dried completely.
And voilà, the unique garment is complete!
Direct-to-Garment vs. Screen Printing
DTG printing uses a water-based ink which is sprayed directly onto a garment using a specialized printer. Screen printing, on the other hand, layers ink on top of the fabric using a system of stencils and squeegees.
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Which is better?
While both have their pros and cons, DTG printing allows for unlimited color options, faster output, easy reprints, and reduced labor. Additionally, it is a much more economic and efficient option when printing small or "one-off" orders.