What is Direct to Garment Printing and How Can I Use It for My Blank Apparel?

You have a design for a t-shirt in mind; it may be for a charity run, a company softball league, or any number of other reasons. You have your plain black muscle tees ready to go, but now the question becomes how you get the design onto the shirt as efficiently as possible. For years, screen printing has been the method of choice for printing designs onto t-shirts, but in recent years a new approach, direct to garment printing, has gained popularity and traction. What makes this process different, and why have designers and t-shirt makers latched onto DTG printing?

Direct to Garment Printing: A Primer

Thanks to technological advances in printer technology, DTG printing gave people the ability to take a design and print it directly onto the garments without needing a stencil. DTG printing allows an enhanced degree of precision and features a high level of detail for their printed t-shirts. Compared to traditional screen printing, DTG is a more user-friendly process, featuring fewer harsh chemicals and taking up less floor space. Additionally, DTG offers a broader range of colors to integrate into the designs and bring more vibrancy to the finished product.

How Does DTG Printing Work?

Much like an inkjet printer, the DTG printing process sprays the ink directly into the garment to apply the design. The ink then soaks into the fabric, and through a series of passes, it gets applied to the garment. A specialized solution is used for darker fabrics to “prime” the shirt for the ink and get it ready to receive the design. The primer solution remains optional for lighter materials.

During the actual printing process, keep the shirts as flat as possible. Depending on the complexity of the design and the color scheme, the printer will need to make multiple passes over the fabric to accurately print the design.

What Kind of Projects is DTG Printing Best Suited For?

Both screen printing and DTG printing have specific projects that they work best with. DTG printing, small-batch printing, one-off special projects, and online storefronts can benefit the most. You can better control the finer details of the designs and keep the costs down and in a more affordable range.

The Clothing Authority Advantage

The best way to take advantage of DTG printing remains by having the best product to print the designs. Thanks to our inventory of Gildan t-shirts, including the G640 adult softstyle, you can get Gildan t-shirts in bulk to help bring your designs to life. Browse through our inventory to find the right shirts for your next project today!