DTG is a more recent development in garment printing, screen printing is hundreds of years old in some form, but DTG required certain advances in technology to happen first! It allows the Singapore shirt printing service to print full-colour images directly onto the shirt without needing transfers, screens and so on. All it requires is a larger inkjet printer and the right program on the computer. The shirt is placed on a platen on a tray and that moved under the print head, just as how paper moves when you are printing something onto it. There are some limitations when it comes to speed and as a result on how many you might order but you get full-colour prints in a good time still.
When is it used?
DTG is used as an alternative to screen printing when the qualities are lower or when there are more colours involved.
Think about the garments
The most popular garment people use DTG on is cotton t-shirts but you can choose jacket printing, polo shirt printing, sweatshirt printing and more. At first, it needed to be on a white garment but when a white ink was developed it meant you could have any colour garment. They then use the white ink to create a background on the say black jacket, and then print the design onto that. It is a good idea to have the printer test a garment to make sure you are happy with how it looks when the print is finished.
DTG pros and cons
There are a number of pros and cons when it comes to direct-to-garment printing. They include;
Pros
No setting up screens so the setup stage is shorter and there is less mess
Can be used on dark as well as white garments
You can achieve a lot of detail in the design so can choose more intricate images and designs
The quality of the printing is consistent and good
You can print up to an A3 area
Cons
With Singapore shirt printing using DTG the best quality is with single head equipment and that slows down the work
If you choose tshirts that are coloured then they need to be treated first
The printing machine will need occasional maintenance and care to keep it working well
The optimum run amount is just 12 shirts
You need to choose a design that is of good quality
Conclusion
When you are looking into your options for shirt or jacket printing and you just need a short run, under 50 garments, with a design that uses a lot of colours then you would want direct to garment printing. Examples of when customers happily use DTG for their printing orders include;
Charity fundraising events
Children’s clubs
Sporting teams
Corporate events
Stag nights and hen nights
Family parties and reunions
Fun gifts for various types of parties that have games where prizes are needed
Launching a new magazine
Promotional events
Staff uniforms if for a small company wanting a short run
