Direct to garment printing

Direct to garment printing, also known as DTG printing, digital direct to garment printing, digital apparel printing, and inkjet to garment printing, is a process of printing on textiles and garments using specialized or modified inkjet technology. The two key requirements of a DTG printer are a transport mechanism for the garment and specialty inks (inkjet textile inks) that are applied to the textile directly and are absorbed by the fibers.

Most direct to garment printers are descendants of the desktop inkjet printer, therefore many DTG printers, such as the Spectra DTG, Anajet Sprint, and the BelQuette Mod1 utilize some parts from preexisting printers. Some companies, such as BelQuette, DTG Digital, AnaJet, Oprintjet, Brother, MAPI Digital, Kornit and Mimaki have printers which utilize similar technology, but are manufactured without the exact parts from any other brand machine.^[1]

Financial impact

A primary advantage of DTG printing is the lack of set-up costs and instant turnaround time not associated with traditional garment printing methods such as screen printing. The comparative disadvantage of DTG is equipment maintenance and ink cost. Ink technology developments have significantly improved ink performance and lowered ink cost. Digital printing technologies are non-contact, meaning that media is printed on without hand contact, allowing for a more precise image. This prevents the image distortion that takes place in screen printing.^[2]

DTG printing is now one of the main techniques utilized by online t-shirt printers to offer customers full color designs. Fulfillment printers like Print Aura and Tee Launch offer designers DTG printing solutions allowing them to sell their designs online through Big Commerce and Shopify. ^[3]

References

Textile arts
Fundamentals	Applique Beadwork Crochet Dyeing Embroidery Fabric Felting Fiber Knitting Lace Macramé Nålebinding Needlework Patchwork Passementerie Plying Quilting Rope Rug making Sewing Stitch Textile printing Weaving Yarn
History of ...	Byzantine silk Clothing and textiles Silk Quilting Silk in the Indian subcontinent Textile manufacturing by pre-industrial methods Textiles in the Industrial Revolution Modern Industrial Textile Production Timeline of textile technology
Regional and ethnic	African Andean Australian Aboriginal Hmong Indigenous peoples of the Americas Korean Māori Mapuche Maya Mexican Navajo Oaxacan
Related	Blocking Fiber art Mathematics and fiber arts Manufacturing Preservation Recycling Textile industry Textile museums Units of measurement Wearable fiber art
Glossaries	Dyeing terms Sewing terms Textile terms

Fabric
Woven	Aertex Airdura Airguard Barathea Barkcloth Batiste Bedford cord Bengaline silk Beta cloth Bombazine Brilliantine Broadcloth Buckram Bunting Burlap C change Calico Cambric Canvas Chambray Capilene Cedar bark Challis Char cloth Charmeuse Charvet Cheesecloth Chiffon Chino Chintz Cloqué Cloth of gold Cordura Corduroy Duck Coutil Crape Crêpe Cretonne Dazzle Denim Dimity Donegal tweed Dornix Dowlas Drill Drugget Eolienne Flannel Foulard Fustian Gabardine Gauze Gazar Georgette Ghalamkar Gingham Grenadine Grenfell Cloth Grosgrain Habutai Haircloth Harris Tweed Herringbone Himroo Hodden Irish linen Jamdani Kerseymere Khādī Khaki drill Kente cloth Lamé Lawn Linsey-woolsey Loden Longcloth Mackinaw Madapolam Madras Moleskin Muslin Nainsook Nankeen Ninon Oilskin Organdy Organza Osnaburg Ottoman Oxford Paduasoy Percale Pongee Poplin Rakematiz Rayadillo Rep Rinzu Ripstop Russell cord Saga Nishiki Samite Sateen Satin Saye Scarlet Seersucker Serge Scrim Shot silk Stuff Taffeta Tais Toile Tucuyo Tweed Twill Ultrasuede Vegetable flannel Ventile Vinyl coated polyester Viyella Voile Wadmal Wigan Whipcord Zephyr Zorbeez
Figured woven	Brocade Camlet Damask Lampas Songket
Pile woven	Baize Chenille Corduroy Crimplene Fustian Mockado Moquette Plush Polar fleece Terrycloth Velours du Kasaï Velvet Velveteen Zibeline
Nonwoven	Felt Cedar bark
Knitted	Boiled wool Coolmax Machine knitting Milliskin Jersey Velour
Netted	Bobbinet Carbon fiber Lace Mesh Needlerun Net Ninon Tulle
Technical	Ballistic nylon Ban-Lon Conductive Darlexx E-textiles Gannex Gore-Tex Silnylon Spandex Stub-tex SympaTex Windstopper
Patterns	Argyle Bizarre silk Chiné Herringbone Houndstooth Paisley Pin stripes Polka dot Shweshwe Tartan (Plaid) Tattersall
Textile fibers	Acrylic Alpaca Angora Cashmere Coir Cotton Hemp Jute Kevlar Linen Mohair Nylon Microfiber Olefin Pashmina Polyester Piña Ramie Rayon Sea silk Silk Sisal Spandex Spider silk Wool
Finishing and printing	Androsia Batik Beetling Bingata Bògòlanfini Burnout Calendering Decatising Devoré Finishing Fulling Heatsetting Mercerization Moire Nap Rogan printing Rōketsuzome Roller printing Sanforization Tenterhook Textile printing Warp printing Waxed cotton Woodblock printing Indienne
Fabric mills	Carlo Barbera Cerruti Dormeuil Drago Ermenegildo Zegna E. Thomas Holland & Sherry Larusmiani Loro Piana Reda Scabal Vitale Barberis Canonico
Related	Dyeing Fiber History of textiles History of silk Knitting Pandy Shrinkage Swatches and strike-offs Synthetic fabric Terminology Manufacturing Preservation Weaving Yarn

DTG Printers - http://www.sublimationinks.com/products-category/dtg/