Historically, people have been skeptical when it comes to digital printing but it has come a long way and is now often chosen over traditional print methods.
DTG (Direct-to-Garment) Printing is similar to your inkjet printer at home, except it prints on garments. Each shirt is loaded onto the pallet and printed with a white digital under base, then color digitally printed on top. This process is slower than screen printing so while it is not ideal for high volume production, it’s the go-to option for smaller batches and photorealistic prints without breaking your budget.
The Benefits of DTG
Cost Effective
DTG Printing offers a huge cost advantage when it comes to smaller runs. Traditional screen printing involves a more time-consuming setup process of burning screens and ink mixing, which results in set up fees and you don’t see price breaks until you reach higher quantities. However, with DTG there is essentially no setup process which allows you to print smaller runs without breaking your budget.
The chart below serves as a guide you can reference when deciding which print method will be most cost effective for your order quantity. As you can see, DTG is most cost effective for anything under 150 units.
Test Out Designs
DTG is highly recommended for brands that are just getting started or want to test out a design without the inventory investment of a large bulk order.
Detailed & Colorful Artwork
Traditional screen printing can be expensive with high color counts because individual screens have to be burned for each color. However, DTG Printing is similar to your inkjet printer at home, except it prints on garments. This allows you to translate full color images, gradients, and highly detailed artwork to your merch with almost no color limitations.
Print Placement/Sizing
With recent advances in digital printing, there is now more freedom when it comes to print placements.
- Small Short Sleeve: 2.5″H×3.2″W
- Regular Short Sleeve: 3.5″H×4″W
- Long Sleeve: 13″H×4.2W
- Medium Size Pallet: 14.5″H×11.5″W
- Standard Size Pallet: 19.5″H×15″W
NEW Digital Jumbo Prints
Print up to 23.5″W x 23.5″ (150 units max)
Enjoy the savings of DTG printing while still having the freedom of oversize prints you can usually only achieve with traditional screen printing.
Artwork Requirements
- Preferred file type: high resolution raster image
- At least 300DPI
- Art files with transparent background will get the best results
See Artwork Guidelines for more information.
What Kind of Garments are Suitable for DTG Printing?
DTG can only use water-based ink which means 100% cotton will yield best the results.
Overall
Pros:
- No limitations on colors
- No set up costs
- Cost effective for smaller quantities
Recommended for:
- Photos & detailed designs
- Small quantity, high color runs
- Testing out designs before ordering bulk
- 100% cotton garments
Interested in more information on printing & decoration techniques?
Check out our Decoration Guide.
