What is DTG Printing?
what is dtg printer？
DTG (Direct-to-Garment) direct printing technology, DTG Printer is a color printer specifically designed for textiles.
What materials can DTG print on?
DTG is best suited for printing on light and dark colors and high-cotton content textiles.
Materials requiring pre-treatment: Linen, silk, and wool.
(A pre-treatment must be applied to the garment before printing to prevent the ink from penetrating the fibers and enhance the color's vividness.)
2.How to print DTG:
I. Send the full-color design directly from your computer to the digital printer with the garment loaded.
II. Prepare the garment: Lay the T-shirt flat on the print bed.
III. Apply the pre-treatment: Apply evenly.
IV. Dry the pre-treatment: Use a flash dryer or heat gun to dry.
V. Print: The printer performs the printing.
VI. Fix the color: Place the printed T-shirt in the heat press.
VII. Cooling and quality inspection: Remove the T-shirt and cool it down and inspect its quality.
3. How much does printing a piece of clothing cost?
One T-shirt printing cost is only $0.3-0.5. One set of ink can print about 800 t-shirts.
4.How long do DTG prints last?
In short: From machine startup to print completion, it takes approximately 2 to 15 minutes. However, this time varies greatly, depending on several key factors:
Key factors influencing print time:
I. Design size and complexity:
Small, single-color designs may only take 2-4 minutes.
Extra-large, full-color, high-resolution, and detailed designs may take 10-15 minutes or even longer.
II. Printer model and performance:
Older or entry-level DTG printers are slower, while newer, high-speed, industrial-grade DTG printers, with their larger number of print heads and faster servo motors, can be very fast. For example, some high-end models claim to complete a medium-sized design in 60-90 seconds. III. Some materials require pre- and post-processing:
Pre-treatment: After spraying or applying the pre-treatment solution, the material needs to be air-dried or flash-dried. This process takes approximately 1-3 minutes.
Fixing: After printing, heat the material in a heat press at approximately 160°C for 30-60 seconds.
5.DTG VS Screen Printing
|
Features/Capabilities: |
Direct-to-Garment(DTG) Printing |
(Screen Printing) |
|
Best Designs: |
Full-color, complex, photorealistic, and richly detailed |
Each additional color increases costs and labor. |
|
Colors |
Unlimited, reaching millions. |
Each additional color increases costs and labor. |
|
Best Fabrics |
Dark and light colored cotton, some require pre-treatment |
Available in a variety of fabrics, including cotton and polyester, for greater adaptability. |
|
Small-Batch Customization |
Excellent, each piece can be unique with no additional costs. |
Poor: Expensive plate-making fees and extremely high unit prices for small batches. |
|
Large-Batch Production |
Inefficient and costly |
Excellent: Extremely low unit prices for large batches. |
|
Feel |
Excellent, breathable and soft in the patterned area |
Meanwhile: Thick ink layer with a sense of glue. |
how much is a dtg machine?
