Pros and Cons of Direct to Garment Printing

Pros and Cons Of Direct To Garment Printing 

Direct to Garment or DTG as we will be referring to it, is the process that uses a modified inkjet printer and applies a digital design directly onto the fabric. This incredible process has been around for the last twenty years and it truly revolutionized the fashion world in ways that not many expected. 

How does it work?

Unlike other printing options, DTG requires a special inkjet printer. However, most of the time, the setup cost after that is fairly small. These printers usually work in the same fashion as they would if you were using your home printer, except instead of feeding it a sheet of paper, you give it clothing. Once the garment is fed through the machine, a clear image or design seems to magically appear. 

Tip:

Learn all about the advantages and disadvantages of different printing methods before you decide which method you should use for all your apparel.

This technique does have many advantages: 

• With the simple process, same day printing a delivery is most likely an option. 
• This is a great option for those who have small orders and want the latest cutting edge technological advances. (Especially if you are a tech person!)
• The design will be more precise and allow you to be in charge of color. Just as you would if you were printing on paper, this technique allows you to control most of the environment around the garment. 

There seem to be a couple disadvantages to the DTG process:

• This scale of printing is not cost effective for large volumes of clothing 
• There are limited options of placement for your design. 
• Start-up cost for a printer may be expensive. The average printer cost for a direct to garment inkjet printer is usually around fifteen hundred dollars. 

In the end, direct to garment printing is perfect for those who want extremely precise designs but don’t mind the cost. As your company grows, the orders may pile on and one printer may not be able to keep up with demand. 

We ask you to look through all the positives and negatives to see if they fit into your lifestyle. Let us know on our social media if you think direct-to-garment printing is the best solution for you. We are excited to hear your answer!