How do I know if DTG printing is right for me

Inkjet direct-to-garment (DTG) digital printers have captured the industry’s attention with numerous suppliers introducing cutting-edge equipment that can quickly and easily produce some amazing looking prints. If you’ve been thinking about taking the plunge, but have questions about how to pick the right printer, here’s a guide to getting started on your shopping journey. “How do I know if DTG printing is right for me?”

Inkjet direct-to-garment (DTG) digital printers have captured the industry’s attention with numerous suppliers introducing cutting-edge equipment that can quickly and easily produce some amazing looking prints. If you’ve been thinking about taking the plunge, but have questions about how to pick the right printer, here’s a guide to getting started on your shopping journey. “How do I know if DTG printing is right for me?”

Actually, this is an easy question to answer. Whether you’re a screen printer, embroiderer, trophy and awards dealer, sign shop or other type of business, the answer depends on this: If you’re looking to expand your decorating repertoire with the ability to handle short- to medium-run orders, then DTG technology may be perfect for you. On the other hand, if you are a high volume contract shop, you have different variables to consider.

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Pros and cons of digital garment printing with white ink

Printing Dark Shirts – The Scoop
Digital t-shirt printers have forever changed the way that we view t-shirt decoration.  Once you have decided to buy a digital t-shirt printing machine you are faced with not only a brand decision of whether you want and/or need the ability to print on dark garments.  Do you buy a dtg garment printer that uses white ink or not?

There are several pros and cons to digital garment printing with white ink.  They range from the cost of the actual output, to the added maintenance to the learning curve.  When you boil it all down, the decision to use white ink is really based on the market you will be addressing, your willingness to learn and your expectations of return on your investment.  Buying a direct to garment printer with white ink can be a great boost to your business – if the pros outweigh the cons.

Pros and Cons of Printing Dark Shirts

So, you’ve decided to add a direct to garment printer to your existing apparel decoration business or even to start a business based on direct to garment printing.  One of the first things to consider is the marketplace you will be selling to – simple example – are you selling to motorcycle clubs that require Harley Davidson style shirts?  If so, no doubt you will be printing a lot of black shirts – white ink is a necessity.  Unfortunately, not all situations are that cut and dried.

When you are considering whether your garment printer should have the ability to print on dark garments you should know and weigh the pros and cons.  Why is this so important?  Some printers, like the Brother GT 541 Digital Garment Printer, the Mimaki garment printer and the Sawgrass Direct Advantage printer do not offer a white ink solution at this time.  Other printers, like the DTG line of t-shirt printing machines, the Fast T-Jet machines by US Screen Printing and the Flexi-Jet garment ink jet printer offer white ink either as standard or an option.  By determining whether white ink is necessary for your business up front, you can quickly narrow your choices and save time researching printers that do not fit your needs.  Surveys of t-shirt blank distributors confirm that a full 70% of the t-shirts they sell for decoration are NOT white.

What exactly are the pros and cons of using digital t-shirt printers with white ink?  Let’s look at the cons first:

 

Garment Printers Page on Squidoo has a lot of good information

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