Direct to Garment Printing, also known as DTG printing, digital garment printing and inkjet to garment printing, the printers also called
by different name as: Direct to garment printer, Digital flatbed printer, DTG digital printer, Direct-to-Substrate Printer, Dark black T-shirt
printer, industrial direct to garment printer or sublimation printer.
It 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 manufactured from pre-existing Epson inkjet printers,
with exceptions where DTG printers have been built using lower-resolution industrial inkjet print heads like those found in large-
format printers used to print signs and banners. Some inkjet technology manufacturers offer products designed for direct textile
printing, providing heads, printers and inks. Direct to garment printers boast the largest print area and lowest ink cost of any tabletop
inkjet to garment printer.
The resolution and speed of the inkjet printers have been increased greatly within recent 10 years. This development has resulted
in fast development of digital textile printing.Sublimation inkjet printing is the major technology used in digital textile printing. As most
fabrics are polyester or polyester mixed, sublimation inkjet printing is widely used in digital textile printing. Since traditional screen
printing costs more in terms of labor, digital textile printing, especially sublimation inkjet printing, is now becoming more and more
popular in USA and Europe.
The majority of DTG printers are driven from a computer by the use of software known as a RIP (Raster Image Processor).
The RIP software allows the printer to print with larger volumes of ink, generate white ink under bases for dark shirts and also provides
for more precision color management through color profiles. More advanced RIP software allows for driving multiple printers from one computer,
advanced job queuing, ink cost calculation as well as a real time preview of the file prior to printing.
Michael Tang
-----Focus digital technology support team.
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