Put simply, Direct-to-Garment printing is like using a modified version of the inkjet printer in your office in order to print full-color images directly onto your product or garment.
DTG printing offers a massive amount of versatility in the color of the garment you can print, so if you're looking for a great way to apply full-color graphics to a piece of apparel, get in contact with us today to get started on your new DTG project!
Perhaps more than other processes, getting a high-quality DTG print is heavily dependent on the preparation of your artwork file. With that in mind, here are some things to consider as you prepare designs for DTG printing.
Our DTG machines print using the CMYK standard. If you start with an RGB file and convert to CMYK after the fact, you might find that the colors are less vibrant. We will do our best to compensate for these losses in color accuracy with tweaks, but do your best to begin artwork that will be DTG printed with a CMYK file.
Most people will submit JPG file types, which introduces undesirable "artifacts" that might reduce the overall quality of the print. If possible prepare and submit your artwork in a PSD., PNG., AI., or PDF., file with transparency, as opposed to with a colored background.
One key to a high-quality DTG print is submitting artwork that is around 200-300 DPI resolution. This allows us to print sharp, detailed images onto your garments in a large size, as opposed to producing blurry prints in a smaller size when artwork is submitted at 70-100 DPI.
When working with artwork that contains what appear to be solid blacks or whites, it is worth it to check the values of those areas and ensure they are true white or true black. Anything less than these values and the printer will either print less deep blacks, or try to apply a small amount of color to whites.