Direct to Garment Printing(DGT)

Direct to Garment Printing

 

Direct to Garment, or DTG printing, is a process by which a digital image is printed directly onto your apparel using cutting edge printing technology and inks. This process allows us to print any quantity order with highly detailed full color designs at an affordable price. Print directly onto cotton t-shirts, apparel, tote bags and other products in minutes from the comfort of your desktop with our Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printer. We ensure outstanding accuracy, exceptional consistency, phenomenal print output, and affordable rates with every order.

Direct to Garment Process

 

Step 1:

Every customer order receives a expert design review from our team of graphic artists and digital printing experts. We work vigorously with you to see to your finished product. To start, we will ask for the highest design resolution image you currently have. The higher the image resolution, the better!

Step 2:

Our designers will work with any image you provide, even if it takes a bit of work. We will work hard to transform your designs into masterpieces. For businesses, check with your graphic design company or designer to provide you with high quality images.

Step 3:

When it comes to printing, pixels matter. Pixels are the smallest measurable point in a photo, and together, hundreds of thousands of them (sometimes millions) combine together to make the image you see. Think of mosaic artwork; The greater number of pieces within a canvas, the more detailed and apparent the image will look.

File Types for Direct to Garment

 

We except any type of art files. Vector files work best. Example of vector file are adobe illustrator files .ai or .eps. With raster files(.jpg, .gif, .png ect) Keep in mind the bigger the file the better the resolution. Vector files keep resolution when increasing in size.

Vector graphics are scalable

 

Because vector graphics are not composed of pixels they are resolution-independent. The vector shapes – also called objects – can be scaled and printed at any size without losing quality. It can be printed as large and at the highest resolution the printer or the output device allows.

Raster / Bitmap Images

 

Pixel-based images represent and edit photographs and photo-like images better than vector programs because they can use an abundant number of different color pixels. By arranging pixels and slowly incrementing or changing the color or shade of the pixels adjacent to them, it creates a subtle gradation from one color to another: nice and smooth color blends.

Raster images’ dimensions are measured in pixels. Because raster images cannot be enlarged without losing quality, printers require that you provide them with files at the correct size: 1 the dimension you want to print your image at, and 2. the pixel resolution for that particular project. The pixel resolution is the amount of pixels within each inch called ppi (pixels per inch).

Raster & Vector Summary

Raster (Bitmap)

• Pixel-based

• Raster programs best for editing photos and creating continuous tone images with soft color blends

• Do not scale up optimally – Image must be created/scanned at the desired usage size or larger

• Large dimensions & detailed images equal large file size

• It is more difficult to print raster images using a limited amount of spot colors

• Some processes cannot use raster formats

• Depending on the complexity of the image, conversion to vector may be time consuming

• Raster images are the most common image format, including: jpg, gif, png, tif, bmp, psd, eps and pdfs originating from raster programs

• Common raster programs: photo editing / paint programs such as Photoshop & Paint Shop, GIMP (free)

Vector

• Shapes based on mathematical calculations

• Vector programs best for creating logos, drawings and illustrations, technical drawings. For images that will be applied to physical products.

• Can be scaled to any size without losing quality

• Resolution-independent: Can be printed at any size/resolution

• A large dimension vector graphic maintains a small file size

• Number of colors can be easily increased or reduced to adjust printing budget

• Vector art can be used for many processes and easily rasterized to be used for all processes

• Can be easily converted to raster

• It is not the best format for continuous tone images with blends of color or to edit photographs

• Common vector graphic file format: ai, cdr, svg, and eps & pdfs originating from vector programs

• Common vector programs: drawing programs such as Illustrator, CorelDraw, Inkscape (free)

 

Direct to Garment FAQ

 

How quickly can you produce digitally printed t-shirts? Some custom printed t-shirt orders can be printed and shipped in as little as 72 hours, but the standard is 7 to 10 business days with free shipping.

Can I order digital printing on dark garments?

 

Yep! While many companies only offer DTG services on lighter t-shirt colors, btimprintables.com can accommodate any order, light or dark, large or small.

What kinds of images are best for DGT garments?

 

Many factors affect an image’s digital printability, but a basic rule of thumb is: The higher the resolution, the better. Our machines are the best in the business and produce the highest quality prints available, but those prints are only as good as the photos upon which they’re based.

If you have any questions about DTG printing or our other services, check out our FAQ page or give us a call at 1-877-797-2499 to speak with with us.

Can you print on hoodies and crewnecks?

 

Yes! The higher the cotton content of the hoodie the better the print. We can print a max height of 9.5 inches on hoodies.