Direct to garment printing, also referred to as DTG or digital printing, is a great option for small quantities of t-shirts, hoodies and other apparel products. If you want photographic t-shirt printing, direct to garment printing could be the best choice for your design or logo!
The reason it is called direct to garment printing is because the design is applied directly to the garment from the machinery as opposed to applying it to another thing like a transfer, and then applying it to the shirt. Digital shirt printing will retain all of the small details and colors in your image and can use as many colors as you would like in the design! Direct to garment printing uses water based ink on shirts that are at least 80% cotton, which gives a very soft feeling print you are sure to love!
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SCREENPRINTING AND DIGITAL PRINTING?
Screenprinting involves creating a stencil, known as a screen, and then using that screen to apply ink on the printing surface (in our case, apparel or promotional products). Each individual color is applied using a different screen, one at a time, combined to achieve the final look. The more colors a design has, the more screens that are needed, and the more setup time required. The ink in screen printing is applied thicker than digital printing, which results in brighter colors – even on darker shirts. Screenprinting is the best option for designs that require a high level of vibrancy, specialty products, or for quantities greater than 6 pieces. While Underground Printing has no minimums for screenprinting, price is usually a prohibitive factor under 6 pieces. Over 6 pieces, the per piece cost tends to be less than Digital printing (but not always).
Digital printing is a much newer process that involves your artwork being processed by a computer, and then printed directly onto the surface of your product. Digital printing is not a transfer – the ink is directly adhered to the fabric of your shirt. The fact that the design is processed and printed digitally allows for a quantity of one, since there are no screens or physical setup. Digital printing is best used for items that require large amounts of detail and/or print colors, customers that require water based ink, and for orders of a smaller quantity (5 or less pieces). The fact that the digital printer does not use screens allows for a photographic print, with much more detail than traditional screen printing. As the ink is applied thinner (to achieve such detail), digital printing is best used on lighter colored shirts to allow the design to shine through.