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Archives for July 2015

Garment choice is important

July 4, 2015 by Gus Altmann Leave a Comment

dtg

 

Can you see the difference in these two prints?

One of the most important variables in a vibrant DTG print can be the garment choice.
Many times, when using white ink in direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, I’ve noticed decorators’ tendency to complain that their prints just don’t look like what they saw at a trade show. “It just isn’t white enough and we are doing exactly the same artwork and everything — there must be something wrong with the printer or pre-treatment machine,” they’ll exclaim.
Well, it’s important to remember there are many factors that can affect the final output of a digitally printed shirt. One of the biggest is the one you probably wouldn’t think of first: the choice of garment.
While it’s probably a popular culprit for a poor white-ink print, let’s first look at the role of pre- treatment in digital printing and then examine how other factors come into play.

Pre-treatment’s Role

Pre-treatment achieves two basic functions for the digital printing process. The first is similar to the process of applying primer to drywall before painting. Primer is applied so that the paint doesn’t soak into the drywall. This is the same function that pre-treatment serves for digital garment printing.

Secondly, once white ink is printed onto a pre-treated shirt, it reacts with the pre-treatment and changes “state”. You can think of this “state change” as being similar to the flashing of white ink in the screen printing process. A white underbase is flashed using a heat source so that a solid color can be printed on top of the white ink layer without a mixture of the two occurring. This results in a crisp, clean image. In direct-to-garment printing, when the white ink hits the pre- treated shirt, the pre-treatment “flashes” via a chemical reaction. Similarly, this allows other colors to be printed on a semi-solid surface, resulting in great detail and no messy or blurry wet- on-wet printing.
When using the same pre-treatment process, printing parameters and artwork on multiple garments, it still is possible to get amazingly different printed results. In the above picture, two different shirts are folded down the middle to highlight the difference in printing that can be seen in real-world production. There is a significant difference in the brightness and opacity of the printed garment on the right when compared to the garment on the left.
The print on the left showed more fibrillation and less optical brightness, making the printed design look slightly faded and not as white. The print on the right appears to contain more solid, thicker deposit of white ink. However, the only difference between the left and right prints — and one of the most often overlooked variables — is the style of shirt.

Choosing a ‘Good’ Garment

For most DTG printing shops, increasing garment quality can have a profound impact on the print quality received by customers. Moreover, it doesn’t matter whether it is a standard CMYK-only print on a white shirt or white ink on a dark-colored shirt. The better the garment quality, the better the print and product your customers will receive. That’s why Machines Plus uses the RTP Apparel for its pre treated shirts and AS Colour for a fashion feel

What factors should be sought in a quality shirt? In the above example, the left side was a standard carded open-end (COE) fabric — a basic option most often found at the lowest price point. Since everyone wants to save money, this unfortunately is the most-often-chosen style for direct-to-garment printing.
The second — and better — choice for DTG printing would be a garment constructed of combed, ring-spun cotton, possibly also featuring an enzyme wash. The tighter weave of this type of shirt means there will be fewer rogue fibers straying from the thread, resulting in a smoother printing surface and a much better looking finished print.
A smaller thread diameter (such as a 30/1 thread) also will allow a much more denser weave with fewer peaks and valleys, while the enzyme-washing process will help strip off surface fuzz from the shirt fibers — resulting in a smoother printing surface.
You can think of the difference between these two shirt types (construction and processing) as being similar to printing a photograph with your desktop inkjet printer. Using regular copy paper may yield a good image, but printing on photo-quality paper can result in an incredible looking photograph. The same concept applies to DTG printing.

Test It Out

Every shop is different, and it is best to procure a variety of different ring-spun and processed shirts for testing. Many companies now advertise their shirts as DTG-ready. Since individual pretreatments and printing processes will interact differently with shirts based on where they are manufactured, it would be best to test multiple brands to find the shirt that will print the best in your shop.
So, the next time you are having issues with your white ink DTG prints and you want to blame the printer or the pre-treatment machine, remember to check all the variables. Using the highest- quality shirt — though a little more costly than the standard shirt you may be using — will yield much better finished prints and more satisfied customers in the long run.

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Love the help Machines Plus gave me, setting up and helping me start off my new business...great company to work with..

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Awesome experience with Gus @ Machines Plus, from the initial contact to the final day of installation. It has been a smooth, fun experience and quick service. Have been shown over a couple of days how to use our new DTG machine and highly satisfied with it. We will be using Machines Plus in the future for more equipment.

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The training was outstanding. I highly recommend Gus at Machines Plus to anyone looking to purchase a DTG printer. It is worth the purchase just to experience his sense of humour and he has a wealth of knowledge to pass on as well. 12 months after purchasing the machine, Gus and his team are still there to ensure we are up and running smoothly. His service is outstanding.

Jamie Storer

The Teehouse

About Image Armor Ultra Pre Treat

"OK so I just started using the new pre-treat... I did have a few concerns because when I was spraying the garments it looked a little different and I was on the verge of freaking out again. 

However once I actually started using it I have to be honest... Well the results have been very good. In fact much superior to the Dupont. 

I am getting a much more even and consistent print and the colours appear to be more vibrant. So congratulations on finding a superior product."

Marcus Siegel

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