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Before you get into DTG, things you need to know

130K views 127 replies 57 participants last post by  DTGPRINTERPARTS 
#1 ·
DTG printing is the most exciting thing to happen to the garment industry since automatic screen machines and dyesub. There are, however, things you need to know.

1) the ink has a shelf life. the longer it sits around the bigger the chance you will have bad ink.

2) production times are nowhere near screen printing. while you can print short runs profitably, longer runs need much better control of costs to be competitive.

3) printing a single shirt can take 4 minutes or more from start to finish.

3) this is a complicated piece of equipment with close tolerances. not paying attention to that fact will yield nothing but frustration.

4) these machines like to run. the more you run it the happier it will be. the less you run it or the longer it just sits around the more chance you will have for problems like head clogs.

5) the ink is expensive.

6) pressing the shirts after printing adds to the time to print, consider a tunnel dryer like screen printers use.

7) color matching is a big issue. make sure you understand how colors work on a pc, how that are translated in the rip, and how your machine treats them.

8) unlike screen printing or embroidery, bitmaps (raster images) are your friend. imo this is one huge advantage over other forms of decorating.

did i miss anything:D
 
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#82 ·
but how do you find the wash and wear? I got 4 or 5 samples (white and black shirts) from different dealers (different makes) of dtg printers, and they were all terrible. Showed serious signs of wear or fade after 5 or 6 washes.(washed in cold, inside out) Especially the white shirts. Whats up with that? They claim 60-80 washes on their websites. I was all ready to buy one, but now.. Im not sure. Repeat business was gonna be a big part of mine, and with poor results like that, I wont get it.
 
#84 ·
Paul Green just published a vendor-agnostic article in Printwear's 2012 D2 Report that attempts to capture the top 5 most important things you should do before you invest in direct to garment.

It's business-oriented and repeats and reinforces much of what has been said here. Before the expert technicians on this thread snicker in derision :eek:, the intent is to set realistic expectations for someone who is outside this industry, a noob. If you're already a DTG magician there's nothing new here for you. :)

I’ll summarize the highlights:
  1. Have a marketing plan. Never assume that customers are going to line up for your company or that the business will grow organically. The better developed your marketing database and growth plans, the faster you will grow it.
  2. (Attend or) complete product training. Too many DTG owners enter the industry with not a lick of hands-on training. Or they fail to leverage tools. Spending a little time and/or money on learning will pay off big time.
  3. Create a dedicated shop environment. You wouldn’t bring a newborn baby home and THEN start to set up a nursery, right?
  4. Invest in graphics training. You are going to be a graphics production department, by proxy. Learn the software that you will use to optimize customer graphics NOW.
  5. Establish a learning curve. Last but not least, don’t schedule orders for fulfillment the day you get the printer.
The supplement also has a few other great articles by other industry experts.

One of our field techs also recommended that we mention a few other critical bits of knowledge:


  • Use 100% cotton rather than 50/50 blends – it’s water based ink

  • The weight of the shirt – 6 oz, 5.5 oz, 5 oz, etc. – and the weave – ringspun, slub knit, etc. – will all have a significant effect on pre-treatment volume and ink adhesion – so test and practice with every variety of shirt you sell
  • Along the lines of software learning: This is vital because your customer’s graphics will sometimes look great on a screen but often be terrible for printing purposes. Too many DTG owners blame the printer when they have not prepped a source graphic first. You will often need to convert graphics to RGB values. If you don’t, you will see a difference in quality. The goal is to achieve the best possible image fidelity.
 

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#85 ·
It’s quite frustrating to hear that in spite of controlling the environment (20 to 27C, >50% Humidity), limiting the dust, and running a dark shirt print (at least) every but day still DTG has to face clogging issues? I never had one yet but I thought these kind of things if consistently done will avoid you to be in trouble with the DTG.

I have my concern as well, what do you think about the machines made out of outsourced Epson Print head? Chinese made DTG’s are also using Epson printhead. Are they all the same considering that they brandish the same print heads? What will happen to these DTGs if suddenly Epson stops manufacturing your type of printhead, such could put one in a predicament of not finding one to replace his printhead? That worries me as I don’t like my 20k (6k in Chinese made J) machine idle in the corner and collect dust.

It has been mentioned in this thread also that the printhead is considered consumables? If that is the case is it predictable? Under a careful run would a certain printhead last only for an X amount of prints?

I am actually researching and planning to buy DTG Kiosk.
 
#86 ·
No, you're right - if you have a good quality machine, running a dark shirt every day should mitigate clogging in that environment. Digital apparel printing technology has come a LONG way in the past 7 years, and ink recirculation, a relatively airtight delivery system, combined with good humidity, good maintenance and daily use is sufficient to preserve the print head(s). An occasional white line flush doesn't hurt either.

Stainless steel heads can last indefinitely with proper care and use.
As far as clogging, it mostly depends on just one thing: are you leaving white ink in the lines without using it for several days in a row? This is a common user error. We train against it, we blog and publish articles warning against it, but people still do it.

TSF owners of d-t-g printers - including competitors - know what I am talking about: an owner who refuses to understand the machine, puts ink in and walks away. Vendors should take their licks from customers if their equipment fails, but it goes both ways.

I own a pre-SPRINT FP-125 now - 1900 head on an 1800 chassis - and I only load white ink when I have a batch of dark shirts to print. Otherwise I flush and leave those channels idle with cleaning fluid. I leave CMYK and auto-maintenance running in a 45 RH environment. Sometimes I go a week without running a print, just a nozzle check. I factory-refurbished it after buying from a 3rd party. I have never had a clog. Not a product plug, just a fact.

As far as the supply of print heads, this is where having a company with demonstrated engineering savvy is key. You can go with purely vertical companies who make their nut on consumables. Expect to pay through the nose for their inks and supplies. Or you can go with a company that outsources some components, assuming they have covered their bases and have sufficient backing to retroactively engineer improvements.

In either case, if your key worry is the idea of repairing or replacing a couple thousand bucks worth of equipment once every year or two, you might want to take another look at your business plan.

No matter what technology you choose, there will be a "getting familiar" curve of weeks or possibly months -- and definitely consumption of equipment and supplies -- that doesn't directly drive profit. This is to be expected and planned for. The same is true of screen printing, embroidery, dye-sub and other technologies.
 
#89 ·
Awesome information! I bought my DTG printer (T-Jet 2) about 5 months ago and I can tell you that frustration is part of me now. While reading all this, I see light at the end of the tunnel. Many things that have been going wrong have been caused by my ignorance.

Sure it is harder than they said, way harder, but it sure can be fun. Pre-treat and t-shirt quality are key to a better looking garment. So mastering pre-treatment is going to take a while, but is critical. And don't try to save a lot buying cheap tees...go with good quality cotton.

Thanks for the info and time, it's been really helpful!
 
#90 · (Edited)
Thank you everyone for all the great info, I've learned so much from this thread.

I do have one question which was never really addressed. Everyone's advice has to do with what to know from the printing side of things - what about when the shirt lands in the customers hands? To point:

I have read that the biggest drawback for DTG printed shirts is that they fade very quickly, faster when washed frequently and in warm/hot water. Is this still true, or have advancements been made in the technology that this is not an issue?

I want to offer my customers quality that will not fade overtime. After all, why return to my store and buy my shirts if they don't hold up? Thanks in advance to anyone that can shed some light on this.

Edit: Just to be clear, I have been reading around the forums and this is definitely an issue, often dealt with by finding the right curing time and what not. Still, those posts are all from several years ago and I am curious if there have been significant improvements. Thanks
 
#91 ·
Thank you everyone for all the great info, I've learned so much from this thread.

I do have one question which was never really addressed. Everyone's advice has to do with what to know from the printing side of things - what about when the shirt lands in the customers hands? To point:

I have read that the biggest drawback for DTG printed shirts is that they fade very quickly, faster when washed frequently and in warm/hot water. Is this still true, or have advancements been made in the technology that this is not an issue?

I want to offer my customers quality that will not fade overtime. After all, why return to my store and buy my shirts if they don't hold up? Thanks in advance to anyone that can shed some light on this.
Direct-to-Garment printed shirts, when cured properly, can hold up just as well or better than a shirt decorated with another method. Turning a shirt inside out and washing it in cold water will extend the lifetime of a garment decorated with any technology; washing in hot water will similarly shorten the lifetime of any decorated garment.

It's important to dry the shirts properly to get good wash results. Also, if the shirt requires pretreatment, it needs the right amount. Too much pretreatment will affect washability.

One plus with direct-to-garment is that you're unlikely to see any cracking in the garment over time, assuming the shirt was cured and pretreated properly. In fact, on light colored shirts, cracking is impossible since the ink "soaks" in to the fibers of the shirt.

-Alex
 
#92 ·
We eat our own dogfood here. We print on shirts and wear and wash them and they are as good as screen printing. We we have found is our customers are either taking their shirts to a dry cleaner or going to a laundry mat or even worse, washing them with rock (I made that part up but the shirts look like they did that)

We just went through this with apparel vinyl that looks like they beat the crap out of them.

None of my shirts have these problems. I was cold only but dry for 70 minutes at high heat. No problems in the last 5+ years. None. Ever.

The 'fading' is a result of the shirt breaking down. This is less of an issue with ringspun shirts but it will happen. The shirt is the problem, not the print. Screen printed shirts will have exactly the same problem.

By the way, I started this post 5 years ago. I am glad someone still reads it.

And by the way, The print heads are still available from about 300 on ebay to 400-500 other places.
 
#93 ·
Thank's to both of you for the quick response. So it sounds like pretreatment and curing can keep the fading issue from happening.

On a side note, I had a shirt digitally printed by Uberprints to see the quality (white shirt printed with pink and blue). After washing once (warm water - I didn't know), visible fading happened. Do you think Uberprints, as a large custom shirt place, just doesn't care about taking the time to make sure everything was pretreated and cured properly to make the lousy $25 I paid?

P.S. binki - Besides the fact that this post is pinned to the DTG section, I find it in poor taste when people start threads without reading around a site, so of course people are still reading your post! Thanks again!
 
#94 ·
...
P.S. binki - Besides the fact that this post is pinned to the DTG section, I find it in poor taste when people start threads without reading around a site, so of course people are still reading your post! Thanks again!
Thanks for the kind words. A lot has changed in 5+ years, I have lost a lot of hair! Besides that I have a very intimate relationship with my dtg printer so I think I can speak from an unbiased eye since we do screen printing, embroidery, awards, engraving, vinyl, signs and banners. It has been an adventure for sure.
 
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#95 ·
Hello guys. I'm new here and I was thinking of buying a used dtg printer.
I'm not aiming at anything huge and I've read this thread and few parts of the forum.
Basically what I'm interested is, have things changed by the year 2013? This thread was started years ago and I'm simply wandering do heads still clog often? Is ink still expensive and prone to issues? And so on.

Also, my aim is to create designed ****s (I'm a graphic designer) very fashionable on different shirt models, something unique. I know I can pull that off and I would charge them around 30$. I would be satisfied by selling 50-100 shirts a month (my country has a different standard). I'm wondering what would be the best printer to buy for this endeavor?

Thanks, this forum is really helpful!
 
#97 ·
All these printers work best when they are used frequently. If you are only planning on printing 50 shirts a month you may want to consider contracting out the printing to a company that already owns a direct to garment printer and having them do the printing for you. If you see that your print numbers grow then you can look for your own printer.


_
 
#96 ·
The "best" can be a very general question. Part of the answer would depend on where you are located. We have outstanding results and reliability with our Mod1 by Belquette.

Do you plan on including dark color garments which would require white ink capability? The Mod excels as does Belquette quality, support and responsiveness.

As you have surveyed this forum re: dtg, I'm sure you've repeatedly read threads about pretreat, machine maintenance, curing, drying, etc. which seem intense to one not actually yet in the mix themselves. They are all critical to a successful outcome and I don't think that has changed a bit, and probably won't.

As with any technical undertaking whether it's dtg, screen, embroidery, sublimation, or painting cars or finishing furniture for that matter, to achieve a positive durable outcome requires a level of training first, quality equipment and a continuing dedication to refining operator technique in addition to quality and correct input product such as the design, the garment, pretreat and yes, the inks. This need not be overwhelming. It is an ongoing adventure in continuing education in the end. In the beginning it is only a caution to dig, ask questions, make notes, check out the people you are dealing with and their track records, study your market and your resources, examine your level of commitment and then proceed.

As with many industries, some people come to the shore thinking the technology is a 'one button' college degree and whatever they throw at the wall will turn out great because of the sophistication of the technology. Dtg is a great and advancing tech. But like virtually all technology it is a "garbage in, garbage out" situation. You want to be fully prepared and then use the equipment as a tool, not the solution.

Good luck with your endeavor. You've started in the right place by digging in and asking. You can and will do well with sharp focus.
 
#101 ·
As a new owner, if I could interject a bit of advice I am quickly learning.
The t shirt business is a deadline driven industry! Nobody plans ahead for what they need. They walk in on Wednesday and want it by Friday. Or the event they have is in 1 week etc.
That was told to me and I ignored it, now I realize, that means I'm jumping when orders come in.
 
#104 ·
All direct to garment printers, no matter what type print engine they use or their cost, require having the proper environment (especially humidity levels of at least 50%). They also all require a regular maintenance schedule to avoid issues. This applies equally to Ricoh, Epson, Brother, or Kornit platforms.

_
 
#105 ·
What you need to do is calculate your costs.

If you buy a machine and the cost to you is $300.00 (low end price) per month and you do 100 shirts the machine costs you $3.00 per shirt + plus ink + rent + plus utilities + plus labor + credit card processing fees +++ learning curve.

Gildan g200 $2.50
machine $3.00
ink per side $
pretreat $
labor $
rent $
utilities $
card fees $
EST. COST $

Lots to calculate. 100 shirts is a tough sell to buy equipment. You'd be better off creating as many designs as you can and getting samples
 
#106 ·
Kevin gave you a great breakdown, Have some of your designs printed up by an outside printing company and see how sales go for 2 or 3 months. Once you have an idea of what you might expect in monthly sales you can then plug in the numbers and see if you have the profit potential to make money with your own printer.

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#113 · (Edited)
Reading this thread was like attending my first Fight Club meeting which, according to the rules of Fight Club, I should not be talking about lol. Got punched in the face with all the information but at the end I needed it.

Thank you once again for this thread. Glad it was created. I was looking for the "hidden" costs of DTG and found more than I expected. I am glad I did. Never knew I would need a hygrometer or even a humidifier. Time to read some more lol.
 
#114 ·
I started this in 2008, glad to see it is still alive. While we had our problems with DTG and eventually sold the machine after 5 years of constant use I can say that on light garments we always made money, not so much on darks but we did get some amazing prints. I am actually wearing one now that still looks pretty good.

While we have watched the advancements in the industry and think they are great it just isn't for us today. We have replaced it with a Versacamm which works pretty well for our market which is mostly sports teams and one-offs.
 
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