Inkjet Garment Printing University for the Direct to Garment Industry
What Exactly is Direct To Garment Printing? Direct to Garment Printing, or inkjet garment printing as it is also known, is the process of designing artwork in your computer and then printing it directly to the garment via an inkjet process similar to as desktop inkjet printer. This process allows you to print in full color using a CMYK or expanded CMYK inkset to reproduce full color artwork without the hassles, mess, and setup of traditional screen printing.
Why Use Inkjet Printing Technology to Decorate Shirts? Well, the technology has greatly improved over the past several years which has made it much easier for people to create and produce stunning shirts without having to have a lot of experience. This is in sharp contrast to screen printing. Almost anyone who can design something in the computer can then print it directly to the shirt. This allows for creating one of a kind shirts or mass production runs without having to create film positives, stretching screens, and using chemicals to reclaim these screens. Digital garment printing is so much cleaner and requires less space than a traditional screen printing shop that it is quickly becoming a choice for beginner garment decorators
What Exactly is Required to Get into DTG Printing? FIrst you will need a machine that is capable of printing directly to garments. There are a wide variety of machines out there and they vary in price, performance, and features. You will also need a heat press or tunnel dryer to cure the printed inks which are usually a water-based type inkset. In addition to this equipment, you will need a computer with a professional graphics type software package - usually CorelDraw, Photoshop or Illustrator. Having a working knowledge of these software packages and some design and layout skills are helpful since the printer will only print what you tell it to.
