What is Direct To Garment, aka DTG, or Digital T-shirt Printing?

Direct to Garment or DTG Printing is one of the printing services we offer to our customers. While more people are becoming aware of this technology, all of us at Wannaink thought we could take a moment and explain this process in a bit of detail.

Digital printing, aka DTG, is a relatively new fabric printing method that prints an image directly onto a garment or fabric through a modified version of a traditional inkjet printer. DTG offers flexibility over screen-printing in terms of color variation and turn-around time (especially for smaller orders). DTG is the best option for apparel decoration when your image has a lot of colors. The quality of the image will be sharper, and DTG is more cost-effective than screen-printing, especially for shorter runs.

custom DTG printing near me

File Types for DTG Printing

Digital T shirt printing is essential for designs that are too complex for traditional screen printing methods, and when the maximum amount of detail is required. Our DTG printers use the best quality inks to distribute the ink evenly across one amazing design after another.

There are two different image formats:

1) Raster Images

2) Vector Images

Raster images are based on Pixels. The higher the number of pixels, the better the resolution and, therefore, the image print is of better quality. In conjunction with scaling, Pixels can change the quality of an image. The more pixels it contains, the larger the picture can be without looking pixelated.

Vector images use mathematical calculations between two different points to create geometrical shapes. The process uses lines instead of pixels to create images, giving the images flexibility to be infinitely large. No matter what size the image is, it will always retain its quality. You generally view images on a computer screen with a resolution of 72 PPI (Pixels Per Inch). It is ideal for digital viewing. When it comes to printing t-shirts, the higher the PPI count, the better printing it will be. Ideally, we request customers to submit images or artwork at 300 PPI. 

Here are some of the most commonly accepted file formats for DTG printing:

  • AI
  • EPS
  • JPEG
  • TIFF
  • PDF
  • PNG
  • PSD

DTG Design Examples

Digital T shirt printing is essential for designs that are too complex for traditional screen printing methods, and when the maximum amount of detail is required. Our DTG printers use the best quality inks to distribute the ink evenly across one amazing design after another.

Custom DTG printing examples

Direct to Garment Process

Step 1:

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

Step 2:

Our designers are happy to work with any image you provide, even if it takes a bit of polishing. We have mastered the art of transforming designs into masterpieces. For businesses, check with your web developer or marketing team to provide you with any raw logo image files.

Step 3:

Every design gets thoroughly inspected before printing for quality assurance. You’ll be able to review the finished layout when we send you the final design proofs for your approval. If you have questions about your specific artwork, call us at +91 965 454 6400 to consult with your project specialist.

Direct-to-garment, or DTG Printing