Direct-to-Garment printing may not be for everyone—but it’s close. When it comes to medium-to-large print runs, digital garment printing can’t rival the speed and cost of screen printing. However, nothing beats digital garment printing when it comes to short runs and one-of-a-kind prints. Prior to the arrival of digital garment printers, short-run printing wasn’t economically viable. The cost of color separation; screen coating & exposure; and setup & registration put short runs of screen-printed garments beyond the reach of most customers.
With Direct-to-Garment printing, however, traditional preparation is a thing of the past. The only thing that’s required is a digital image file. The operator simply pulls up the image, specifies the number of prints, and sends it to the printer. While the last—or only—garment using that file is being printed, the operator can pull up the file for the next garment. The uses for digital garment printers are endless. And while some large screen-printing operations have digital divisions with numerous Direct-to-Garment printers, those same printers are ideal for all sizes of embroidery and screen-printing operations since they’re well positioned to serve the pent-up demand for small custom orders. In addition, embroiderers who may have been interested in expanding into screen printing, but were dissuaded by start-up costs; space requirements; or an additional learning curve will find digital garment printing particularly attractive.
Digital garment printers even give those outside the industry a chance to become part-time apparel decorators. In fact, any business that would benefit from the ability to offer their clients custom-printed apparel should consider digital garment printing.