The use of digital textile printing machines for direct-to-garment (DTG), continues to grow rapidly and is gaining popularity worldwide. As a technology built to deliver speed to market, it’s built for on-demand production and as such sustainable manufacturing—driving down inventory and production costs. Debbie McKeegan is a textile expert who contributes to WhatTheyThink. In this article you will learn about DTG options and the growing field direct-to-film for garment print.
(Image courtesy Texintel
The direct-to-garment (DTG), production is growing steadily with a predicted vertical ascent. DTG digital textile printer machinery continues to see remarkable growth, which is helping it gain traction around the world. As a technology built to deliver speed to market, it’s built for on-demand production and as such sustainable manufacturing—driving down inventory and production costs.
DTG printing’s market value, which was US$822,000,000 in 2022, will rise to US$1,820,000,000 by 2032 at an annual growth rate 8.3% (FMI). This represents more than doubling the size of the global market within a 10-year span. Experts attribute this to direct-to-garment print’s unique advantages. These advantages include ease of entry, a “nil finished inventory” business model, and moving in lockstep with the market shift to customization and print-on-demand ecommerce.
Innovations are a key driver for the sector.
Kornit Digital (KD) has made considerable strides with its inks particularly for polyester fabrics, where its Neopigment™ Olympia ink is its unique, innovative ink for high-quality printing on polyester, delivering a wider color gamut, solid color coverage, and precise Pantone color-matching. This eco-friendly, sustainable ink is made in-house and designed specifically for Kornit Systems to meet the highest sustainability standards.
You will enjoy outstanding durability and hand feeling, as well as a higher L value and greater opacity for bright print. Additionally, you can get increased strength and flexibility to increase print elongation. KD machinery is known for its high quality retail and durability standards.
DTF (direct to film) technology is poised for even greater success. This area of print is fast and thick for quick garment production. DTF printing, which is a versatile technique in the print sector, offers amazing color vibrancy and fabric versatility. DTF printing can be used with harder fabrics like nylon, fleece, nylon and even classic cotton.
DTF printing is the process of printing a design onto PET film (a special film that allows for designs to be transferred). It uses water-based inks as well as a special powder adhesive. The PET film’s design is then heat transferred onto fabric with a heat press. This printing method is durable and the design’s print quality is impressive, detailed, and the colors vibrant.
Roland DG and Mutoh are the leaders in this field with their BN-20d, Mutoh and Sublistar, respectively, with their VJ 628d and DTF 6002 Pro max DTF lines. Ricoh offers DTF printer options.
Supply is plentiful as there are plenty of blank apparel manufacturers waiting to supply DTG. A wide variety of blank apparel is available to potential producers, including T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, and V-necks. They can find it all at Bella Canvas and Fruit of the Loom in America, as well as many European wholesalers. The demand for responsibly-sourced apparel is growing and the DTG industry is adapting to ensure that organic, certified and recycled polyester print bases and rPET recycled polyamide print bases are available.
The Brother GTX Pro bulk is your best option for sheer production and low prices. It can produce 14,000 T-shirts per week in a single 8-hour shift. Brother DTG Direct to Garment Printer Inks are manufactured according to Brother DTG’s exclusive formulation, providing the best possible results from a DTG printer.
These Brother Direct to Garment Printer Inks are among the first to not only carry the Oeko-Tex® Certification, but also to be GOTS APPROVED and CPSIA-compliant to help ensure they are safe for printing and are environmentally responsible. They also have the highest washability results in DTG.
We look forward to the next year and return to the Kornit Digital DTG machine range. It offers the best in speed, efficiency, flexibility and profitability.
As if the XDI profile ink system isn’t enough, Kornit machines from the Atlas to the Vulcan provide the perfect platform for an up-to-date and profitable digital printroom and, in 2023, Kornit is about to promote its new Apollo system. The manufacturer recently unveiled the Apollo machine, which uses its Max technology to offer “the highest retail quality combined with full automation control and integrated smart curing processes.”
The printer also utilizes technology from Lichtenau, Germany-based Tesoma, Kornit’s most recent acquisition. Kornit said, “the single-step end-to-end system addresses accelerated post-pandemic market trends for streamlined supply chains and production nearshoring.”
It will likely be available in mid-2023 after early customer engagements during the second half 2022.
The direct-to-garment sector is booming because of innovation, efficiency and rapid production.
The machinery agenda is also moving at a rapid pace: we are seeing the birth of the hybrid. Hybrid DTG printing is a combination of screen printing and digital print. This technology has attracted particular attention. Aeoon’s Kyo Hybrid DTG printer is an outstanding example. The Kyo Hybrid Series, which combines screen and digital textile print, is the first to do so. It is ideal for companies that need high volumes of printing and has unique production flexibility.
A combination of screen printing or DTG printing can be combined. This combination delivers a great finish and significant savings on the ink consumption.
The success stories of DTG are numerous, from Inkthreadable and Printful. As the DTG industry meets the market’s expectations for a textile sector with significant and irreversible growth, there are many DTG success stories. There are many things to look forward to in the coming years, with DTF technologies and hybrid printing solutions.
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