What's DTG Printing and How Does it Work?

by Deon Moore | Sep 10, 2022

Direct to Garment, or DTG printing, is a process by which a digital image is printed directly onto your apparel using cutting edge printing technology and inks. This process allows us to print any quantity order with highly detailed full color designs at an affordable price. With our expert team of direct to garment printers, any design is possible. We ensure outstanding accuracy, exceptional consistency, phenomenal print output, and affordable rates with every order.

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Direct to Garment Process

Step 01

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

Step 02

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 03

If you’re placing a new order for five or more pieces, we’ll send you a digital copy of this updated work (a proof, for short) and ask that you approve it before printing begins. If you’re placing a re-order of any quantity or a new order for 4 pieces or fewer, we won’t send a proof unless the design is especially complex, or you request a proof during checkout. You can also email info@suxxesapparel.com or call one of our project specialists at (619) 519-2259.

Step 04

When it comes to printing, pixels matter. Pixels are the smallest measurable point in a photo, and together, hundreds of thousands of them (sometimes millions) combine together to make the image you see. Think of mosaic artwork; The greater number of pieces within a canvas, the more detailed and apparent the image will look.

File Types for Direct to Garment

There are two types of images: raster and vector. Raster images use pixels. The higher number of pixels an image contains, the better resolution it will have; better quality prints. Pixels have a direct effect on the scaling capabilities of an image. The more pixels an image contains, the larger it can be scaled without becoming boxy, or “pixelated.”

Vector images, however, use mathematical calculations between two different points to create geometrical shapes. The process itself uses lines instead of pixels, and because of that, they are infinitely scalable. No matter how large you scale a vector image, it will not lose its quality. When you view a photo on a computer screen, it usually requires a fairly low PPI (Pixels Per Inch) count – around 72, generally. For digital viewing, that’s fine. But when it comes to printing, both on t-shirts and paper, the higher the PPI count, the better. Ideally, we request customers submit photos at 300 PPI. If that’s not possible, no worries! Our design team is always happy to help. Whether submitting a vector or raster image, here are some of the most commonly accepted file formats:

AI
EPS
JPEG
TIFF
PDF
PNG
PSD
PCT