DTG Printing: Direct to Garment
Direct to Garment (DTG) printing is the most technologically advanced method of decorating clothing. Using specialist inkjet printers designed specifically for fabric, DTG delivers photographic-quality, full-colour prints directly onto the garment — with no setup costs and no minimum order.
DTG: The Technology
Photographic Quality. Zero Minimums.
DTG printing is the future of custom garment decoration. Here's how the technology works and when it's the right choice for your project.
How DTG Printing Works
DTG printers work similarly to a standard office inkjet printer, but are engineered specifically for printing on fabric. Your garment is placed flat on a platen and fed through the printer, which jets specialist water-based textile inks directly into the fabric fibres. A pre-treatment process is applied first to cotton garments to improve ink adhesion and colour vibrancy, before the garment is heat-cured to lock the inks in place.
Unlimited Colours & Complexity
With DTG, there is no limit to the number of colours in your design. Gradients, photography, fine detail, and complex illustrations are all reproduced with outstanding accuracy. Unlike screen printing, there are no additional costs for extra colours making DTG the most cost-effective method for full-colour or photographic artwork, particularly on small quantities.
No Minimum Order — On Demand
One of DTG's most compelling advantages is its suitability for single items and very small runs. Because there are no screens to make and no setup to configure per job, the cost of printing one item is close to the cost of printing ten. This makes DTG perfect for samples, prototypes, one-off gifts, personalised items, and small batches where other methods would be uneconomical.
When DTG is the Right Choice
DTG is the optimal solution when you need full-colour or photographic designs, when quantities are small (typically 1–50 pieces), when you want no minimum order, or when your design features fine text and intricate detail. It works best on 100% cotton garments, though modern DTG printers can handle cotton-rich blends. For high-quantity runs of simpler designs, screen printing remains more cost-effective.
DTG Printing FAQs
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