What is DTG preprocessing?
DTG printing is commonly used widely in the structural market, and it is very easy for green hands to start a one-time printing business. The whole printing process is very simple and only one person can print the garment in a few minutes, which is quite effective and convenient in printing at a low cost. You may ask why not use print screen? Screen printing has a lot of setup and analysis involved. To overcome the cost of creating screens and then setting those screens up on the press, screen printers need to mass produce the work to make the job profitable. Unlike screen printing, DTG printing makes it easier to complete small quantity orders. Did you know that in the field of DTG digital printing, we have a special step? That is, before printing, spray pretreatment liquid onto the garment material. This concept is easy to understand. For example, drywall is primed before painting because the primer helps the colored paint stick to the drywall and not soak in. If the paint soaks into the drywall, the chosen color will be blurred. We provide the best service of dtg printing in Dallas.
The same applies to the pre-treatment of DTG shirts. The pre-treatment process allows the white ink to adhere to and adhere to the shirt. If white ink seeps into the shirt, it won’t be white – more like gray and won’t create a smooth surface for the CMYK ink to print on, resulting in a very ugly, unsellable shirt.
Let’s first find out the composition of this pretreatment liquid. Pre-treatment liquid is a clear or milky liquid that is mixed with water for use, while some types do not require it. Due to its small molecular weight, it easily enters the fiber, and it can uniformly transform the surface and inside of the fiber and adsorb on the fiber through physical action. It can prevent ink and pigment molecules from penetrating into the fabric, so that the color sticks to the surface of the curing layer. And then the colors look really vibrant.
How to Use DTG Preprocessing Correctly?
New DTG users are often confused about whether to use light preprocessing or dark preprocessing. With a light pink shirt, you will help us prepare gently, right? In most cases no – but it also depends on the color of the image you are printing.
There is a very simple rule to remember: If you are printing any white ink, you must use a dark pretreatment no matter what color the shirt is. In a way, it should be called “White Ink” pretreatment but then it would be confused with white shirt. Let’s look at when, why, and how to use Light and Shadow preprocessing.
By pretreating your white shirt with a light pretreatment, you will see a huge difference compared to no pretreatment. Colors will be much more vibrant and dark colors become more solid and rich. You’ll also notice a higher quality of detail and no blurred patterns. The pretreatment will also act as a binder when heat pressing and increase washability.
Pretreat light garments on white t-shirts or white fabric. Let’s start with some history and understanding of printing on white shirts with DTG printers. One thing you may not know is that you don’t actually need to prep a white shirt. You’ll still get a relatively perfect print without any pre-processing, and some companies even use this as a selling point. Any machine can get this done. However, you will see a difference between the two shirts, one is treated first and the other is not. And you will learn the importance of preprocessing.
When to use dark pretreatment?
It should be very clear to you now that Dark Pretreatment is used whenever you print white ink. Dark preprocessing is a different formula than light and performs a few additional tasks. The first job of dark pretreatment is to create a surface onto which white ink can be printed. Without pretreatment, the white ink will seep into the fabric, just like pouring milk on a t-shirt and the same thing. When printed, the white ink will stick to the shirt and begin to solidify upon contact with the pretreatment. This prevents the ink from getting wet and forming puddles, giving the colored ink a surface to print on and not running or mixing.
In short, light pretreatment is really only for white garments, and dark pretreatment is for any time you’re printing white ink regardless of the color of the garment. One last point I want to make is to always use the brand of pretreatment that matches the brand of ink you are using. This is the only way to ensure print quality and good washing results. Purchasing ink and pretreatment from your printer manufacturer will also ensure that the product is 100% authentic, brand-name formulation. This will become very important for the longevity of your printer and product.
