Insights About the Digital T-shirt Printing Equipment

Do you ever wonder how different graphic designs are printed onto your T-shirts? There are many ways this can be done. One is via screen printing and the other is via digital printing. Both have their pros and cons.

There are many benefits to using digital T-shirt printing equipment. It is very cost-effective, and as a result, is very good for bigger orders. Digital printing gives a very professional-looking appearance. The graphic design is very durable and long-lasting, so it will look good for a long period of time. It can also last through frequent machine washes. Digital printing is also great for producing larger graphics, and for printing graphics in different places on the clothing, such as on the sleeves.

Digital T-shirt printing equipment is not 100% perfect; it has some disadvantages which include; it is not good for small orders and can often create thick finishes that are not desirable. The process can be tiresome and challenging more so if you have to go through the process of pre-treating garments for some specific colored garments.

Some of the most important digital T-shirt printing equipment includes the computer systems and the printer itself.  A computer system is used basically to design the image usinga graphic design software. Some of these graphic design programs are available for free while some like the Photoshop can be purchased. For intricate designs, it is advisable that you go for high-end graphic design software. They are mostly used by professional designers.

The working principle a direct-to-garment printer which is one of the most popular digital printers is basically the same as that of the ordinary printers which are used to print papers. The only difference is that, in this case, garments are used instead of papers. Therefore, after an image has been designed, it is sent to the printer to obtain the desired image. This process has been automated and it does not require a highly trained professional to run the system.

Digital T-shirt printing equipment share some similarities with the screen printing technique more so when it comes to the design process. In the case of screen printing technology, the image to be printed is designed using graphics programs just like in the direct-to-garment printer. However, it differs from the digital T-shirt printing equipment in that:

The image used must be solid black, so that it blocks the light. After the image is selected, using a laser printer, it is printed out onto transparency paper.  It also involves preparing a screen.  Basically, this process is labor intensive, thus, it is not recommended for small scale and multiple color production. However, when it comes to large scale production, screen printing  is commonly used since it is cost effective.

The digital T-shirt printing equipment is one of the most expensive printers due to the wide range of features they come, however, you can get  some of the best bargains if you visit online stores such  Oprint Jet. Since they are mainly used for small scale production, they are used alongside the screen printers.

Screen Printer Machines vs Digital Printing

A number of companies and businesses in the T-shirt printing industry use both screen printer machines and digital printers. Even though digital printing has been gaining popularity in the recent past, the truth is that a good number of companies are still using the traditional screen printing for a good number of their products.

Of course, the two printing techniques are very important in the T-shirt printing industry since each technique has its unique advantages and disadvantages. What are the main differences between these two techniques?

Principle of Operation:

The Screen printing machines use a stencil to apply layers of ink on the printing surface. This stencil is referred to as “screen” by professionals in the printing industry. To obtain the desired output, several stencils are created for each color is applied using a different stencil. It does this one at a time after which they are combined to give the desired design.

On the other hand, the digital printer mainly depends on the use of computers to process the artwork with the help of various graphic design software.  The desired design is printed directly on the surface of the product.

All these techniques have their unique strengths and weaknesses. As a customer, you must not insist on using a particular process; you need to consult professionals in this industry.

Type of Project:

The screen printer machines are mainly used in applications where the design requires a high level of vibrancy; that is, when you are printing on either special products or dark shirts. Normally, the ink is thicker than that of the digital printers which makes the final design to be brighter even when a darker T-shirt was to be printed.

Although this printing technique has proved to be versatile and flexible; the process is time consuming and has a limited number of colors which can be printed.

In most cases, the digital printing techniques are mainly used for products with very intricate designs and for orders of a smaller quantity. Initially, printing small quantities was not economical using the traditional printing techniques. These printers do not use screens, thus, they can allow for photographic print. This technique is mainly used for light colored shirts since the ink applied is thinner. High production rates can be produced due to their high accuracy and precision. They are not time consuming since the process does not require setting up screen physically.

The screen printer machines are still being used in the printing industry, despite the numerous advantages which the digital printers come with such as efficiency, accuracy and faster printing speeds. A number of companies have been focusing on digital printing processes.

As you plan to hire any company for your T-shirt printing business, you need to be sure that it has the required experience and expertise. You try to get the worthwhile information about the company through referral programs or customer reviews. The outputs of both screen printer machines and digital printer machines pass through the same process which basically involves reviewing the final product to check for any forms of defects. All these defects must be corrected before handing over the product to the end user.

Discover the main differences between the screen printer machines and the digital printer machines at www.oprintjet.com