You could be forgiven for thinking that the only decoration technique in town at the moment is DTF. Its rapid rise has dominated talk in the print sector for the past few years. Yet DTG is not only still available, it continues to thrive, as we discovered…
Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing was predicted to be hit hard when DTF (direct-to-film) first emerged: the highly-detailed, vibrant DTF transfers are low cost, can be applied to many different substrates, including synthetics, and don’t require pretreatment.
While Folker Stachetzki, head of marketing at Brother, reports that some businesses have explored DTF as a complementary or alternative solution to DTG printing, he adds: “However, despite the increased interest in DTF, the DTG market remains robust. Many businesses continue to value the superior print quality, softer hand feel, and direct application advantages that DTG offers.”
The DTG market has, inevitably, been affected by the rise of DTF, says Damon Piall, divisional director at Xpres, which sells the Epson range of printers, “but that’s to be expected with the rise of any new digital technology within the garment decoration or personalisation industry. Having said that, sales have started to increase back to usual levels of late, due to the hybrid DTG/DTF usability of the Epson machines and the reliability of the Epson brand.”
He points out: “With excellent hand-feel and a retail-level finish, DTG is still the nearest digital equivalent to screen printing. This makes it a leading decoration technology choice for high street retailers and larger established brands.
“DTF is a welcome addition to the decoration market; it’s a new technology and one that fits well within the industry, but it’s not perfect and certainly not the silver bullet for overcoming the complexities of professional level garment branding.”
Positive signs
The relatively low cost of most DTF systems has meant those entering the garment decoration market have more choice and need a smaller start-up budget.
Charlotte Darling, a director of Amaya Sales UK which sells the Kornit and Polyprint DTG systems, comments: “Whilst we have seen a change in the buying habits of people looking to get into the market because of the explosion of DTF, our more established customers are seeing steady and, in some cases, huge growth in impressions on their DTG systems.”
Stephen Chuddy, digital product development manager at machine manufacturer M&R, is upbeat about the impact of DTF on the wider market: “As with any competitive threat, it has spurred on research and development of all other printing technologies to create more efficient designs to improve the apparel decorating process.
“M&R doesn’t view the recent rise in the use of DTF printing systems as a warning sign, but rather as the next step in the evolution of the printed apparel decorating process.”
He adds: “M&R’s position is that each of the four print technologies used in the apparel decorating process – screen printing, hybrid printing, DTG, and DTF – all have unique strengths and weaknesses that make them the most efficient method for a given application.
“Our approach is less about selling a specific piece of equipment technology and more about reviewing the requirements of the decorator to present a solution that delivers the best performance for each print application.”
The ongoing development of DTF/DTG hybrid systems has helped to alleviate the either/or mentality.
“Operations don’t have to make the choice at the point of purchase, only at the point of demand and they can say yes to both,” says Axel Stuhlreiter, who is head of textile solutions in the Graphic Communications Group at Ricoh Europe.
…Discover more industry insights into DTG in our September 2024 issue here
