Page 44 - Print21 magazine Sep-Oct 2022

Garment Printing
DTG offering opportunities Direct-to-garment printing offers print businesses the opportunity to add another
arrow to their quiver, with another revenue stream, for a low investment.
The mega trends impacting the world we live in spell good news for anyone considering entering the direct-to-garment (DTG)
sector. The desire for personalisation is key among them, T-shirts for instance are forecast to grow at 9.1 per cent CAGR over the next five years. The on-demand world is also working for DTG, seeing an on- shoring of printing, with the public unwilling to wait for their item. And the ready availability of easy-to-use online design tools, such as Canva, mean anyone can design their own t-shirt, tote bag, tea towel, hoodie, or personalised face masks.
For print business owners, adding garment printing to their options may seem a big step, but in fact the opposite is the case. It is remarkably straightforward, and inexpensive, certainly at the entry level. All
you need is the DTG printer and a heatpress, both table top devices. You can get both for less than $20,000, with Brother, Epson and Ricoh among the companies offering the technology. You can scale up, all the way to the Kornit DTG systems, which are six-figure machines, with a corresponding uptick in productivity, and an ability to print onto non- cotton substrates.
T-shirts and the like used to be
the exclusive domain of screen printing, which still commands the longer run market. However, digital DTG printing is quick to set up with minimal maintenance, and is cost- effective on short runs which the public, corporates and agencies want, with its instant turnaround.
The on-demand nature of DTG
is enabling a new breed of print entrepreneur, who are marrying the technology with the online world. B2C is one of the big growth areas for DTG. We are seeing a number
of start-ups who advertise on eBay, Gumtree and the like, and there is no reason why an established print business likewise cannot get on the front foot, and engage direct with potential consumers through the online world.
DTG: Opportunity for print businesses of all types
B2B garment printing is a great way to create brand awareness at
an event, or in a workplace. We
have seen it time and again. The arrival of DTG means those brands, organisations, and businesses can bring that level of visibility to numerous situations for minimal cost. The industry expects the use of printed items will increase strongly over the coming years.
One of the big advantages for
DTG in the fashion industry is
its environmental credentials, specifically it uses no water. The
big name in this space is Kornit, represented in this country by Kissel + Wolf. You are not going to print a series of dresses on a sub $20,000 printer, so you need the heavyweight systems. Kornit has just held a fashion show in Los Angeles, which highlighted its abilities, and its non-water use. Fashion is under the environmental pump, DTG has the environmental credentials it craves.
Less than 10 per cent of garment printing around the world is produced by digital systems, meaning that not only is the market growing – more t-shirts will be ordered each year for the foreseeable future – but the opportunity within the existing market is seriously large for analogue to digital transfer.
Brother
Brother has been at the forefront of DTG printing for many years, and has a range of print solutions.
Printing on 100 per cent dark polyester has been on the wish list for many DTG users in the textile industry, and Brother International Australia says it has the technology to achieve it. All it takes is a driver update on existing GTX series garment printing machines, which are loaded with Brother genuine consumables, and customers can be printing poly straight away.
Greg Benardos, national manager DTG at Brother International Australia says: “We have worked relentlessly to develop this new driver, so we can give back to our customers what they’ve been asking for for years – to print on 100 per cent dark polyester.
Brother has also launched the GTXpro Bulk, which features a proprietary bulk-feed system for
its specially formulated inks. The bolder, brighter Innobella Textile Inks are water-based pigment inks and are Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex certified and CPSIA compliant. Brother says the bulk packaging uses less plastic thanks to the new reusable tanks, so there is less waste and less impact on the environment.
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44 Print21 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022