Printing Planet UK
Direct to garment printing (DTG) is a digital method that sprays water-based ink straight into the fibres of a cotton garment using a modified inkjet printhead. There are no screens, no setup costs, and no minimum order. The printer reads your artwork file and jets ink across the fabric in a single pass.
For anyone looking for direct to garment printing in London, DTG is the most flexible option for cotton garments of any colour or complexity.
How Does DTG Printing Work?
The process runs in four steps:
- Pre-treatment – Dark garments need a pre-treatment spray that helps white ink bond to the fabric. Light garments usually need none.
- Loading – The garment sits flat on a platen (a board sized to the print area).
- Printing – The printhead moves across the fabric jetting CMYK inks plus white underbase on dark garments.
- Curing – The garment passes through a heat tunnel to cure the ink, bonding it into the fibres.
Each garment takes four to eight minutes from loading to finished print.
What Fabrics Work With DTG?
DTG works best on:
- 100% cotton – ring-spun or combed cotton gives the sharpest detail and most vivid colours
- High cotton blends – 80% cotton or above produces good results
- Light-coloured garments – fewer ink layers, crisper output
DTG does not work well on polyester, nylon, or technical sportswear. For those fabrics, DTF printing (direct to film) is the correct choice. DTF transfers bond to almost any material including 100% polyester.
DTG vs Screen Printing vs DTF
Each method suits a different job:
- DTG is best for small orders, photo prints, and complex full-colour artwork. No setup fee, from 1 piece.
- Screen printing is best for large runs (50 or more) in one to four solid colours. Lower per-piece cost at volume, but expensive setup per colour.
- DTF is best for polyester, mixed fabrics, sportswear, and orders that need the same transfer pressed onto multiple garment types.
For a direct comparison of the two main digital methods, read our DTG vs DTF printing guide.
What Are the Limits of DTG?
DTG is not suitable for every order:
- It works poorly on polyester blends above 30%
- Dark garment prints cost more due to the white underbase layer
- Very large print areas cost more per piece due to ink volume
- Files must be print-ready (300 dpi PNG or vector SVG)
Is There a Minimum Order?
No. DTG has no minimum order and no setup fee. One T-shirt is fine. The per-piece price drops at 5, 25, 50, and 100 pieces.
Need full-colour cotton T-shirts printed in London? Visit our custom DTG T-shirt printing page or WhatsApp Printing Planet UK for a free artwork check.