Printing methods
What is DTG printing, and does it crack or fade?
DTG stands for direct-to-garment: the printer sprays ink straight into the fabric of the shirt, the way an inkjet prints into paper. Because the ink is absorbed rather than layered on top, there is nothing on the surface to crack or peel. It fades only the way the garment itself fades — and washing inside out slows that down considerably.
How it actually works
The garment goes flat onto a platen, and the printer lays down your design in a single pass, directly onto the fibres. Full colour costs no more than one colour, because there are no screens and no per-colour setup.
That absorption is the whole character of DTG. It's why the print feels like the shirt rather than like a sticker on the shirt — and it's also why the fabric matters so much.
Why it's 100% cotton only
The ink needs natural fibres to bond with. On polyester it has nothing to soak into, and the result is dull and unreliable. So we run DTG on 100% cotton tees and hoodies only, and use DTF for everything else — which covers blends, polyester and hats without compromise.
Does it crack?
No. Cracking is what happens to a print sitting on top of fabric when that fabric stretches — the layer has nowhere to go and splits. A DTG print is inside the weave, so it stretches with the shirt.
Does it fade?
It fades the way the garment fades, which is slowly and mostly because of heat. Two things make the difference:
- Wash inside out. The agitation and abrasion of a wash cycle hit the outside of the garment. Turning it inside out puts the fabric between the print and everything else in the drum
- Skip the high heat. Cold or warm wash, low dryer setting
How to wash a DTG printed shirt
- Turn it inside out
- Cold or warm water
- Tumble dry low, or hang it
- Don't iron directly on the print
That's genuinely all of it. There's no special detergent and no first-wash ritual.
Ready to print it?
Upload your art, place it on the garment, and the price updates live. No minimum, no setup fee.