Direct-to-Garment Printing as a More Sustainable Option

Over the years the clothing industry has kept up with the changing fashion trends and employed technological innovations to produce better quality clothes in large quantities. Now with worldwide concern over the textile industry’s overall environmental impact, there has been a demand for more sustainable practices. And all these rising concerns have not been without some merit. 

Today the textile industry is considered the second largest polluter of freshwater globally. It produces 20% of the world’s wastewater and is responsible for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Here, DTG or Direct-to-Garment printing provides a way forward with an eco-friendly way of digitally printing images onto cotton textiles. 

Direct-to-garment printing, as the name itself mentions, is a textile process that prints the design directly to the fabric using inkjet technology. DTG has become one of the most convenient methods of garment decoration and put itself as a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach available in the textile industry. Here are the reasons that make DTG a viable long-term option. 

Water-based inks 

DTG technology uses water-based pigment inks that consist mainly of water and these inks are biodegradable in nature. These inks contain natural pigments and environmentally-friendly chemical additives that have little to no VOCs emission. 

Natural fabrics oriented 

DTG printing can be applied to a wide range of fabric types, from cotton, blends and even pure synthetics when combined with other methods (DTF). However, it performs better on natural fibers like cotton, linen, hemp and leather.  

Organic cotton is actually one of the most sustainable choices for DTG printing as the biodegradability of the natural fiber itself makes the whole process more environmentally responsible and sustainable. 

User-friendly 

The inks and pretreatment liquids used in DTG printing are water-based which makes the workspace one of the safest places in the textile industry. The inks are kept in closed cartridges at all times and the pretreatment solutions are sprayed within closed chambers so that operators don’t breathe in any hazardous chemicals. 

No aftertreatment 

In comparison to other printing methods employed in the textile industry, DTG doesn’t need a large amount of water and detergent to remove chemicals and additives, such as softeners. A DTG printed garment is ready-to-wear after its curing. 

Less waste 

DTG is mostly an automatic process, that uses digital files and prints directly from the computer with minimum manual handling. Once you have set the software parameters properly, only similar prints will be produced. This way both cloth and ink waste will be kept to the minimum and aligned with sustainable practices. It uses inkjet technology and uses less water than screen printing as it uses a printer that directly transfers ink to the cloth. 

While the DTG printing method produces the same type of output, it uses more environmentally friendly ingredients, allowing for a change to more sustainable procedures.   

We, at Machine Dalal, have a large selection of print equipment listed by sellers from all over the globe. It is a convenient way for buyers to directly connect with sellers and find the equipment that fits their needs. 

Contact us to learn more. You may also download the app from the Play Store or the App Store to have a personalized experience of the Platform.   

At Machine Dalal, we connect the supply and purchasing needs of the print industry.

Contact Us to learn more. You may also download the app to have a personalized experience of the Platform.

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