Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing has quietly taken over custom apparel for one reason: it removed the minimum-order cliff that defined the industry for fifty years. Screen-print used to be the only choice, and it forced you to order at least 24–50 shirts just to cover setup costs. DTG drops that floor to one. Here's how the process actually works, what it costs, and when it's the right tool.
How DTG actually prints
Think of DTG as a giant inkjet printer with a flatbed where your t-shirt rolls instead of paper. The shirt is pre-treated with a chemical wash that lets ink bond to cotton fibers, then printed in full CMYK + white at 600+ dpi. The whole cycle — pre-treat, dry, print, cure — takes about three minutes per shirt. There's no setup, no screens, no per-color charges.
What it costs (real numbers)
- 1 shirt: ~$15–25 depending on blank
- 10 shirts: ~$14 each
- 50 shirts: ~$11 each
- 100+ shirts: at this volume, screen-print on a 1-color design beats DTG by ~$3/shirt
When DTG is the right call
- Full-color or photographic designs. Gradients, photo overlays, watercolor textures — anything screen-print would charge $50+ per color for.
- Quantities under 50. The no-setup advantage disappears as the run gets bigger.
- Sample runs. Test a design on three shirts before committing.
- Every-shirt-different orders. Numbered shirts, name printing, made-to-order Shopify integrations.
File prep specifics for DTG
Submit a 300 DPI PNG with a transparent background. Use sRGB (not CMYK — DTG inkjet runs in RGB). Avoid hairline strokes under 1pt and tiny font under 8pt — they don't survive the first wash cleanly. White ink under colored shirts is added automatically; you don't include it in your file.
The wash test
A DTG print holds vivid color for 30–40 washes with normal care: inside-out cold wash, mild detergent, tumble dry low or hang dry. Hot wash + hot tumble dry will visibly fade by wash 15. Tell your customers if the shirts are for a brand they care about — wash care matters.