DTG and DTF digital printing on clothing in Bangladesh
Digital printing removed the barrier that used to make small, colourful runs uneconomic. It is not a replacement for screen printing at volume, but for photographic artwork, many colours or short runs, it is usually the right answer.
- DTG suits
- Full-colour artwork on 100% cotton
- DTF suits
- Blends, polyester and performance fabrics
- Cost driver
- Print area and garment colour, not colour count
- No screen charges
- Set-up is minimal, so short runs work
- Approval
- Printed sample on bulk fabric before production
DTG and DTF are not the same thing
DTG, direct-to-garment, sprays water-based ink into the fibres, so the print feels soft and integrated. It works best on 100% cotton, particularly on light colours; on darks it needs a white underbase, which adds body to the hand-feel. DTF, direct-to-film, prints the design onto a film with adhesive powder and heat-presses it onto the garment. That makes it far more flexible across fabrics, including polyester blends and performance knits where DTG struggles, at the cost of a slightly more present film feel.
What drives the price
Unlike screen printing, colour count is irrelevant: a photograph costs the same as a one-colour logo of the same size. What matters is the printed area, because that is ink and machine time, and whether the garment is dark, which requires an underbase.
- Printed area in square centimetres
- Garment colour, since dark garments need a white underbase
- Fabric, which decides DTG versus DTF and any pre-treatment
- Number of positions
- Quantity, though the effect is far smaller than with screen printing
Durability and colour expectations
A well-printed DTG design on pre-treated cotton washes well, though very dark garments can show slight fading of the underbase over time. DTF is generally robust and stretches with the garment if pressed correctly, but a poor press or an incompatible fabric leads to lifting at the edges.
Colour is a CMYK process, so some Pantone references, particularly bright oranges and deep blues, cannot be hit exactly. We print a sample on your bulk fabric and let you approve the actual colour rather than promise a number.
When to switch to screen printing
As quantities rise, screen printing becomes cheaper per piece and more durable, particularly for one- to three-colour designs. If your first run proves a design and you reorder in thousands, moving it to screens usually reduces cost. We will tell you where that crossover sits for your specific design rather than pushing you to one method.
What we need from you.
Send what you have and we will fill the gaps with you. Everything below fits in the branding section of our free tech pack template.
- High-resolution artwork at 300 dpi at final print size, or vector
- Transparent background (PNG or TIFF) where the garment colour shows through
- Print size in centimetres and placement from the high point of the shoulder
- A note on whether the design must match a Pantone reference, since digital is a CMYK process
- Garment colour, because dark garments need a white underbase that changes the feel
Products we use digital printing on most.
Decoration is quoted with the garment, not separately, so the price you see per piece already includes it. Check what that costs delivered before you set retail prices.
Digital printing: common questions.
Is DTG printing good enough for retail products?
Yes, when the fabric, pre-treatment and artwork suit it. Retail brands use DTG for photographic designs, all-over placements and small drops where screen set-up would be uneconomic. The important limits are honest ones: on dark garments the white underbase gives a slightly heavier hand-feel than a soft water-based screen print; very fine detail can soften; and the colour is CMYK, so exact Pantone matching is not guaranteed. Cotton, particularly combed ring-spun cotton, takes DTG best. For polyester or blends, DTF transfers give better results. The way to decide is to print your actual artwork on your actual fabric and judge it in the hand, which is what we do at sampling. If the result is not good enough for your price point, we will say so and propose screen or transfer alternatives.
Can I order small quantities with digital printing?
Digital printing removes screen set-up, so decoration is viable on very small runs, but the garment itself still carries a minimum. Cutting and sewing a style from your own pattern realistically starts around 100 pieces per style and colour, which is what our partner factory produces, and that minimum comes from fabric, pattern and line changeover rather than from the print. So the honest answer is that digital printing makes small runs cheaper to decorate, not cheaper to manufacture. If you want fewer than 100 pieces of a finished garment, printing onto ready-made blanks is the realistic route, and it is a different product: someone else’s fit, fabric and labels. Tell us which matters more to you, quantity or control of the garment, and we will point you to the right option.
Other decoration and finishing methods
Planning an order with digital printing?
Send a tech pack, a sketch or a photo of a garment you like. We reply within one working day with questions or a first costing.
- One merchandiser responsible for your order
- Certificates and audit reports shared before production
- AQL final inspection report before you approve shipment
- NDA signed on request before you share designs