Back to overview

Digital direct printing: what exactly is it?

Want to know how digital direct printing works? In this article, we explain everything you need to know about the well-known digital printing process.

spized | Clothing and equipment

November 18, 2024 |

Whats’ on this page

1. What is digital direct printing?

2. How does digital direct printing work in practice?

3. Advantages and disadvantages of digital direct printing

3.1 Advantages

3.2 Disadvantages

4. The sublimation printing process as a sensible alternative

What is digital direct printing?

As the name suggests, digital direct printing uses a printing machine to print directly onto the fabric. This works in a similar way to conventional paper printers. Digital direct printing enables fine color gradients and prints in photo quality. However, the printing process is only suitable for cotton textiles. Sports jerseys, which are usually made of colored polyester fabric, cannot be finished with digital direct printing.what is digital direct printing? Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

How does digital direct printing work in practice?

With digital direct printing, there are no preliminary printing costs for films, stencils or separations. This makes the process cost-effective, meaning that attractive prices can be expected even for small quantities. Digital direct printing is now also easily possible on colored or black textiles. The print motif is applied as follows:

To begin, the photo or illustration must be available digitally so that it can be processed by special software.
First, the T-shirt or textile is attached to a printing plate so that the surface is as smooth as possible.
The textile is then sprayed with a chemical to achieve better ink application.
Now the textile printing machine prints the motif onto the fabric.
As soon as the print is finished, the textile is exposed to heat so that the ink dries.
After around 3 to 5 minutes, the digital direct print textile is ready.

Advantages and disadvantages of digital direct printing

Advantages

1) Good results with photos or raster motifs

Digital direct printing achieves respectable results, particularly with photos, logos or halftone motifs on cotton textiles. The printing process offers more than the standard color spectrum and the motifs are displayed in high color intensity.

2) Colored or black textiles can also be realized with digital direct printing

Digital direct printing has a reputation for not being able to print on black and colored textiles. In the meantime, printing technology has progressed so far that all cotton textiles can be printed with digital direct printing without any problems.

3) No pre-printing costs

Compared to traditional printing processes such as flock printing, digital direct printing does not incur any costs for stencils, separations or films. This saves costs and makes the printing process economically attractive even for small print runs.

4) The printed textiles are easy to care for

Textiles that have been finished with digital direct printing can be washed at up to 30 °C (in some cases up to 40 °C). After the first wash cycle, the textiles lose some of their color intensity - but the colors remain at a constant level even after numerous wash cycles.

Disadvantages

1) The printing process is time-consuming

At two to five minutes per piece, the process is very time-consuming. Printing just 20 T-shirts can therefore take an hour. Accordingly, long production and delivery times are to be expected.

2) Only suitable for cotton textiles

The digital printing process can only be used on cotton textiles. Sports jerseys are usually made of polyester and are not suitable for this printing process. For sports clubs, bags, end-of-season shirts or other textiles made of cotton can be finished with digital direct printing.

3) Digital direct printing does not provide full color coverage

With digital direct printing, the ink application is not 100% opaque. This is due to the fabric structure of the T-shirt. The printing machine has to apply the ink to an uneven surface structure, which leads to unevenness in the fabric.

4) Limited color palette

There are more colors to choose from than with classic flock or flex printing. However, neon or special colors cannot be used here either.

5) The textile loses color intensity during washing

The loss of color intensity is particularly noticeable after the first wash. The motif then retains its color for a while before it leaves the familiar vintage look after numerous washes. In the long term, digital direct printing cannot impress with its bright colors.

6) Low durability

The printing machine applies the color or motif to an uneven fiber structure. This creates small irregularities in the fabric, which in turn affect the functionality of the textile. In the long term, this results in reduced durability.

The sublimation printing process as a sensible alternative

The sublimation printing process is not only ideal for sports jerseys (usually made of polyester), but also delivers by far the best results in terms of color intensity, design freedom and durability. In sublimation printing, the colors are vaporized into the textile. This means that no adhesive is left on the textile, so that the functionality of the jersey is retained. The evaporation process also means that there are no colored fibres that fade after washing. With the sublimation printing process, you can enjoy a fully functional jersey with maximum color intensity for a long time.

Furthermore, sublimation printing is a completely digital process. There are no additional costs for complex patterns or for the individual flock components (name, number, emblem, etc.). This also means that there are no extra costs for multiple print components. This makes sublimation printing particularly attractive when pricing large print runs. If you want to design new jerseys not just for a single team, but for the entire club, the sublimation printing process will also be financially worthwhile.