You are in:
Preparation is vital
Pre-treating garments for direct-to-product ink jet printing has thus far been an inexact science. Your Embroidery Services aims to make it more efficient and profitable with the DTG PreJet
Direct to product ink jet printing is still a fairly new industry and yet it has already seen major developments in printing technique. More recently garment preparation has taken centre stage with an updated pre-treatment process, designed to be more efficient and profitable.
So what is pre-treatment and why it is necessary?
Just like screen-printing, the only way to print anything onto a coloured garment is to first lay down a layer of white ink. This pigment-based ink must be cured before printing, however the garment cannot be moved since CMYK inks are delivered in the same location. To resolve this problem, a liquid is applied before printing which reacts with the white ink. This causes it to start curing just enough to allow the other inks to be laid onto it.
The pre-treat itself is a clear liquid that can be applied in a variety of ways but it is important that it is applied evenly and in the correct quantity. Too much or too little can result in a bad print and if an area to be printed is totally missed then the print will be totally unacceptable.
One of the most reliable ways of applying the pre-treat has been with a spray gun, but even then, it relies on the user to apply the correct amount to a big enough area. Following application of the liquid it is dried using a transfer press but this whole process is often considered too slow. Users often pre-treat a number of shirts and store them for future use, however this often leads to pre-treating the whole front of the shirt, wasting both liquid and time.
Although this method works, it was never ideal, so DTG invested in automating the process. The result is the PreJet, which not only applies pre-treat to the garment but also controls the area to be pre-treated and the amount to be applied.
Bespoke software uses the same image file as that used for printing and works out where to put the pre-treat. The operator can choose whether to pre-treat to the outline of the design or to a shape of their choosing, applying liquid only to the area that will be covered with the print. This can make a difference to the look of the finished shirt as it eliminates the sheen that is visible where areas have been pre-treated but not covered with ink. The amount of pre-treatment can also be adjusted to the type of fabric, creating a recipe for future use.
The PreJet is said to offer maximum control over the volume of pre-treat applied compared to spray gun application where even slight draughts can affect the amount that actually goes onto the shirt. With The PreJet, the head is close to the fabric and enclosed, with the delivery tightly controlled to ensure the correct amount is applied evenly over the total area.
To really cut pre-treatment time, DTG offers an optional, integrated swing head press to dry the pre-treat, instead of lifting the whole platen and placing it under a transfer press. The platen is then placed into the loading tray for the printer, which can be registered to the PreJet to further improve the appearance of the finished printed garment.
