Curing Equipment
After you use your DTG printer to pretreat or print, you will need a machine to cure the pretreat fluid or ink. The size and style of drying machine you use is dependent on your garment business’s needs. With a better understanding of this process, you can make an educated decision on a DTG curing solution that is right for you.
Where Do I Begin?
First, you need some art! Why? Because DTG printing utilizes digital files.These digital files are read from your printer or a storage device. Reading files in this way grants you the ability to instantly queue up an image you have already created and print a variety of images on demand. To better utilize this ability, you need the following:
- A graphics editing program for your art.
- Some way of saving and keeping your edited files.
- A selection of images to print from, or a way to create new images.
Firefly Conveyor Dryer
There are a variety of software programs out there. DTG printing experts use whatever works best for them and their specific garment. Training on different software programs is readily available online. For this example, we’re using Graphics Lab, a software that comes bundled with a Brother DTG purchase. This program allows you to quickly bring in an image, size and place it, add text features, and apply other artistic effects.
Edit Your Image for Printing
The image you provide will need to be designed in a manner that works best for the garment or substrate you are printing on.There are a few simple things to keep in mind when you are preparing an image for your direct to garment printer:
- Use a high-resolution image! The GTXpro prints images at a resolution of 1200x1200 dpi on a variety of surface sizes.However,the resolution of the graphic can have an effect on the print quality. Using high resolution images will allow for the best print quality no matter what surface you’re printing on.
- Make sure your image works with your garments color and texture. Choose different appearances depending on whether your garment is light or dark, or made of different materials.
- Create! This is the fun part. Depending on your business orders or your creative choices, you can use the tools of your graphic art software to make any changes you want.Add new imagery, text, or edit both into something new.
Save Your Files or Send Them Directly to the Printer
When you finish editing your images, save a copy of them. This way, you can always pull them up again when you get another order. Put these files on a flash drive, where applicable, and open them up on the printer.Once you are ready to print, hit the print button. Your art is now on your garments!
Brother Academy
Brother Academy offers a wide variety of artwork tutorials to help Brother DTG users maximize their printing potential. Want to learn more? Click the button below to contact a DTG Specialist.