Types of Fabrics used in Direct to Garment (DTG) Printing
To try to make a list of all types of fabrics in use in the world today would be a seemingly unsurmountable task well beyond the scope of this post. We are going to focus instead on the types of fabrics used in Direct to Garment (DTG) printing. Consider this an introductory guide on textile types commonly used in the DTG printing industry.
Fabrics are the cornerstone of a successful DTG printing, but not all types of fabrics are suitable for it, that’s why is very important to choose the right fabric to bring to life your artwork/design with DTG printing, and to produce a durable, comfortable to wear kind of garment that will resist the pass of time.
Generally speaking, there are three categories of fabrics: Natural, Synthetic, and Blends.
Natural Fabrics
Traced back to 1500 BC approximately, these are produced from natural resources ( plants and animals). In fact, the picture above represents a piece of cotton textile from the Wari civilization. The Wari civilization flourished in the coastal and highland areas of ancient Peru between c. 450 and c. 1000 CE. They are particularly known for their textiles, which were well-preserved in desert burials. Surviving textiles include tapestries, hats, and tunics for high-ranking officials.
Common types of natural fabrics are cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo, and wool.
Synthetic fabrics
As technology grew and advanced, people began to search for new options and attempted creating fabrics rather than using the ones that had always existed. At the very beginning, a Swiss-born chemist, Audemars, received the first patent for artificial silk in the 1800s. He made the fabric from the bark of mulberry trees. Around the same time, Sir Joseph Swan created rayon using a similar process to Audemars. Rayon, a hugely popular synthetic fabric today, is incredibly soft, moisture-absorbing, and easily dyed. A variation of rayon called modal has also gained popularity recently.
Industrially speaking, scientists first created synthetic fibers in the 19th century. They are fabricated from synthesized polymers or small molecules. Nylon was the first fully synthetic fiber developed by DuPont in the 1930s as a replacement for silk. Synthetics are well known for their elasticity and are mostly preferred for sportswear.
The most common synthetic fabrics are Acrylic, Nylon, Polyester, Lycra, and Viscose.
Blends
The combination of cotton and synthetic fibers is known as a blend. Although there are multiple combinations (e.g. cotton/polyester, cotton/lycra), the most known blend is the poly-blend – polyester + cotton.
At this point you may be asking yourself, so which are the types of fabrics used in Direct to Garment (DTG) printing? Please read on.
Cotton
Admittedly, 100% cotton fabrics are the king. There are several kinds (and qualities) associated with them, so relevant in DTG printing that we’ll dedicate an entire post to elaborate more in-depth about the types of cotton available in today’s market. If you can’t wait to see a real-life example you could wear today, head over to our shop and take your pick.
Linen
Made from the fibers of the flax plant, linen is another fabric that goes way back in history. It was used in ancient civilizations including Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt and is mentioned in the Bible. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton, comfortable to wear in hot weather. While it may not be the first option for t-shirts, it’s widely used for shirts, trousers, and jackets.
Polyester
Polyester fabric is a man-made fiber and is long-lasting, can withstand a lot of wear and tear, and is less fading than traditional cotton. It’s easy to wash and doesn’t require ironing. It’s not the first option for DTG printing unless we choose light-colored polyester, but requires to be pretreated. Polyester repels water-based ink used in DTG printing and it’s more suitable for another printing method known as dye sublimation.
Poly-blends
Polyester fabric is commonly used in blends with other synthetic or natural fabrics, hence its name. Blending polyester with other fabrics increases the durability of the fabric. It’s worth mentioning here tri-blend fabrics are created by mixing together three different types of fabrics – 50% polyester, 25% cotton, and 25% rayon. The purpose of doing this is that it makes the clothing item that’s created softer than would otherwise be possible using regular cotton alone.
Bamboo
The term “bamboo fabric” widely refers to a number of different textiles that are made from the bamboo plant. Fabrics have been made from bamboo for thousands of years, but it is only in contemporary times that the process of making this hardy and fast-growing wood into fabric has been perfected. While some types of this fabric are environmentally sustainable and produced ethically, other types may be harmful to the environment or the workers who make it. The majority of bamboo fabric produced worldwide is bamboo viscose which is cheap to produce even though it has environmental downsides and represents workplace hazards.
Hemp
Hemp fabric is a type of textile that is made using fibers from the stalks of the Cannabis sativa plant. This plant has been recognized as a source of extraordinarily tensile and durable textile fibers for millennia, but the psychoactive qualities of Cannabis sativa have recently made it harder for farmers to produce this immensely beneficial crop. Hemp is a durable and soft fabric that has antimicrobial and UV blocking properties and can retain warmth well. It is suitable for people with allergies and stands as a new proposal for the apparel printing market.
So to round it up, the most suitable textiles for DTG printing are considered: Cotton, Combed Cotton, Organic Cotton, Linen, light-colored polyester, and blends. As promised earlier, our next post will be solely dedicated to cotton fabric. As an advance, 100% combed and ring-spun cotton tee is the best in the industry for DTG printing.
