Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 14

THE MARSHALL PLAN

DTG PRINTING:
GOING IN WITH A PLAN
Preparation is critical when adopting a new
technology as unique as digital decoration.
MARSHALL ATKINSON

S

omething about the topic of direct-to-garment printing
brings out strong opinions from screen printers. Most say the
technology scares them. Others think it is still an emerging
print platform. Some tried it at one point and it didn't work for
them for some reason. There are stories all over the internet.
One of my favorite quotes from Sun Tzu's The Art of War
is, "Every battle is won before it is fought." With digital printing on garments, success all comes down to the preparedness
of the company - before they purchase the equipment.
I believe that a lot of garment decorators completely miss
the mark on DTG printing because they don't comprehend
the print platform and all the intricacies that go along with
it. Shops try to cram the tried-and-true analog mindset into
the digital printing world, and it just doesn't always fit. (See
Aaron Montgomery's discussion of pricing and marketing
strategies for DTG, April/May 2017, pg. 20.)
From what I've seen, shops that have failed with DTG, more
often than not, didn't write a business plan for selling this type of
printed image. Their success was doomed by a lack of strategy.
A DTG printer is like a shiny new toy. A few months after
the purchase, when there aren't any sales, it loses its luster.
Then, because the machine is rarely used, a series of poor
maintenance-based mechanical failures destine the program
to an equipment fire sale. This is the DTG cycle of death.
But it doesn't have to happen that way. What can a shop
do to prepare for success early? Here's what's needed to hit
the gravy train for DTG printing:
n Business planning and sales
n Production steps
n Machine maintenance
If you're interested in adding a direct-to-garment print
platform to your business, then having a robust understanding of these three key areas can determine the likelihood of
your success. Let's explore.

BUSINESS PLANNING AND SALES
Shops that are successful in using this technology have a
strong and thoughtful strategy for selling it. They have a fully
developed plan that feeds work into this production area
constantly. If you're considering buying a DTG printer on the
off chance that maybe you'll send a dozen or so shirts to it
someday, you are doomed from the start.
This type of print production is different than screen printing.
It may require you to educate your customer on the attributes
14

SCREENPRINTING

Marshall Atkinson is the
professional services director for
InkSoft, coaching shop owners on
operational efficiency, continuous
improvement, workflow strategy,
business planning, employee
motivation and management,
and sustainability. Formerly an
independent consultant and
operations manager for a number
of large apparel decorating
businesses, Atkinson is a frequent
author and speaker at industry
events. He can be reached at
marshall@inksoft.com.

of the print. Are you prepared to have that conversation or post
that information on your online sales page? Have you worked
out a strong sales funnel for this type of production?
Certain situations build a strong case that DTG will be
successful in a business. Some examples that best maximize
digital's capabilities:
n Repeat, one-off designs from a web-based order
platform. Why keep any pre-decorated inventory when
you can just print on-demand? All you need to do is
stock the blank shirts.
n High color-count, low-volume orders. Need to print
a 12-color back on eight shirts for a customer? No problem with DTG.
n Photographic images. Since digital printing doesn't use
halftones to replicate the image, DTG printing will have
a superior look to traditional process-color screen printing. No halftone image interference.
n Shops that want to add T-shirt printing as a sales
tool, but don't want to add the infrastructure needed
for screen printing. DTG doesn't use screens, emulsion,
inks, or reclaiming. It takes far less labor, and the physical
footprint needed in the shop is considerably smaller. A lot
of embroiderers, fringe apparel decorators, and even sign
shops use DTG to augment their sales for this reason.
n For the right order size (usually about a case of
shirts or less depending on the model), DTG has a
faster throughput from start to finish than traditional screen printing. Mainly due to the lack of traditional screen printing prep challenges, DTG orders can
get entered, produced, and shipped in less time. Many
online apparel decoration companies are sending the
majority of their orders through DTG units to decrease
the turn times from 7 to 10 business days to 2 or 3. If you
are an online player, this is a very compelling argument.
n It's more sustainable. DTG printing uses far less energy,
chemicals, and water, and produces less waste than
screen printing. For shops or brands that have an ecofriendly perspective, this is a good fit for their image production and aligns with their triple-bottom-line approach.



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Screen Printing - June/July 2017

Table Of Contents
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - Cover1
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - Cover2
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 1
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - Table Of Contents
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 3
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 4
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 5
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 6
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 7
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 8
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 9
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 10
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 11
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 12
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 13
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 14
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 15
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 16
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 17
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 18
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 19
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 20
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 21
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 22
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 23
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 24
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 25
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 26
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 27
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 28
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 29
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 30
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 31
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 32
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 33
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 34
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 35
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - 36
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - Cover3
Screen Printing - June/July 2017 - Cover4
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