Impressions - August 2016 - 60

think.
make.
do.

direct-to-garment
Like this article? read more direct-to-garment printing
articles at impressionsmag.com/digitaldecorating.

Take the Plunge
Five reasons to add direct-to-garment
printing to your shop.
By John LeDrew, ConTriBuTing wriTer

"Screen printing is a dinosaur." I heard
those words in 2007 when I bought my first
direct-to-garment (DTG) printer from the
production manager of one of the largest
screen-printing shops in the country.
While there have been some amazing
screen-printing advancements in recent
years, the discipline has its limitations in the
modern garment-decoration world. I'm
not saying screen printing is dead, because
it's not. High volume, speed, quality and
versatility all have assured screen printing's
permanent place in garment decoration.
But DTG printing offers a flexibility
and diversity that every modern print shop
needs to remain competitive.
Following are five reasons why.
1. Reorders: Every screen printer is
familiar with the following scenario: A
loyal customer orders a certain number of
shirts for an event. Inevitably, he ends up
needing a few more for a small number
of people who were overlooked.To set up
and screen print three additional shirts can
be extremely time consuming, expensive
and a morale killer.
Rather than turn the customer away
or reluctantly set up the press again to
fulfill the order, DTG offers the ability
to quickly fill reorders with little to no
setup time. It also allows for quick revenue
from replenishments and you can provide
outstanding service to a happy customer.
2. Short Runs: Low-volume custom apparel is more popular than ever,
mainly because garment decorators now
can produce low-minimum custom products to the masses. Can your shop provide
this capability?
Customers are being trained to believe
one-off,custom apparel is as easy to produce
as it is to order online, and these customers
constitute the bulk of new business. As a
P.60

Bringing a printed sample
to a meeting with a new
prospect speaks volumes
about your commitment
and quality of work.

local garment decorator, you are competing
with large online companies like Zazzle and
CafePress, which have hundreds of DTG
printers and the capacity to produce thousands of one-off jobs per day.With a DTG
printer at your location you can dominate
your market and capture this new business.
3. Sampling: Capturing new business
is not always as easy as we imagine.While
you may say, "I'll reach out to restaurants,
constructions companies, schools, etc.,"

i m p r e s s i o n s m a g . c o m AUGUST 2016

the reality is that these businesses either
already have a resource or their needs
are too low-volume to justify as screenprinting accounts.
DTG printing allows you to make an
impact when scouting for new business.
When you approach a new prospect, have
a price sheet, catalog of concepts and a
printed sample to leave behind.The latter
speaks volumes about your commitment
and quality of work.
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Impressions - August 2016

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