Are you tired of subpar DTG inks that fade or crack after a few washes? Discover the best DTG ink for your printing needs and elevate your designs to the next level.
With so many options on the market, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one. Our extensive research has narrowed it down to the top DTG inks that deliver vibrant and durable prints.
In this blog post, we’re going to cover the best DTG Ink for your printing needs:
- DTG PRO Direct-to-Garment Textile Ink
- KODAK Direct to Garment Ink
- DUPONT Direct to Garment Ink
- IMAGEARMOR Direct to Garment Ink
Imagine your designs lasting wash after wash, maintaining their color and integrity. With the right DTG ink, this can be a reality.
Take the first step towards exceptional prints and discover the best DTG ink for your needs today.
Let’s dive in!
8 Tips for Choosing a Good DTG Ink
Here are 8 recommendations that come in handy when choosing a good Direct-to-Garment (DTG) ink:
- Quality: Look for high-quality inks that are durable, vibrant, and provide a soft feel on the fabric.
- Compatibility: Make sure the ink is compatible with your DTG printer and the type of fabric you are printing on.
- Washability: Choose inks that are fade and crack-resistant, and able to withstand washing and drying.
- Colorfastness: Look for inks that maintain their color even after multiple washes and that can produce a full-color spectrum.
- Environmental friendliness: Consider inks that are eco-friendly, with low VOC emissions and no harmful chemicals.
- Cost: DTG inks can range in price, so choose one that provides a good balance of quality and cost-effectiveness.
- Brand reputation: Choose a reputable brand with a track record of producing high-quality DTG inks.
- Customer support: Look for a supplier that offers excellent customer support and technical assistance, in case you encounter any issues with the ink.
Best DTG Ink
When it comes to DTG printing, you want to use the best inks, so here are four brands of DTG inks that are highly rated to pick from.
1. Image Armor E-SERIES™ DTG Inks
Firstly, Image Armor™ E-SERIES inks are intended to be used with the majority of DX5 and DX7 printheads. As a result, printers like the Epson Re-Purposed can use them, as can others like the Anajet Sprint, Belquette Mod1, FreeJets, Neoflex, and so on.
- 35-Second Cure Time. Image Armor brand DTG inks are the best on the market because they only require a 35-second timeframe to cure for white as well as CMYK prints. While a large number of DTG white inks sold make you wait between 120 and 180 seconds, Image Armor knows you don’t have time to waste, so it created its distinctive bright white base ink to use on colored fabrics.
- No more messy printers. Another great feature of Image Armor DTG ink is that it does not clog your printer due to the usual buildup on your cap and wiper. It performs better and wastes less ink, so you can clean your printer less often and save valuable printing time.
- Inks have superior washability. This provides for prints that last longer and look much better after they are washed, so your customers will enjoy their shirts more than with average DTG inks, which may fade sooner.
- Inks have superior printability. Image Armor not only washes better, but it also gives you better coverage as well as printability. If you use their pre-treatment products, you may even be able to salvage lower-quality shirts and be able to print on them as well.
- Contains NO alcohol. And Image Armor inks don’t contain alcohol, so there are no worries about added chemicals.
- Better Stretchability. Once put on a shirt, their DTG ink allows the fabric to stretch better, making it more comfortable for your customers.
You can get Image Armor DTG inks in bulk (1 liter) as well as 500-milliliter bottles from your favorite distributor. It is recommended to only use Image Armor DTG inks and not mix them with other brands, as this will negate their high-quality advantages over other brands.
2. KODACOLOR Direct-to-Garment Ink
The second DTG ink on our list of best inks is Kodacolor DTG Inks. They offer several top-quality products and, since the 1980s, have been developing all kinds of top-quality inks.
- All inks are US-made. For those of you who want to use US-made products, you will be pleased to know that all of the elements used to create their inks were made in plants in the US that are certified ISO-9000 compliant.
- Kodacolor DTG inks provide an excellent color range. Their inks are made via a process that not only has a wide range of colors but is also pigment particle stable and has a longer shelf life than some manufacturers. They offer CMYK, O, and G as well as white ink.
- Uses HP water purification system. This process ensures no contaminants in their inks and shows they are rated the best in their class in the industry.
- Soft, long-lasting, and natural feeling. Your customers will love the fact Kodacolor DTG inks make your shirts a softer, more natural feeling on the skin, as well as the images, are more durable, so they last longer.
- Performs well on your printers. Additionally, it works better for you too as their superior formula will ensure your printing process is more reliable and more prints can be produced in between your normal maintenance sequences.
- Outstanding dispersion. Kodak uses a proprietary nanoparticle manufacturing process that provides excellent ink dispersion of colors.
- Designed to work with several printers. Kodacolor EDTG inks have a low viscosity and can be used with printers such as Epson’s DX 5 and 7, as well as the 5113. It can also be used with Xaar print heads.
They also produce high-viscosity inks through their RDTG set, which is meant to be used for printers such as the Ricoh 2220 Gen 4 and 5 along with the Fuji and Dimatix Starfire print heads.
Additional kinds of ink produced by KodaColor include their ERTR Series Ink Set, which also provides low viscosity and is meant for printers like the Epson DX 5 and 7, the 5113, along with Xaar print heads, and comes in CMYK, LK, O, R, and V colors.
Kodacolor DTG inks are available in five-liter, 20-liter, and 200-liter containers.
3. DTG PRO Direct to Garment Textile Ink for Epson engines
The next kind of ink on our list of the best direct-to-garment inks is DTG Pro DTG Textile Ink for Epson engines. It comes in CMYK, black, and white colors.
It is meant to be used in Epson engines 1430, P400, P600, R1800, R1900, R2400, R3000, and R3880, as well as the F2000, etc. The above types of engines are normally seen in common DTG-type printers such as Anajet, MelcoJet, Neoflex, etc.
- Designed to be intense and durable. DTG Pro Textile Ink’s color output makes it the top pick for retail DTG businesses.
- Designed for cotton and polyblend fabrics. It works great when printed directly onto fabrics made with 100 percent cotton, as well as with poly/cotton 50/50 blend fabrics.
- Extremely wash fast. As long as you use a proper curing process, these inks are extremely washed fast. You need to utilize an industry-standard heat press using medium pressure at a rate of 330 degrees Fahrenheit (which is 166 degrees Celsius) for 120 seconds, or for 180 seconds if you use silicone-coated curing sheets.
Sizes: This product comes in 250-milliliter, 500-milliliter, and one-liter containers.
4. Dupont DTG inks
The last DTG ink in our best direct-to-garment ink review is from Dupont. These inks are Artistri Brite pigment inks, which deliver top-notch colors and are reliably consistent. They are available in the following series for commercial use:
- P3500 SERIES. The main properties of this series include improved color range, repeatability, and a more streamlined printing process. It supports a speedier, more dependable, top-notch result. It can be used with high-tech printers that print three times quicker and come in CMYK, black, and white colors. You can buy it in 20-liter containers.
- P5000 SERIES. The main properties of this series include improved color range, streamlined workflow, and efficient and reliable application to fabrics. It offers P5003, which is a pretreatment product meant for shirts that are cotton and dark colors, as well as P5010 for polyester and cotton white shirts. These inks are washable, so your customers will get to keep their favorite designs longer. You can get it in 20-liter containers.
- P5500 SERIES. The main properties of this series are that it is meant to be used with low-viscosity piezoelectric printing heads, and it’s normally used for top-notch samplings, as well as production printing and strike-offs. It’s meant to be used on normal or rich cotton blends for all kinds of clothing types. It can also be used with all industry-standard types of drying technologies. It comes in CMYK, black, and white colors, and you can buy it in 20-liter, 200-liter, as well as 2×10-liter containers.
- P6000 SERIES. The main properties of this series are that it has an enhanced color range, streamlines the workflow, and is designed to be used by fulfillment houses and DTG decorators. It also supports all the newest industrial printers. It comes in CMYK, orange, red, green, black, and white colors. You can buy it in 20-liter boxes.
- P7000 SERIES. The main properties of this series are improved color ranges, a more streamlined workflow, and great everyday DTG repeatability for printing production. It, like the others, supports fulfillment houses as well as DTG decorators wanting top quality as well as a speedier and more dependable process. It comes in 20-liter boxes in the colors CMYK, black, and white.
Which is the Best DTG Ink?
All the products mentioned are extremely valuable options for your printing needs.
However, if you would force us to choose one we would probably go with KODACOLOR Direct-to-Garment Ink, because:
- It is US-made
- It provides an excellent color range
- It uses an HP water purification system
- It gives your printed shirt a soft, long-lasting, and natural feeling
- It is designed to work with several printers
Kodacolor DTG inks are available in five-liter, 20-liter, and 200-liter containers.
Conclusion
The best DTG ink for your printing needs can make all the difference in the final product. Whether you’re looking for vibrant and durable prints or a cost-effective solution, it’s essential to choose an ink that meets your specific requirements.
By considering factors such as quality, compatibility, washability, colorfastness, environmental friendliness, cost, and brand reputation, you can make an informed decision that will help you achieve the best results.
Don’t settle for subpar DTG inks – elevate your designs to the next level with the best DTG ink on the market.
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