By Melissa Donovan
Direct to garment (DTG) printers benefit from pretreatments no matter if a garment is black or white, cotton or polyester. The liquid consumable provides enhanced durability and image quality to any garment. Pretreatment options are available for DTG printers from both printer manufacturers and third party ink vendors. They can be applied externally—outside of the printer—or inline. For pretreatments designed to be applied externally there is the option to use a hand sprayer or a dedicated enclosed machine.
Above: DuPont Artistri Brite P5003 Dark Garment and Artistri Brite P5010 White Garment Pretreatment Solutions are designed for Artistri Brite P5000, P3500, P6000, and P7000 ink sets.
Multiple Uses
Pretreatment options for DTG are offered for multiple reasons. Some of these include improving printing to a black/dark colored garment, increasing image quality on white garments, and most recently enabling printing directly to polyester-based garments. Pretreatments are an important part of the DTG process.
“Pretreatments are not just important, but necessary for the entire DTG industry. Without a pretreatment, an ink will not properly adhere onto the textile being decorated. In fact, pretreatment is the most important step in the process. Improper pretreatment will result in bad qualities such as poor vibrancy, staining, bad hand feel, and poor wash,” adheres Shawn Liu, director of digital technologies, Eastern Tech Company.
Timothy Check, senior product manager, professional imaging, Epson, makes the analogy of DTG pretreatment and inks to home paints—with the pretreatment the primer and the inks the paint. “Walls need to have primer applied to allow the paint to adhere and have even coverage. Different primers are used to allow paint to adhere to different materials like drywall, metals, and plastics. Likewise, there are different DTG pretreatment liquids optimized for different fabric types and colors to allow the ink to perform its best.”
When printing on dark garments, pretreatment is essential. “Current ink technology requires a pretreatment solution to be applied to the garment for the white base layer to be durable and provide a durable backdrop to the chosen colored print design,” says Eric P. Beyeler, global marketing manager Artistri textile inks, DuPont.
Prints will “lack color vibrancy and have a washed out look,” according to Taylor Landesman, VP, Lawson Screen & Digital Products, Inc., if pretreatment isn’t used on dark garments. This is because DTG inks are water based and not naturally opaque.
Even though pretreatment isn’t required for white garments, it does offer benefits. “These are increased image quality and durability. With the help of an excellent pretreatment, prints will last longer, even after multiple washings and regular wear,” explains Paul Crocker, marketing director, AnaJet, Inc., a Ricoh Company.
“For most printers, these benefits outweigh the cost, as they can help increase customer satisfaction—fewer product returns, and allow for faster printing using less ink,” adds Beyeler.
For a DTG printer to output on 100 percent polyester garments, pretreatment is necessary. “Printing on black/dark polyester is the next technology frontier for DTG printing. Dyed polyester fabrics provide a unique challenge as the dye tends to migrate into the white ink layer,” advises Beyeler.
Check agrees, saying that when printing polyester fabrics pretreatments prevent the ink from sinking into the fabric.
Working with Ink
Pretreatments work best with the ink set they are specifically designed for, but there are generalized solutions available.
Scientifically speaking, pretreatments contain an ink crashing mechanism, polymers for adhesion, and some liquid vehicle carrier, says Beyeler. “When the ink is jetted onto a pretreated garment, the ink solidifies or gels. This causes the ink to remain on the surface of the garment, which will give maximum color as well as control color bleed.”
Products should be tailored to the printer and ink to ensure the best match. “Because printer brands use different ink sets, it’s necessary to tailor a pretreatment to get the best results for that individual printer—not just have a general pretreatment,” shares Liu.
“For best results use pretreatment liquids designed and optimized for the specific ink from the same manufacturer. Reputable brands have a team of chemical engineers that optimize the chemistry of the ink and pretreatment to work together as a matched system,” agrees Check.
Applying the Pretreatment
Pretreatment is applied externally or inline with the printer. It depends on the ink, printer, and how the pretreatment is configured to work with them.
For external options, Liu says in his experience pretreatment is applied manually, using a hand sprayer or an automatic sprayer system.
“Spray guns are generally used in smaller print shops and can be very effective when used by an experienced operator. For such an application, it is best to isolate a spray area away from the printer, so not to affect the printer or any other equipment process,” explains Beyeler.
AnaJet users generally pretreat externally, prior to printing, through a few different methods, says Crocker. One way is a handheld HVLP Wagner power sprayer and others use a dedicated, enclosed pretreatment machine.
“Pretreatment machines were developed to make a more consistent and cleaner application. These machines use a small pump to push pretreatment through a spray nozzle. They usually include a spray box to contain overspray and keep the working area clean. These can help boost productivity for medium to larger print shops,” admits Beyeler.
The key is to apply the pretreatment consistently. “If pretreat is applied in an inconsistent manner it will affect the final print. You can see this if the colors on one area of the print look different than another. Also, applying too much can cause the DTG image to wash out prematurely,” cautions Landesman.
Steps after pretreating externally and prior to placing the pretreated garment in the printer may include a tunnel dryer or air drying, or laying the garment on a heat press—it is all dependent on the pretreatment, according to Crocker.
Pretreating externally, or as Check calls “dry printing” is beneficial because it can be done in advance of printing. It also offers superior print quality, greater workflow efficiency, and reduced costs.
Running pretreatment inline is something Check refers to as a “wet-on-wet printing process” where the pretreatment is applied to the garment while in the printer and then ink is applied to that wet surface. “The benefit is that pretreating and printing are done by a single device.”
According to Celine Tezartes Strauss, product manager, inks and consumables, Kornit Digital, an integrated process—inline pretreatment—is ideal because it eliminates any additional work.
Pretreatment Options
Here, we’ve included some of the available pretreatment options.
AnaJet offers three different types of pretreatments for Ricoh-approved water-based CMYK and white DTG ink found in Ricoh DTG printers. PowerBright is designed for dark garments and up to 50 percent dark polyester. It prices at $46 to $79 per gallon. Ricoh pretreatments for light garments are used for light garments and up to 100 percent white polyester at $68 per gallon. Ricoh pretreatments for dark garments are used for dark garments and up to 50 percent dark polyester and priced at $68 per gallon.
DuPont Artistri Brite P5003 Dark Garment and Artistri Brite P5010 White Garment Pretreatment Solutions are designed for Artistri Brite P5000, P3500, P6000, and P7000 ink sets. They are used for dark and white over 50 percent cotton garments. Features setting them apart from the competition include enhanced image quality and colors, shorter curing time, superior wash fastness, and helps in eliminating staining in regards to over 50 percent cotton blends. For white polyester they provide bright colors and superior wash fastness.
Eastern Tech Company through its Firebird Ink product line offers FBX-100 pretreatment, which is compatible with DTG printers from Aeeoon, AnaJet, Brother, Epson, and M&R. The pretreatment is designed to enhance adhesion of white ink and offered at $50 per gallon. It is specifically tailored for each individual system.
Epson recently released its Pretreatment for Polyester product, in addition to its existing offering—Pretreatment for Cotton. Both are compatible with Epson UltraChrome DG ink and Epson SureColor F2000 and SureColor F2100 printers. They are available in a concentrated format and can dilute with water at recommend ratios for optimal results on dark or light garments. A 20 liter concentrated box of Pretreatment for Cotton costs $679.95 MSRP and a 19 liter concentrated box for Pretreatment for Polyester costs $299.95 MSRP. Both configurations are OEKO-TEX ECO Passport certified for safety and have no GHS health risks for operators.
Kornit offers a Fixation Agent designed for operation and compatibility with Kornit DTG systems. All Kornit DTG systems have inline pretreatment, so the process is completed with the touch of a button. This applies to light and dark fabrics, as well polyesters and blends.
Lawson Image Lock is available in three options—RFU (Ready for Use), Concentrate, or Bro (Brother). It is designed to enhance white ink on dark garments and as an aid in white shirts. Pricing varies, but starts at $24 per quart. Features that set it apart from the competition include better color brilliance, better wash fastness, softer hand, and less staining. According to the company it is compatible with all DTG ink and printers on the market.
Machinery
Here, we include information on some enclosed dedicated pretreatment machines.
The Mister-T1 pretreatment machine from Ecofreen is designed to automatically pretreat garments before printing. With smooth and precise application of this machine, achieve fine quality prints and consistent results. It is light weight and compact in size to place in limited spaces. This machine is designed to clean and operate easily without any special skills.
The Lawson Zoom-AE pretreater is an all-electric operated unit. It is ideal for basic to sophisticated spraying of pretreat solutions. Users pull out the drawer, load the shirt, and push the start button. Two gallon size solution containers are mounted on the side of the unit and easily visible. The spray area is 18×20 inches.
Schulze manufactures the PRETREATmaker IV. It offers smooth, accurate spray patterns with complete spray and mist containment. The setup allows for switching between two pretreatment liquids if necessary. Slide rails include splash guards. The spray area is 16.5×23.5-inches. It is compatible with Brother DTG pretreatment.
Thought Tech develops the Pearl series of pretreatment machines. This includes Pearl Lite, Pearl PTM, and Pearl Elite. The spray areas range from 15×18 to 16×20 inches. The newest model, the Pearl Elite, offers an enclosed spray area, corrosion proof body, easy access windows, stainless steel hardware, and an easy open drawer.
Apply and Succeed
Pretreatments for DTG printing are available for both white and dark garments as well as cotton and polyester. The nature of the water-based ink used in DTG printing means that it requires a base in many instances to avoid the ink seeping through the garment and this is where pretreatments come into play. While not all garments require pretreatments, using them provides added benefits of enhanced image quality and increased durability.
Mar2019, Industrial Print Magazine