Caring for Your Printed Clothing

You've bought your t-shirt, LOVE IT, worn it, worn it again, and now it is laundry time. What's next? Read more to learn how to best care for your printed garment created with DTG technology. Follow the advice to give your item the longest life possible!

Laundry Pile

Your amazing t-shirt was made with direct-to-garment (DTG) printing technology to create your custom design. The DTG ink used is not the same as the ink screen printers use. Keep in mind that the original manufacturer's care instructions found on the printed item's tags do not take into consideration the DTG printing process.

T-Shirts, Tanks, Sweatshirts 

We caution against washing and drying on a high setting, especially when the garment is 100% cotton. High-temperature washes sometimes fade and crack the print as all created design processes, and a high-temperature dryer settings can shrink the garment, as well as compromise the print. 

Because we want to prolong the life of your custom print, we recommend the following care instructions:

Machine wash cold, inside-out, gentle cycle with mild detergent and similar colors. Do not use bleach! No fabric softeners. Hang-dry for longest life, or Tumble dry low if necessary. Cool iron inside-out if necessary. Do not iron decoration. Do not dry clean.

Disclaimer about direct-to-garment printing

When unpacking a new clothing item with a direct-to-garment (DTG) print, you Might notice a vinegar-like smell or an off-white residue. Don't worry, that's not unusual - it's from a fixation agent applied during the printing process and it's not permanent.

Fixation agent (sometimes known as pre-treatment) is used for all DTG prints across the industry. It helps the ink bond with the fabric, and without it, the ink would flake off the garment. In other words, this helps to make your design permanent.

The solution is simply to wash the garment! Neither the residue nor the smell is permanent and both should go away after one wash. 

 

Happy Washing!

D&B Apparel