Every digital printing method is a combination of three things: the ink, the material it bonds to, and how it is fixed (heat, steam, light). Pick the wrong combination and the print fades, cracks or washes off no matter how good the printer is.
At a glance
| Technology | Ink | Best materials | Pre-treatment | Fixing | Hand feel | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTF | Water-based pigment + white | Almost any fabric: cotton, polyester, blends, denim, leather | None on garment | Hot-melt powder cure, then heat press | Thin film on top | T-shirts, hoodies, workwear, small to medium orders, dark garments |
| DTG | Water-based pigment + white | 100% cotton (best), high-cotton blends | Yes for dark garments | Heat press or tunnel dryer | Very soft, ink in the fibres | Premium one-off cotton tees, photo prints |
| Sublimation | Disperse (sublimation) dye | White/light polyester, polymer-coated mugs, plates, metal sheets | None (coated blanks for hard goods) | Heat: dye turns to gas and enters the polyester | None at all – dye is inside the fibre | Sportswear, jerseys, flags, mugs, gifts, all-over prints |
| Reactive | Reactive dye | Cotton, viscose/rayon, linen (cellulose); also silk | Yes: alkali + urea + thickener padding | Steaming, then washing | Natural, like dyed fabric | Fashion fabric by the metre, sarees, dupattas, bedsheets |
| Pigment (textile) | Pigment + binder | Cotton, polyester and blends | Often none, or a binder pre-coat | Hot air / heat cure only | Soft to slightly firm | Home textiles, short fabric runs where water use must be low |
| UV (flatbed) | UV-curable ink + white + varnish | Rigid: acrylic, wood, metal, glass, PVC, leather, phone cases | Primer on glass, metal, smooth plastic | UV LED light, instantly | Raised, hard surface | Signage, gifts, awards, promotional items, packaging samples |
| UV DTF | UV-curable ink on adhesive film | Hard surfaces of any shape: tumblers, bottles, helmets, boxes | Clean surface only | UV cure, laminate, stick by hand | Raised sticker | Curved and odd-shaped items, no heat press |
How to choose
- Garment, any fabric, any colour, small or mixed orders → DTF.
- Cotton garment, softest possible feel, single pieces → DTG.
- White or light polyester, or coated hard goods, full colour with zero feel → sublimation.
- Printing fabric by the metre on cotton or viscose for fashion → reactive.
- Fabric by the metre with no steamer or washing line → pigment.
- Flat rigid items or signs → UV flatbed.
- Curved or uneven hard items, or stickers to send to customers → UV DTF.
Note: sublimation cannot print white and does not work on cotton or dark fabric. Reactive does not work on polyester. UV and UV DTF are not for garments that go in the washing machine.