# DTG and Humidity



## UDesign (Aug 21, 2012)

Seriously, it is only 80 outside, yet been raining off/on for about two weeks. My humidity in the workshop shows 82 and I dare not print. DTG Veloci-T is just sitting there. Wonder how long I need to run my heater and attic fan to regulate? Need to invest in a dehumidifier!


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## equipmentzone (Mar 26, 2008)

With any direct to garment printer, your concern is when the humidity level is *below* 50%. You want to keep the space that your printer is in at 50% humidity level or _over_. Having it at 80% humidity should not be a problem at all. 


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

We notice when the temp is above 80F and/or humidity is below 40% we start to have problems. We can't do much about the humidity but we do have A/C and use it.


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## equipmentzone (Mar 26, 2008)

binki said:


> We notice when the temp is above 80F and/or humidity is below 40% we start to have problems. We can't do much about the humidity but we do have A/C and use it.




We have found that you need to be careful with the humidity level in air conditioned spaces. One of the things air conditioning does is take moisture out of the air. Even where the humidity outside the building is 80%, inside the air conditioned space it could be as little as 20%.

In order to keep the humidity at 50% or higher you should use a humidifier. The humidifier needs to keep the proper level all day and night so you want one with a large water capacity. Here is one unit that's reasonably priced and can run for extremely long period without refilling.
Essick Air Products Whole-House Console Humidifier for 2700 sq. ft.-4DTS 300 at The Home Depot


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

Thanks Harry. As an example, we are sitting at 79F with 26% humidity right now. I will look into the HD deal. That looks pretty good.


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## equipmentzone (Mar 26, 2008)

binki said:


> Thanks Harry. As an example, we are sitting at 79F with 26% humidity right now. I will look into the HD deal. That looks pretty good.




If you only have 26% humidity in your printer space then you will have printing problems. Proper humidity level plays a crucial role is proper printer operation, no matter the brand. 

The other thing to remember is that you should keep the proper humidity level full time. The mistake we see people make is they shut off the humidifier when they leave for the day or the weekend.

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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

These are the things that really complicate DTG printing that you don't find out until after the fact.


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## equipmentzone (Mar 26, 2008)

binki said:


> These are the things that really complicate DTG printing that you don't find out until after the fact.



Pick up the humidifier, keep the space humidified 24 hours a day at the 50% level, and you should see an immediate improvement in your printing.

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## SouthernEdgeEMB (Apr 22, 2013)

i have a 40.00 humidifier in my house and only have to fill it up once every 24 hours, once you get your humidity to about 50 percent then it has setting on it so you dont have to use a lot pretty neat and works great and is filter less . and yes having your air condition on will make your humidity drop. my printing room stays about 50% humidity at 72 degrees


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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

We use a 9 gallon humidifier in our climate controlled room.

My hygrometer is reading 63%, with the previous 24 hours varying between 59% and 66%.

It's a sauna, but no banding ever.


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## mumzie (May 9, 2008)

We are in Oregon. Most of the year, humidity is NOT an issue.


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## Riph (Jan 11, 2011)

I was at 16% RH most of the winter. Very cold, high altitude climate.

I now have a small humidifier that I place right on the platen of my DTG, and a small hygrometer that I put right on the print head. RH at the print head runs around 44% now. Basically I create a microclimate around my printer. Things have improved. Fewer banding or blocked nozzle problems.

You don't have to humidify the entire shop - just the few cubic feet around the printer.


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## sandmanbjj (Oct 26, 2011)

Being in Louisiana I'm lucky enough to not have a lack of humidity. 

I have found to cure my inks on black shirts I do need to press a little hotter and a little longer which raises scorching concerns.


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## BandPrints (Feb 4, 2007)

What are these problems you find when the humidity is not right? We have not had a problem and do not control it at all. We do control the heat in the facility (for happier employees) but no humidity.

We always also make sure our machine is capped when not printing or we know it will be idle for more then 20 minutes. Usually we will do 7-9 hours straight of printing each day, clean it, cap it, and start up fine in the morning.


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## thedigiguy (May 11, 2010)

BandPrints said:


> What are these problems you find when the humidity is not right? We have not had a problem and do not control it at all. We do control the heat in the facility (for happier employees) but no humidity.
> 
> We always also make sure our machine is capped when not printing or we know it will be idle for more then 20 minutes. Usually we will do 7-9 hours straight of printing each day, clean it, cap it, and start up fine in the morning.


Wow! 7 to 9 hours of printing. That's awesome. How many shirts is that in a typical day?


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## MiEmb (Jan 29, 2011)

I also found 50% rh as a good rule of thumb. Rh starts dropping in Michigan in fall and winter it can be very low at times due to having to heat the air that already has less vapor anyways. Spring and summer are usually fine and we do not do much to keep happy printing. When RH is low we end up doing more frequent head cleaning cycles to keep all channels firing at full strength all the time. 7-9 hrs printing definitely is a great cure though!


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## BandPrints (Feb 4, 2007)

If it is a day straight of printing darks we average 100-120 units per machine with an average print size of 10x10" to 12x12". If we are doing a full day of POD (print on demand) jobs we will average about 75 jobs per machine. There is a tiny bit of slack time when running one off runs such as that and it takes away about 2-3 jobs an hour that we could do if it was a larger production run.


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## MarcinPasek (Jun 17, 2013)

Hi,

Ive got a question regarding Humidity. My business will be in the Caribbean and humidity is between 80 - 90 %. Will it be a problem for DTG printer?

Thanks,

Best Regards.


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## equipmentzone (Mar 26, 2008)

MarcinPasek said:


> Hi,
> 
> Ive got a question regarding Humidity. My business will be in the Caribbean and humidity is between 80 - 90 %. Will it be a problem for DTG printer?
> 
> ...




Will you be putting the printer outside in the open or will it be inside a building?

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## MarcinPasek (Jun 17, 2013)

equipmentzone said:


> With any direct to garment printer, your concern is when the humidity level is *below* 50%. You want to keep the space that your printer is in at 50% humidity level or _over_. Having it at 80% humidity should not be a problem at all.
> 
> 
> _


Hi,

I've got a question regarding Humidity. My business will be based in the Caribbean and humidity is between 80 - 90 %. Will it be a problem for DTG printer?

Thanks,

Best Regards.


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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

We get ink dripping issues from our Epson printhead when we exceed 70%.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using T-Shirt Forums


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## MarcinPasek (Jun 17, 2013)

It will be inside building.


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## MarcinPasek (Jun 17, 2013)

equipmentzone said:


> Will you be putting the printer outside in the open or will it be inside a building?
> 
> _


It will be inside building.


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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

Build a climate curtain wall around the printer and use a dehumidifier to control it.

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## equipmentzone (Mar 26, 2008)

MarcinPasek said:


> It will be inside building.



The reason I asked if the printer will be inside or outside a building is that in most of the Caribbean countries we sell to they keep the printer inside an air conditioned building. At that point you no longer have 80% to 90% humidity since the air conditioning takes humidity out of the inside air. 

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## MarcinPasek (Jun 17, 2013)

equipmentzone said:


> The reason I asked if the printer will be inside or outside a building is that in most of the Caribbean countries we sell to they keep the printer inside an air conditioned building. At that point you no longer have 80% to 90% humidity since the air conditioning takes humidity out of the inside air.
> 
> _


I understand it now. So I need air conditioning place, otherwise I will have a problem, right?


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## equipmentzone (Mar 26, 2008)

MarcinPasek said:


> I understand it now. So I need air conditioning place, otherwise I will have a problem, right?




Actually, the higher the humidity the better some results may be. You do want to watch the heat. Best to keep it between 60 to 85 degrees F.

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## treefox2118 (Sep 23, 2010)

Might just be our experience with ink dripping from nozzles over 70% but I can duplicate it consistently.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using T-Shirt Forums


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## MarcinPasek (Jun 17, 2013)

equipmentzone said:


> Actually, the higher the humidity the better some results may be. You do want to watch the heat. Best to keep it between 60 to 85 degrees F.
> 
> _


Well, I may switch to night shift and print at night or early morning…

Thank you for informations,

Take care


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## Smalzstein (Jul 22, 2008)

Which printer will you be running?


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## MarcinPasek (Jun 17, 2013)

Smalzstein said:


> Which printer will you be running?


Hi,

I'm not sure, I have not bought it yet. I will buy in a few weeks time. Can we switch to polish? 

Regards.


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## Mabuzi (Jul 3, 2007)

Air-conditioning removes humidity as seen from the water dripping from your car or at the back of the aircon unit.

So yes if you run Air-conditioning you need to humidify.


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## equipmentzone (Mar 26, 2008)

Mabuzi said:


> Air-conditioning removes humidity as seen from the water dripping from your car or at the back of the aircon unit.
> 
> So yes if you run Air-conditioning you need to humidify.




Very true. We've had customers, for instance in Florida, where their outside humidity was 90%. Because their inside space was constantly air conditioned (due to the outside heat) their humidity level was as dry as 20%. One of the cheapest investments in preventive maintenance you can make is to purchase a hygrometer (humidity gauge) to keep an accurate check on your humidity. Digital ones are available for as little as $10 at a Home Depot or Lowes.

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## Smalzstein (Jul 22, 2008)

> Can we switch to polish?


I think it would be rude to other members

But you can PM me with questions if you wish.


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