# Is DTG better 100% cotton



## Blindkolor (Mar 29, 2007)

I am wondering,

I had some shirts printed and noticed that the 50/50 blend t-shirts have a dull print. in particular the jerzees 50/50 the blacks look almost grey. so I am wondering if i get my shirts printed on 100% cotton (beefy t) will the print come out more vibrant in color? or could it be that the printer (printing co.) needs different inks..etc.( i dont know to much about the dtg process i mostly just see the results)...


can some one give me some insite?


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## 4thNGoal (May 1, 2008)

I noticed the same thing when I printed on 50/50 (navy blue). 100% cotton is MUCH better. I think that part of the issue is that the ink is not absorbed into the fiber as well with 50/50, as a result you have to use less ink, or it will splatter when it is cured. When we print we are able to choose different print modes that lay down different amounts of ink. When I print on 100% cotton, I will use an underbase (white) mode of 1440. On 50/50 that is too much ink (especially if I am going to put color on top of that), so I am forced to use 1/2 as much ink with a 720 mode.

Switch to 100% cotton and you'll love the difference.


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## colin7 (Sep 25, 2007)

100% cotton is definitely best and is/should be recommended by who ever sold you the equipment


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## DAGuide (Oct 2, 2006)

Any natural fibers (i.e. cotton, bamboo,...) will tend to print better than any synthetic fibers (i.e. polyester, nylon,...). In some cases, the use of pretreatment may help the print look better on a synthetic fabric.


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## csquared (Sep 8, 2006)

Shirts that I have printed with success are
-Bamboo - these shirts behave a lot like cotton.
-95/5 cotton/spandex - prints very well and holds the print after wash, I think the spandex helps with the fibrillation.


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## treadhead (Jul 26, 2006)

Yep...100% cotton works best. However, I've noticed that I notice a bigger difference on pretreated darker shirts vs. lighet non-pretreated shirts.


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## Printzilla (Mar 22, 2007)

Current trends in the marketplace are moving in the direction to allow printing on 100% polyester. There are some posts here on the forum with pictures of printed polyester.


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## FJV11 (Oct 15, 2007)

The colors loose their edge a little quicker on the 50/50s but the fiber problem that you get with a lot of 100% cotton shirts isn't as bad with the 50/50s. Either way I think a lot has to do with the brand of shirt and how you're washing/curing it.


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## BML Builder (Jul 8, 2008)

We use 100% cotton most of the time. We have done some 50/50 but most of the inks are made for cotton so they do not usually hold up as well on the 50/50. I have heard of the push for inks to be more versatile on the other fabrics. I have seen where YoDan has been able to print some really nice prints on 100% polyester. I think in the near future you will see more capabilities to print on different fabrics a lot more easily.


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