UV Printer for T-Shirts and DTG Printers Compared
Are UV Printers better for T-Shirts than DTG?
No.
Okay – end of post :). Just kidding.
You can’t go to a trade show for apparel printing without running into Direct Color Systems or another “UV printer for t-shirts” vendor cranking out custom t-shirts. Usually their right down the aisle from someone pushing a dtg printer too.
It’s EASY to see and feel the difference between a t-shirt printed with dtg printer compared to a UV printer.
Direct to garment printers like the M2 have a soft, finished feel and really vibrant colors.
UV printers like direct color systems has a rough feel, more like thick screen print, and a kind of muted color to them.
And while if you do it perfectly the companies say the phthalates (look that up) are not a threat – but if the UV inks aren’t cured properly, some people will have an allergic reaction.
What’s the Appeal of a UV Printer for T-Shirts?
The advantages are that you don’t have to pretreat in most cases and that the t-shirts come off the printer completely dry.
It’s also very convenient for a small shop to be able to do traditional UV printer stuff – like small signs, awards, etc.
And if you are going to offer promotional products, awards or signs along with shirts, then a UV printer for t-shirts seems really attractive.
What are the Downsides of a UV Printer for T-Shirts?
- The shirts don’t feel good
- Colors aren’t as bright as DTG printers or T-Shirt Transfer printers
- The whole pthalates and allergic reaction thing
- The UV printer pricing I found online started at about $36K, where you can get an M2 for in the low $20Ks for example.
UV Printers are incredibly useful and profitable tools. But if you’re 80% a t-shirt business and 20% into signs and promos, then a UV printer for T-Shirts is probably not a great choice.
If you’re 20% T-Shirts and 80% for signs and promos, then there are some better options anyway.
Better Solutions
ColDesi has got both a UV Printer and a Direct to Garment T-Shirt printer built on the same platform. They’re the same machine, one made for UV LED Inks and one developed for DTG inks.
The UV Printer has the advantage of a bigger bed than direct color systems, for example. That means you can print more prominent signs or just more promotional items at once. Here’s a video on that:
The M2 DTG Printer make some of the most beautiful prints you’ve ever seen. Has excellent reliability and the ink prices are the best in the business. More profitable printing, more excellent output than UV printer for t-shirts could do. Video:
If you have the bucks, you can get one of each. Training and maintenance will be a breeze because they’re the same machine – and you have the one phone number to call if you need help on either. BUT you probably want to do that only if you’re 50/50 t-shirts and UV products or plan to be.
Another combo you can look at for the 80% t-shirts and 20% promo product is the M2 DTG printer and their Digital HeatFX transfer printer – about $20K CHEAPER than the above bundle and still tons of capability.
