DTG printing has never been better. Modern equipment (Brother GTX Pro, Kornit Atlas) produces prints that are vibrant, soft, and durable. But DTG still has physical limitations, and knowing them prevents disappointment.

What DTG does well: Full-color photographic designs, gradients, fine detail on light garments, small runs without setup fees, fast turnaround.

What DTG doesn't do perfectly: Exact Pantone color matching, neon/fluorescent colors, printing on polyester (without specialized processes), true spot colors.

Wash durability: A correctly cured DTG print should survive 50+ wash cycles without significant degradation. The keys: wash inside out, cold water, low heat dry or hang dry. Hot water and high heat are the enemies of DTG ink.

Evaluating a finished print: Check color saturation against the approved mockup. Look for uniformity: no streaks, missed areas, or bleed between colors. On dark garments, the underbase shouldn't show as a halo around the design edges. Soft hand feel is a sign of good ink coverage; stiff or crinkly areas suggest over-application.

When to reject: Obvious color variance from mockup, visible print registration errors, ink sitting on top of fabric (indicating poor curing or pretreatment failure).