By Melissa Donovan
Part 2 of 2
Direct to garment (DTG) printers benefit from pretreatments no matter if a garment is black or white, cotton or polyester. The liquid consumable provides enhanced durability and image quality to any garment. Pretreatment options are available for DTG printers from both printer manufacturers and third party ink vendors. They can be applied externally—outside of the printer—or inline. For pretreatments designed to be applied externally there is the option to use a hand sprayer or a dedicated enclosed machine.
Pretreatment Options
Here, we’ve included some of the available pretreatment options.
AnaJet, Inc., a Ricoh Company offers three different types of pretreatments for Ricoh-approved water-based CMYK and white DTG ink/Ricoh DTG printers. PowerBright is designed for dark garments and up to 50 percent dark polyester. It prices at $46 to $79 per gallon. Ricoh pretreatments for light garments are used for light garments and up to 100 percent white polyester at $68 per gallon. Ricoh pretreatments for dark garments are used for dark garments and up to 50 percent dark polyester and priced at $68 per gallon.
DuPont Artistri Brite P5003 Dark Garment and Artistri Brite P5010 White Garment Pretreatment Solutions are designed for Artistri Brite P5000, P3500, P6000, and P7000 ink sets. They are used for dark and white over 50 percent cotton garments. Features that set them apart from the competition include enhanced image quality and colors, shorter curing time, superior wash fastness, and helps in eliminating staining in regards to over 50 percent cotton blends. For white polyester they provide bright colors and superior wash fastness.
Eastern Tech Company through its Firebird product line offers FBX-100 pretreatment, which is compatible with DTG printers from Aeeoon, AnaJet, Brother, Epson, and M&R. The pretreatment is designed to enhance adhesion of white ink and offered at $50 per gallon. It is specifically tailored for each individual system.
Epson recently released its Pretreatment for Polyester product, in addition to its existing offering—Pretreatment for Cotton. Both are compatible with Epson UltraChrome DG ink and Epson SureColor F2000 and SureColor F2100 printers. They are available in a concentrated format and can dilute with water at recommend ratios for optimal results on dark or light garments. A 20 liter concentrated box of Pretreatment for Cotton costs $679.95 MSRP and a 19 liter concentrated box for Pretreatment for Polyester costs $299.95 MSRP. Both configurations =are OEKO-TEX ECO Passport certified for safety and have no GHS health risks for operators.
Kornit Digital offers a Fixation Agent designed for operation and compatibility with Kornit DTG systems. All Kornit DTG systems have inline pretreatment, so the process is completed with the touch of a button. This applies to light and dark fabrics, as well polyesters and blends.
Lawson Screen & Digital Products, Inc. Image Lock is available in three options—RFU (Ready for Use), Concentrate, or Bro (Brother). It is designed to enhance white ink on dark garments and as an aid in white shirts. Pricing varies, but starts at $24 per quart. Features that set it apart from the competition include better color brilliance, better wash fastness, softer hand, and less staining. According to the company it is compatible with all DTG ink and printers on the market.
Machinery
Here, we include information on some enclosed dedicated pretreatment machines.
The Mister-T1 pretreatment machine from Ecofreen is designed to pretreat garments automatically before printing. With smooth and precise application of this machine, achieve fine quality prints and consistent results. It is light weight and compact in size to place in limited spaces. This machine is designed to clean and operate easily without any special skills.
The Lawson Zoom-AE is an all-electric operated unit. It is ideal for basic to sophisticated spraying of pretreat solutions. Users pull out the drawer, load the shirt, and push the start button. Two gallon size solution containers are mounted on the side of the unit and easily visible. The spray area is 18×20 inches.
Schulze manufactures the PRETREATmaker IV. It offers smoother, more accurate spray patterns with complete spray and mist containment. The setup allows for switching between two pretreatment liquids if necessary. Slide rails include splash guards. The spray area is 16.5×23.5-inches. It is compatible with Brother DTG pretreatment.
Thought Tech develops the Pearl series of pretreatment machines. This includes Pearl Lite, Pearl PTM, and Pearl Elite. The spray areas range from 15×18 to 16×20 inches. The newest model, the Pearl Elite, offers an enclosed spray area, corrosion proof body, easy access windows, stainless steel hardware, and an easy open drawer.
Apply and Succeed
Pretreatments for DTG printers come in a number of options from multiple vendors. Prior to choosing a pretreatment, make sure it is compatible with the ink and printer for optimal results. If considering applying the pretreatment externally, it is also important to consider investing in either a hand sprayer or dedicated pretreatment machine.
Click here to read part one of this exclusive online series, Perfecting Performance.
Click on the link above to get more information on the vendors mentioned in this article.
Feb2019, Digital Output
