Digital Direct-to-Garment (DTG) Printing in Boston
Custom digital printed t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other apparel
QRST’s is Boston’s premiere digital direct-to-garment (DTG) printing company. We pioneered direct-to-garment technology in New England and continue to lead in the industry as new technology makes for more exciting printing options. Restaurants, companies, colleges, and event organizers throughout Massachusetts come to us for their custom t-shirt and apparel needs. We have been printing t-shirts and other clothes on demand with the most advanced digital equipment for over eighteen years.
What is digital garment printing?
Just like printing an image on paper, digital printing brings apparel to life. In digital printing, an image file is taken directly from a computer and printed digitally onto apparel. By contrast, screen printing involves taking an art file, transporting it to a screen, and using a squeegee and ink to transfer it onto a piece of clothing.
What are the benefits of digital printing?
Some customers opt for digital printing because of the exceptional color blending and fine detail that this type of technology provides. With direct-to-garment printing, there isn’t any image cracking like there is with other methods such as heat transfers. In fact, digital images are remarkably soft and stay bright and vivid even after many washings. Best of all, digital printing gives you more flexibility in placing your images.
Direct-to-garment can also be more cost-effective. Unlike screen printing, digital printing does not require any set-up or screen charges, and therefore QRST’s has no minimums for digital printing.
What type of apparel can be digitally printed?
Virtually any garment that can be screen printed can also be digitally printed, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, towels, tote bags, masks, and more. We have 2 digital printing options: the Brother GTX Pro and the Kornit Breeze 921. This gives you unlimited printing options.
White or Light Colored Apparel
Digital printing on white and light fabric creates vibrant colors without any of the roughness often associated with decals. The inks bond into the fabric, creating prints that last for a long time with little to no fading. Because the inks are transparent and water-based, they feel like part of the fabric.
For white or light-colored fabrics, we utilize the Brother GTX Pro printing machine without an underbase. If your artwork features white, we’ll print on the Kornit or the Brother GTX Pro with an underbase.
Colored or Darker Apparel
Digital printing has transformed what can be printed on, with dark and even black fabric now being an option. For darker fabrics, we utilize the Kornit Breeze 921 printing machine or the Brother GTX Pro with an underbase. An underbase makes the color pop on dark fabrics. This is especially useful for full-color prints or photos on dark-colored fabric.
With Kornit, the feel is similar to traditional screen printing. Depending on your work, we may start with a white underbase and then run the shirts through Kornit a second time to maximize the color and brightness of your work. The second pass through the print adds $1.50 to the printing cost per print.
How big of an image can be digitally printed?
The standard print size for digital printing is 8.5 x 11″, oriented horizontally or vertically. We can print as large as 13.5 x 15.5″ for light-colored shirts and 13.5 x 17.5” for dark-colored shirts. Larger prints add an additional $6.00 per piece of apparel.
Who do we service?
QRST’s offers digital printing for a wide variety of organizations in the Boston, Massachusetts area, including:
- Corporate businesses
- Construction, manufacturing, and maintenance companies
- Youth, high school, and college sports
- Restaurants and bars
- Colleges and universities including Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Boston University, Boston College, Tufts, and Emerson
- Prep schools and public schools
- Events such as festivals, marathons, races, walks, and 5ks
- Fundraising groups for political campaigns, causes, non-profits, and schools
- Tourism offices, including at the city and state levels
How much does digital printing cost?
Digital printing can be very cost-effective because there are no minimums at QRST’s. Plus, unlike screen printing—where pricing is based on the number of shirts or products, colors, and placements—digital printing is based on a uniform rate per shirt. There are no screen charges, and you can order as few or as much as you want with no set-up fees.
Check out our prices for digital printing or contact us today to learn more about how our digital printing is one of the best deals in Boston and the surrounding area, including Cambridge and Somerville.
