Whether you are an existing screen printer, embroidery shop or even a distributor who wants an easy way to sell high-margin products directly to your customers, adding direct-to-garment printing (DTG) is an excellent way to increase revenue and grow your business.

DTG is the best way to easily and quickly create high-quality custom apparel. Utilizing digital inkjet technology to print directly on fabric, DTG printing offers virtually unlimited, vibrant colors, crisp, high-resolution images, and the ability to print in fine, photo-quality detail.

Best of all, DTG-printed custom apparel is an excellent way to increase your revenue and grow your business. Here are five top reasons for adding DTG to your shop today.

1. Expand Your Product Offerings

Dramatically expand your product offerings when you add DTG technology to your arsenal of garment decoration tools. While custom tees are the most popular and high-margin product you can offer, DTG is about so much more than printing T-shirts.

With direct-to-garment printing, you can customize a dizzying array of products. DTG printing works best with fabrics that are at least 50% cotton, which opens up a world of virtually unlimited possibilities. In addition to customizing T-shirts, you easily can print sweatshirts, tote bags, golf towels, mouse pads, socks, infant onesies, dog T-shirts and aprons -- even shoes and hats. The versatility of direct-to-garment printing doesn't stop at apparel, either. With the use of an inkjet-receptive coating, you also can use a DTG printer to print on things like flat pieces of wood or glass -- perfect for creating custom coasters, plaques or decorative tiles.

One of the best aspects of DTG is that you can offer all of these products without the risk that comes with stocking inventory. Because DTG empowers you to print on demand, you can wait to buy blank garments until you have a purchase order in hand. As you gain a better understanding of your customers' needs and market, you can make a better-informed decision on what blanks to keep in stock, if any, for on-demand print jobs or to take advantage of available volume pricing opportunities.

The Advantage of Custom Apparel

With so many promotional items for your customers to choose from, custom apparel will continually prove to be one of the easiest products to sell. Imprinted golf balls or mugs are fun, but T-shirts turn customers into walking billboards. Plus, as they say, nobody throws away a T-shirt. While pens, pads and stress balls are often lost or forgotten in a desk drawer, T-shirts are either kept or given to someone who wants to wear it. That means more exposure for your customer -- and a greater potential for a higher return on their investment. And that translates into a repeat customer for your business.

Capitalize On Attention-Grabbing Products and Current Trends

DTG gives you the power to create some incredibly eye-catching, attention-worthy promotional products. Print customers’ image of choice directly on to garments along with their logo or other design. The possibilities for clever customization are about as endless as your own creativity.

Your business also gains a significant advantage when you combine your existing decorating methods with DTG. Think of the high-impact apparel products you can create when you print vibrant, full-color designs on a garment, and then add the beauty and texture of embroidery on top of it. Because of their novelty and significantly higher perceived value, these types of items are an ideal addition to your product line. The added cost of creating a multimedia, DTG-printed piece is small compared to the significantly higher price you can fetch for the products you sell.

This multimedia trend is on the rise and early adopters can gain an edge over the competition by pushing their products to the market now, while multimedia apparel is still novel and poised to explode in popularity over the next few years.

2. Leverage Low-Volume Printing to Increase Revenue

One of the greatest strengths of DTG is its cost efficiency with small orders compared to other technologies, making it an excellent addition to an existing screen-printing business. While screen printing is more profitable when it comes to high-volume orders utilizing only a few colors, the setup involved makes it impractical and costly when you only have to print a few shirts, individually customized shirts, or photo-quality images with many colors and fine detail.

With direct-to-garment printing, the production cost stays the same whether you print one T-shirt or one hundred shirts. To print a garment with DTG, all you need is a high-quality image file and blank garment to get started. Use the graphic design software of your choice to edit your image, process the image using RIP software to create a printable file, and then send the file to the machine to start printing.

If you're already a screen printer and you're turning down small orders because the volume is too low to be profitable for you, DTG is an easy solution for capturing that profit, making it an excellent way to supplement an existing screen printing business.

Drive Sales With Custom DTG-Printed Samples

Another advantage DTG offers an existing screen-printing business is a cost-effective way to create individualized custom samples for prospective customers. For example, create a T-shirt design that includes your business name, contact information and a prominent space to place your prospect's logo. Use this template to design and print custom T-shirts for every business owner in your neighborhood and then send or hand-deliver the custom sample. That level of personalized marketing will go a long way in making you more memorable -- and more likely to win a prospect's business.

Similarly, DTG printing can help expand a screen-printing business because it allows you to create a whole portfolio of samples easily and inexpensively. Rather than merely providing a virtual sample or digital rendering of the finished product -- or investing the time and resources in creating a screen-printed sample of a design that you may never sell -- you can simply create DTG-printed samples that will give a customer an idea of the different types of designs you offer. Providing a sample that your customer can touch and inspect will give them a better appreciation of your product, making them more likely to buy.

3. Direct-to-Garment Printing Is Easy, But High-Impact

First, if you're planning on utilizing white ink in your design, be sure to pretreat your garment to ensure vibrant colors and a long-lasting print. Then, edit and process your image file for printing. Load and print your garment and finish it by using a heat press or tunnel dryer to fix or cure the ink into the fabric. No prior knowledge or expertise is required to learn the printing process and even beginners can produce professional, retail-quality printed apparel.

Because direct-to-garment technology is so accessible, it's an excellent way to offer promotional apparel at increased profit margins. If you're a distributor, DTG is a technology you easily can bring in-house to create the same high-quality printed garments offered by your competition. Because you're producing the printed garments yourself, you reduce your costs and gain greater flexibility with your pricing. Offer custom garments at an aggressively low price point or simply enjoy an increased profit margin thanks to your in-house DTG printer.

4. Offer On-Demand and Quick-Turnaround Printing Services

Take advantage of the speed and ease of direct-to-garment printing and offer on-demand printing. If you have a brick and mortar location, be sure to advertise your on-demand print services prominently at the front of your store or even next to your register. Emphasize the fact that you can deliver custom apparel in unlimited colors and with no minimums. To further leverage your on-demand printing services, you also can charge an extra rush fee for orders that require a quick turnaround.

Many customers are attracted to the convenience -- and bundle pricing, if you choose to offer it -- of one-stop shopping. With the added capability of direct-to-garment printing, you can develop a well-rounded selection of product offerings and serve as the single destination for your customers' promotional needs. By supplementing your core offerings and giving you the ability to upsell additional services, on-demand printing is an excellent way to increase profits for your business.

5. Promote Your Commitment to Sustainability

If supporting sustainability and offering eco-friendly products is important to you or your customers, adding direct-to-garment printing to your business is essential. Traditionally, screen printers use solvent inks or plastisol, which contain potentially toxic PVC and phthalates.

In contrast, direct-to-garment printing utilizes eco-friendly, water-based inks. Some of the leading DTG printer brands like Ricoh/AnaJet even utilize ink that carries the ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX designation. The certification ensures the inks meet international safety standards and are suitable for use in even children's clothes and accessories.

Get Started Making Money With Direct-to-Garment Printing

Whether you're just starting out in the promotional products industry or you're a seasoned veteran, DTG printing is a smart investment when it comes to growing your business.

A pioneer and leader in the direct-to-garment industry, AnaJet (A RICOH Company) is the only DTG company to offer a complete ecosystem of profitable DTG solutions for every budget and skill level. To learn more about how AnaJet's award-winning printers can grow your business, visit RicohDTG.com or call (877) 626-2538.