Plotter / Flex print is so much better than DTG

English Designs and Print
#1

I’m not a big fan of the news I’ve got yesterday, Spreadshirt terminating flex print.

  1. The washability is much worse with DTG than flex. A properly heated flex print stays the life of the shirt and can not be washed away.

  2. The colors become dull and not as sharp as in plotter printing.

  3. The print quality becomes more uneven. I’ve attached an image with two shirts ordered from Spreadshirt with a week in between. Same print file, same colors, same shirt model and color, and the print result is alot different between those two orders.

IMG_7267.JPG4032×3024 1.73 MB

I’ve been working with plotters since early 90’s and DTG printers since 2006 (built my own printers, and did some work for US Screen developing the T-Jet2) and I have always promoted Spreadshirt and their plotter printing as the highest quality you can get on a shirt.

I’m not a big fan of this idea because of the fact that there are too many variables that can affect the quality and color reproduction of the print. Pre-treatment can be done in several ways and depending on who does it, the result may vary from success to disaster.

Somewhere, I have read that you have purchased Brother DTG printers, and they are toys compared to Kornit. I hope you will change your mind in the future and continue to offer designers your high-quality flex printing.

Best regards, Peter Samuelsson, GeekTowns.se

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#2

Hi there,
Both printing methods have pros and cons - honestly, I don’t think there is a possibility to say that one is ultimately better than the other.

The washability is one thing, but a growing number of customers prefer the feel and comfort of the digital print and find it a more important factor.

Also, our new printers print pretty darn vivid colours! It’s of course one thing to compare to a foil, but the difference between the new and the old machines is pretty huge and the colours are certainly not dull.

And while I understand your complaint, and I apologise for that, plotting is also prone to quality issues and printing mistakes. Have you been in contact with our customer service for an exchange?

Regarding your comments about Brother and Kornit - while I’m not a print specialist myself, you can see images of test prints of both machines in the German thread on this same topic:

Still, of course I get it - the look and feel of plot-printing and DD is very different and if you are a lover of plotting, I understand that this change might make you unhappy.

In any case, thank you for your feedback!

1 Like
#3