At Fable & King, we are proud of the level of quality of T-shirts we sell and deliver to our customers. This is mainly due to the printing process of DTG. Over the last couple of years, we're often asked, "What is DTG?"
Simply put, DTG is the process of printing designs direct to the garment, in our case, T-shirts and sweatshirts. Much like how a printer prints onto paper, these printers print onto T-shirts and other materials.
A lot of our T-shirt designs consist of a blend of many colours, this process is the most recommended for the best results.
DTG printing works really well on T-shirts made with 100% cotton. Not only does the quality of our shirts hold up against multiple washes but so does the printed designs.
Some people have asked if we will ever use screen printing but we decided against this for a number of reasons. The prints DTG produces are more consistent, which reduces the cost per unit and also reduces any unnecessary waste.
As DTG printing uses a printer that applies the ink to the shirts directly, it uses inkjet technology and less water, unlike screen printing which requires some washing for the person who does the printing, as well as on the screens and other materials used.
Because of the direct inkjet printing, it produces less waste and less water, unlike other plastisol-based printers. This oil-based ink requires a variety of chemicals for cleaning up and is not as sustainable and eco-friendly because of the potentially hazardous wastes it creates.
We are big fans of trying to reduce waste, so this gives us another reason to use DTG printing because this method is a lot more sustainable.
The fashion and apparel industry is the second-largest consumer of water as it produces 20% of wastewater. The UN ECE says they also produce more greenhouse gas emissions than aerial and maritime transport combined.
DTG printing uses water-based biodegradable ink that is easy to clean with water. What makes this better than other types of ink is how it is free of plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which contain dangerous chemical additives considered to be toxic, and which can evaporate into the air over time.
The machines used for DTG printing are very eco-friendly. DTG is a form of digital printing technology and some companies who create the tools for DTG printing support sustainable practices such as water conservation.
When we decided to create Fable & King, we wanted to make sure that we sell T-shirts that are ethically produced where people work in a safe work environment. The Garment printers are not hard to operate and do not involve unfair terms for the machine's operators and users. This means that our T-shirts are printed under fair human conditions in the UK.
We want to continue producing high-quality T-shirts and sweatshirts that have little impact on the environment but are also affordable for anyone to wear.