The Printing Process

Ever felt the hard crunch of ink on a shirt?

We have too. And we are not fans.


At Ink & Thread by Scarlet & Gold, we are determined to do things differently and believe that the feel of ink on a shirt is just as important as the design. Because of this, all of our printing is done on direct-to-garment machines, which provides the soft ink feel that our customers love about our brand.

Direct-to-garment printing (or DTG) is an emerging garment decorating technology that became widely available in the commercial market in the mid-2000s. Unlike traditional, labor-intensive processes such as screen printing, DTG utilizes inkjet printing technology to send a full color, detailed design directly from a computer to a digital printer with a garment loaded into it. Print heads then jet opaque white ink and translucent CMYK ink onto the garment and recreate the digital artwork. Specifically designed to adhere to fabric when heat cured, these inks are water-based and eco-friendly. DTG is the wave of the future in printing. We are excited to be able to serve our customers in this way!

Excellence in the details makes all the difference.

The Benefits of DTG

  • Don’t settle for crunchy ink any longer. Plastisol ink, which is hard and crunchy, is the industry standard for screen printing. To be honest, it’s also bad for the environment and bad for a person’s health. DTG is a better way to print. In addition, we love how seamlessly the DTG ink is absorbed into the product to create an nicer look and feel.

  • Stop paying for shirts by the color. If you love full color shirts like we do, then DTG is the method for you. Our DTG printing prices are the same, no matter how many colors you use.

  • If you can dream it, we can print it. The DTG process is perfect for detailed designs, photos, large scale artwork and more.

  • Want to try it out before you invest in a big quantity? We get it! With DTG printing, we can work with quantities as small as 12 per design.