How are your beautiful graphics printed?

At TPOP, you need to know that your great visuals are printed using various digital printing processes. The aim? To make your creations as beautiful as possible by choosing techniques that will enhance them.

Without wishing to boast (it's not like us 😄 ), we frequently receive positive comments about the quality of our prints. This is especially touching because it took a lot of practice to figure out how to get a premium print result on all media.

Today, we are proud to say that we have found the right recipe. While we do everything in our power to provide you with quality service across the board, from the ease of use of our platform to our technical support, printing is still the core of our business. Providing you and your customers with superior products that live up to your brand is what drives us.

Let's take a look at the techniques we use to provide you with beautiful, beautifully printed products.

DTG for T-shirts

Most of our t-shirts are printed using a digital printing system called DTG : this is the abbreviation for Direct To Garment.

DTG timidly emerged in 2005; However, it took a good handful of years to make this technique viable for current production methods. It is still quite rare in the market, and it is a joy for us to integrate it into our service because this direct textile digital printing is a great printing process in many ways, even a real revolution. However, it requires a very specific and complex manual process.

How does it work?

Your textile is placed on a tray, then after transferring your design to the printer, the printer sprays the various water-based inks (environmentally friendly and Vegan) on the surface of the textile. In order to dry and fix this ink within the mesh, your textile is passed through a drying tunnel (think of it as a giant oven with a conveyor belt).

This is because the composition of white ink is different from other inks in color and is more technical to print. This results in a higher cost of printing on visuals that need an undercoat. That being said, the result is well worth it.

What are the advantages of the DTG?

Plenty. There are plenty of advantages.

The first is the flexibility of the process: whether for the production of a single t-shirt or for an order of 100 pieces, no technical costs are required. Similarly, although its use requires a certain amount of expertise, it should be noted that DTG is an extremely fast process: the transition from the status of a print file to that of a finished product is almost immediate. And no, it's not magic... It's DTG.

In addition to being eco-friendly thanks to the possibility of using environmentally friendly water-based inks, this method proves to be opposed to mass production thanks to its almost instantaneous production character. No minimum number of products will be required for your orders.

Another significant advantage is the print quality: it's simple, the rendering is as precise as a conventional paper printer.

There are no limits to the number of colors (except for colors ), nor to your imagination. The printed result will be very close to your original design. The "hand" (i.e. the touch of the textile) is fantastic and is almost imperceptible. Note that this printing process is mainly adapted to 100% cotton textiles; on other types of textile (and in particular on polyester), it is preferable to use DTF, flocking or sublimation.

Dye sublimation printing for other materials

Mugs and water bottles are printed using our dye-sublimation printers.

What does this mean?

Technically, when the ink pigment is heated to almost 200°, it changes from a solid to a gas.

We print your design on a suitable support, then we apply it to the product to be marked. Finally, a heat press or tunnel will allow the ink to react on the object, and to fix it completely in it. It's a method that requires a lot more steps than DTG; Even so, your sublimation products are still printed quickly enough and profitable enough to benefit your business.

Note that in order to transfer the image onto the object, it must be coated with a specific coating to be able to be sublimated: in short, a classic white mug from the shops will not be sublimable.

What are the benefits?

There are two main ones.

First of all, the process ensures that the printed product is simply incredibly resistant to wear and tear: in other words, your visuals are "integrated" into the product for an indefinite period of time. Washing, repeated use,...: nothing will alter your works. It's an excellent printing solution that fits perfectly into our ambition to participate in a more sustainable consumption pattern.

Secondly, there is no limit to colors And these stand out from the print particularly brightly, resulting in an exceptional aesthetic rendering. We've really selected the best of the best, just for you, the T-Partners.

DTF, a revolutionary new technique

DTF takes its name from "Direct To Film".

This is a proven technique but is new to our market, as the printing process is quite technical.

It may seem rather laborious compared to the DTG, but it does have some significant advantages. Let's explain a little...

How does the DTF work?

As the name suggests, the principle is to print a visual on a support and transfer it to the chosen surface of a given product.

This technique is mainly valid for textile products.

In the first instance, the visual is printed on a special film.

We then need to cover the visual with a special powder so that the pattern can adhere properly to the textile. Finally, the pre-printed and powder-coated visual is affixed to the product using a heat press. This makes it a much longer process than DTG.

First used for our small markings, such as collars, we decided to extend its use to the marking of our sweatshirts and hoodies, and to all our accessories (bags, aprons, bodysuits, bibs and boxers).

What are the advantages of the DTF?

The main difference between DTF and DTG is that DTF has a very pleasant and smooth 'feel' to it, and the visuals will be more 'raised' than a conventional DTG print.

However, this print will be very elastic and therefore very unlikely to wear out due to cracks and other cracks.

As a result, the final product is highly resistant to time and washing.

Unlike DTG, which is mainly suitable for cotton, DTF is an all-round printing technique: it will print on cotton as well as on polyester without any problems.

Similarly, it turns out that the rendering of the colors DTF printing is always particularly bright and shiny: a small bonus, all in all, quite appreciable.

For textiles, a complex production chain

Because a little reminder is never too much, here is a summary of our DTG printing process for light and dark textiles.

Because each step requires human intervention, we let you imagine...

In the case of a light textile, the process is as follows:

1. We receive your order
2. We are going to look for the product to be printed (the picking)
3. We bring it close to a printer
4. An operator will prepare the printing (possible cropping of the file, verification of the printing parameters, placement of the product on the printing plate...)
5. The product is printed by the same operator
6. He will then place it in a drying tunnel
7. Another operator will collect the product at the exit of the tunnel
8. The product is passed through a press
9. We check that the order is complete
10. We fold each product and check it for problems
11. We pack your order
12. The order is ready to be shipped
13. The carrier comes to collect your order

In the case of dark textiles, the process is as follows:

1. We receive your order
2. We will look for the product to be printed (picking)
3. We bring it close to the pre-treatment machine
4. An operator will pre-treat the product which will then be dried
5. Another operator brings it close to the printer
6. An operator will prepare the printing (possible cropping of the file, verification of the printing parameters, placement of the product on the printing plate...)
7. The product is printed by the same operator
8. He will then place it in a drying tunnel
9. Another operator will collect the product at the exit of the tunnel
10. The product is passed through a press
11. We fold each product and check it for problems
12. We check that the order is complete
13. We pack your order
14. The order is ready to be shipped
15. The carrier comes to collect your order

Of course, this summary is simplified as much as possible, but you should know that many other operations are necessary with print on demand: prior verification of the order parameters, printing of stickers if the order contains them, verification of the visuals before printing, printing of the package labels, etc.

So don't forget: despite the automated aspect of our service, each step requires human intervention, it is always our little pudgy fingers that prepare and print all your orders. All with love, of course.

Convinced by this summary of the techniques we use to enhance your creations? Curious to see the result in real time thanks to a sample order? Don't hesitate: our service is waiting for you.