Looking for professional DTG printing in Philadelphia? At Top Banana USA, we specialize in full-color direct-to-garment printing for custom T-shirts, hoodies, and apparel. Using our Brother GTX600 printer, we produce vibrant, detailed prints with water-based inks. With no minimum order quantities and fast turnaround times, we’re here to help bring your designs to life, whether you need one shirt or hundreds.
Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing is perfect for custom T-shirts, hoodies, and apparel with detailed, full-color designs. Unlike traditional screen printing, DTG requires no minimum order quantity or screen setup fees, making it ideal for everything from single shirts to larger orders. At Top Banana USA, we use water-based inks and professional printing equipment to produce high-quality custom apparel right here in Philadelphia.
Every great DTG print starts with properly prepared artwork. We review your design, check the resolution, and prepare your file for printing. DTG allows us to reproduce detailed artwork, photographs, gradients, and full-color designs. For the best results, we recommend high-resolution PNG files with transparent backgrounds.
Depending on your garment color and artwork, pretreatment may be required. Dark or colored garments needing white ink receive a specialized pretreatment to help the ink adhere and colors appear vibrant. Light-colored garments printed with CMYK-only inks generally don’t require pretreatment.
Using our Brother GTX600 and GTX Pro printers, we apply water-based inks directly onto your garments to create detailed, full-color designs. Each print is then cured to set the ink and inspected for quality before your order is prepared for pickup or shipping.
Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing produces detailed, long-lasting designs when garments are properly cared for. Our water-based inks are printed directly onto the fabric and cured to help ensure durability through regular washing and wear.
To help preserve your custom DTG prints, we recommend washing garments inside out in cold water, using mild detergent, and tumble drying on low heat or hanging them to dry. Avoid bleach, dry cleaning, and ironing directly over the printed design.
Like any printed garment, DTG prints may gradually soften or fade with repeated washing, but proper care can help keep your custom apparel looking great for years.
DTG printing is ideal for detailed artwork, photographs, gradients, and designs with lots of colors. Unlike screen printing, it doesn't require separate screens for each color.
At Top Banana USA, our Brother GTX600 and GTX Pro printers use water-based inks to reproduce intricate details and smooth color transitions directly onto apparel.
With no minimum order requirements, DTG is perfect for everything from single custom T-shirts to band merchandise and larger apparel orders.
For the best DTG printing results, we recommend 100% ring-spun cotton T-shirts and apparel. High-quality cotton provides a smooth surface for vibrant colors, sharp details, and long-lasting prints.
CMYK-Only Printing: Best for white and light-colored garments. This method requires no pretreatment and produces soft, lightweight prints with a vintage-style finish.
CMYK + White Printing: Ideal for dark and colored cotton garments. A white ink underbase helps produce brighter, more vibrant designs.
Cotton Blends & Polyester: Cotton blends can be printed, but higher polyester content may reduce vibrancy. For polyester-heavy garments, we typically recommend DTF transfers instead.
Direct-to-garment (DTG) printing uses four primary ink colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (CMYK). Our Brother GTX600 and GTX Pro printers combine these colors to reproduce detailed artwork, photographs, gradients, and vibrant full-color designs directly onto apparel.
We offer two DTG printing methods depending on your garment color and artwork:
CMYK-Only: Best for white and light-colored garments, producing soft, lightweight prints without pretreatment.
CMYK + White: Best for dark and colored garments, using a white ink underbase to make designs appear brighter and more vibrant.
CMYK-Only DTG printing is a great option for white and light-colored garments. This process uses cyan, magenta, yellow, and black water-based inks printed directly onto the fabric without a white ink underbase.
Because there is no white ink or pretreatment required, the finished print has a soft, lightweight feel that blends naturally into the garment. This makes CMYK-Only printing especially popular for custom white T-shirts, artwork with lots of colors, and designs where a softer finish is preferred.
On white shirts, colors generally appear brighter and more accurate. On other light-colored garments, such as ash gray, natural, or light pink, the fabric color can influence the artwork and create a more muted, vintage-style appearance.
CMYK-Only prints may gradually fade with repeated washing, which can be desirable for customers looking for a worn-in look. If you want brighter colors on darker garments, our CMYK + White printing process is usually the better option.
CMYK + White DTG printing is ideal for black, dark-colored, and other garments where artwork needs a white ink underbase. This process allows us to create vibrant, full-color designs that stand out against the fabric.
Before printing, we apply a specialized pretreatment solution to help the white ink adhere to the garment. Our Brother GTX600 and GTX Pro printers then apply a white underbase followed by the full-color CMYK design. Finally, the print is heat-cured to set the ink.
Because this process uses a white underbase, the finished print has a slightly thicker feel than CMYK-Only printing. It's a great option for band merchandise, clothing brands, custom hoodies, and detailed artwork on dark T-shirts.
CMYK + White can also be used on light-colored garments when a white underbase is needed to preserve the artwork's colors. Pretreated garments should be washed before prolonged sunlight exposure to help prevent pretreatment-related discoloration.
For dark and colored garments, DTG printing requires a specialized pretreatment solution that helps white ink adhere to the fabric. This allows us to produce vibrant, detailed prints that hold up through regular washing.
Our DTG pretreatment process includes:
Important: Pretreated garments should be washed before prolonged exposure to direct sunlight to help prevent discoloration.
Pretreatment is a specialized solution applied to garments before DTG printing when white ink is required. It helps the white ink bond to the fabric, allowing us to produce vibrant, detailed prints on dark and colored apparel.
After application, the garment is dried and heat-pressed before printing.
Yes! DTG pretreatment is a water-soluble solution that helps white ink adhere to the garment during printing.
After printing, the pretreatment can leave a slightly visible residue or discoloration around the design. This is temporary and typically washes away after the first wash.
We recommend washing pretreated garments before exposing them to direct sunlight to help prevent discoloration.
At Top Banana USA, we print custom apparel in-house at our Philadelphia print shop using our Brother GTX600 and GTX Pro direct-to-garment printers.
Unlike companies that outsource their printing, we handle artwork preparation, garment pretreatment, printing, curing, and quality control ourselves.
Whether you need one custom T-shirt or hundreds of garments, our team is here to help. We offer local pickup at our Manayunk shop and shipping nationwide.
Choosing the right printing method depends on your artwork, garment material, and order quantity. At Top Banana USA, we offer direct-to-garment (DTG), screen printing, and direct-to-film (DTF) printing for custom T-shirts, hoodies, and apparel. Here’s how each method compares.
Best for detailed, full-color designs printed directly onto cotton apparel using water-based inks.
Minimum Order: 1 Garment
Best for larger apparel orders featuring simple artwork, bold graphics, and fewer ink colors.
Minimum Order: 24 Garments
Not sure which printing method is right for your project? Our Philadelphia print shop can help you choose based on your artwork, garment type, quantity, and budget.
Monday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday – Sunday: CLOSED
