HOW to opTimizE DIGITAL PRINTING on Darks Learn the key factors involved in outputting the perfect print on a dark shirt. O ne of the well-known major advantages of digital garment decoration techniques is the ability to realize profit from small runs, and even orders consisting of just one piece. Thanks to continuing advances in technology, printing dark shirts with a direct-to-garment printer is not nearly as difficult as it used to be. Software has removed most of the guesswork, and most of the wannabe machine manufacturers have been weeded out of the market. These days most of the digital printers you'll see in the trade magazines and at trade shows are dependable, reliable and consistent. As in screen printing, you can't print light shirts the same way you print dark shirts with a direct-to-garment printer. You must have an underbase. But unlike screen printing where you need at least some knowledge of a graphics program like Adobe Photoshop or some other type of separation software, today's RIPs (raster imaging processors) do most of the work for you. And it's not that hard to get a high-quality print using only the automated functions of the software. 6 § SUMMER 2015