Top 10 DTG printers for 2021

Bold Commerce Collaborator
2020-02-06T14:31:00-08:00

Last Updated on January 12, 2021

Web-to-print innovation has launched the big change of today’s printing practice, by introducing DTG printers that have transformed printing processes with increased efficiency.

With the advancement of technology and the need for more detailed and complicated prints on t-shirts, the print industry has moved from traditional screen printing and embroidery to more digital direct-to-garment printing. Although the popularity of screen printing and embroidery is not going out of style, the DTG printing industry, on the other hand, is getting stronger for its fast delivery and printing high-quality artworks.

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What is the best DTG printing machine? Today, the best DTG printer on the market is the KORNIT AVALANCHE HDK which costs around $250,000. It produces some of the lowest cost per print in the industry with high-quality print on t-shirts & apparel. The second best is the Aeoon Kyo DTG printer which costs $160,000 onwards. A professional DTG printing machine can cost between $10,000 to $500,000.

What are the top DTG printers in the industry? The top 10 DTG printers in the industry are:

KORNIT AVALANCHE HDK – Around $250,000

Aeoon Kyo DTG printer – $160,000 onwards

Sertec Eagle TX Series from Italy -- $45,000.00 onwards.

DTG M6 Industrial DTG Printer – $39,995 onwards

Brother GTX DTG Printer – $22,500.00 to $27,000

DTGTEX X5 – $29,999 onwards

Epson SureColor F2100 DTG Printer – $17,995

NeoFlex 800 DTG printer – $17,995.00

Azon Tex Pro DTG printer – $12,000 to $15,000

Summit AT DTG Printer – $11,400 to $15,000

Anajet RICOH Ri 6000 – $25,000 to $30,000

Top 10 DTG printers with Price

Here is a list of Top 10 DTG printers with pricing, pros & cons to help you choose the best suited for your printing business:

1. KORNIT AVALANCHE HDK
Price: ~ Around $250,000

KORNIT AVALANCHE HDK

Pros

-The truly industrial DTG printing machine that is a global market leader in digital printing of garments and textiles. It is a high-speed industrial t-shirt and garment printing machine with an output of up to 220 garments per hour.

- The High Definition printing technology of this machine equips Kornit’s HD Print Engine and NeoPigment Rapid Ink. This reduces ink consumption by 30% as compared to other DTG printers, therefore the print cost decreases.

- Can print on multiple fabric types, both light and dark with a 24/7 non-stop production workflow with ink re-circulation and dual-bridge system.

- It has a printing area of 23.5 x 35 in/60 x 90 cm or XXL garments and various printable substrates like Cotton, Polyester, Cotton- Polyester Blends, Lycra, Viscose, Silk, Leather, Denim, Linen, Wool and more.

- The ink channels include 4-colors CMYK + White with an output of maximum print resolution up to up to 1,200 dpi.

Moreover, the Kornit Avalanche HDK DTG printing has a dimension of 138 X 91 X 67 IN / 350 X 230 X 170 cm and weighs approx. 2200 kg / 4850 lb.
Considering the labor and ink cost, Kornit Avalanche HDK can a better option.

Cons

You may get compromising print quality when it comes to printing spot color artwork.

2. Aeoon Kyo DTG printer
Price: ~ $160,000 onwards

Aeoon Kyo DTG printer

Pros

- Aeoon Kyo DTG printer is the fastest industrial direct-to-garment printing machine. It can print five t-shirts at a time with a skyrocketing speed of 1280 prints per hour or one t-shirt per 5 seconds.
- The Aeoon Kyo DTG printer uses Direct Inkjet to Textile Garment Printing. It has the capacity to use 4-12 colors with 2-12 printheads with 2558 nozzles per printhead.
- It has various optional pallet sizes with the largest one having a dimension of 250 x 400 cm.
- Can print multiple fabrics like Cotton, polyester, Lycra, Viscose, etc with CMYK pigment for cotton and mixed fiber garments. Uses up to 8 whiteheads for superior speed on dark garments.

The Aeoon Kyo DTG printer can give a maximum print resolution of 2400 x 2400 DPI with 600 DPI native resolution
Moreover, it has a dimension of 4.1m x 1.5m x 2.0 m weighing 2000kg. Additionally, it comes with a one year warranty.

Cons

3. SERTEC EAGLE TX DTG
Price ~ $46,000.00 onwards

Pros

- An Italian company with 22 years of experience in the digital printing field.

- The Eagle, unlike normal printers, was created to answer to industrial
needs of flexible and high-quality prints without reducing the output volumes.
The Eagle versatility comes from both the variable height up to
250mm and the high-performance inks. Moreover, the unique design
of The Eagle with one side completely open allow us to insert very bulky
materials.

-Eagle printers can be equipped with custom size platens
according to needs, reaching 18 A4 size platens on Eagle TX 130.

-Open ink system: The under-pressure ink system avoids the formation of an air bubble on the circuit, the white ink is also on constant recirculation to avoid the sedimentation. The result is a global cost reduction with reduced maintenance downtime and less print head cleaning required.

- New generation Print Heads: The new print heads have a better performance, they last longer thanks to the mirror treatment to prevent the deposit of color and clogging of the print nozzles.

- Remote management via tablet: Eagle printers of new generations can be controlled remotely via tablet. This allows the operator to perform the normal management operations and always have the printer status available.

More information, here: https://www.allprintheads.com/

Cons

- Still a way to go to achieve good quality on Polyester Garments.

- Speed could be improved with new printhead technology but still decent industrial speeds.

4. DTG M6 Industrial Direct to Garment Printer

- This DTG printer is suitable for printing multiple garments at a time. A single machine that can print 3 numbers of XXXXL oversized garments, 6 numbers of standard garments or 12 numbers of smaller garments.

- It utilizes a maximum print space of 1150mm x 750mm (44″ x 30″) to its full capacity that prints more than one t-shirt at a time.

- The print-head with 180 nozzles per channel with eight dual CMKY independent ink channels that can give a high print resolution of 2880dpi.

- The 4-2-1 platen system enables the opportunity to gain maximum profit. You can print any garment that comes to your mind like apparel, towels, blankets, and many more.

- The panel size of DTG M6 is 1100 x 980mm, that you can easily decorate multiple finished garments at just under 100 square feet per hour with the dual CMYK piezo print head with a minimum 3.5 picolitre drop size. It prints more than one image at a time.

- DTG M6 incorporates IQ Interweave technology that can even give a perfect print even at lower resolutions. You get enough flexibility to print a wide range of garments, textiles, and fashion panel prints.

Moreover, the DTG M6 printer has a physical dimension of 1810(W) x 1250(H) x 1300(L)mm, weighing 170 Kg.

5. Brother GTX Direct to Garment
Price ~ $22,500.00 to $27,000

Brother GTX Direct to Garment

Pros

- Brother GTX can print a t-shirt in 45 seconds without sacrificing the print quality at 1200 dpi x 1200 dpi, with a maximum platen size of 16 x 21 inches.

- For brighter image quality, you get Innobella Textile inks and a large substrate that allows you to print on across zippers, pockets and many more.

- Brother GTX DTG machine has two print heads of CMYK and White with a maximum print area of 16 x 21 inches.

- It uses a Water-based pigment ink available 200ml and 500ml pouches.

Cons

- The platens are non-removable. That does not mean that you cannot remove it. However, you have to unscrew the platen that gets bolted in some other way affixed to the printer.
- Cannot print more than one t-shirt at a time.

6. DTGTEX X5
Price ~ $29,999

Pros

- Can print 100% full-color designs on light and dark cotton and blends.

- The bloat ink delivery system completely eliminates the cartridge-based system.

- Features automatic white ink separation by circulating the white ink throughout the day in between printing reducing the need to perform multiple heads cleans or purges when idle. You can save new money on white ink.

- Set print height manually by with the new fully automated print heigh adjustment with a touch of two buttons. Your printer will automatically set the print height saving the time and effort involved in manual height adjustment.

- The cutting edge laser sensors in the gantry ensure your platten never goes too high, thus reducing the risk of issues that involves setting the print height adjustment.

- Maintains perfect brightness, saturation, fine details, and preserving contrast of print on the fabric.

- Two (2) Printing Platents which gives an edge to gain higher productivity standarts.

- Two printheads with latest technology from Epson specially designed for DTG printing.

- Includes 3 platens with the price for Small, Medium and Large sizes.

- Lowest production and maintenance costs among the other printers.

Cons

- Relativeley new in the market. Not many printers yet installed.

- No able to print two shirts at the same time.

7. Epson SureColor F2100 DTG Printer
Price ~ $17,995

Epson F2100

Pros

- Epson SureColor F2100 is one of the best selling direct-to-garment printers that prints a t-shirt in 1 minute and 40 seconds. It uses an enhanced quality, outstanding color performance, etc, Epson UltraChrome DG Inks.

- The variable drop technology allows better image quality and graphics having gradient colors.

- The F2100 has an additional white ink filter that is important to prevent the clogging nozzle of ink.

- You get three-speed adjustment controls with Epson F2100 i.e. fast, quality, and high quality. The six different print modes increase the print speed to 35% faster on images using white ink and double the speed in without white ink mode.

- The Epson F2100 features a fabric wiper and an in-line cleaning cartridge, the integrated self-cleaning system allows the printer to perform daily maintenance to reduce downtime. As a result, it reduces your burden on maintenance time and operational costs.

- There are two print resolutions. For white ink – up to 1440×1440 dpi & for color ink – up to 1440×720 dpi.

Cons

- Epson inks are expensive and the printer uses a lot of it. On the brighter side, the low maintenance, speed, and quality worth the higher cost of ink.

8. NeoFlex 800 DTG printer
Price ~ $17,995.00

NeoFlex 800 DTG printer

Pros

- The NeoFlex 800 DTG printer is faster and easy-to-use Direct Inkjet Garment printing machine that prints 1440×1440 resolution images on light or dark garments in a single pass.

- It has a print area of 17×42 inches that is large enough to print 3 adult sized t-shirts in a single time.

- Ink Type- Water-based Pigment Ink, Mild Solvent Dye Ink, Editable Ink
Ink Color – 8 color CMKY+White for textile option and dual CMKY for all printer options.

- It employs the Epson 4880 MicroPiezo AMC print head type that has a life of 45,000 impressions.

- The NeoFlex 800 DTG printer can print an image of size 8 x 10 inches on a garment within 39 seconds.

- Moreover, the machine size is 823mm x 2004.1mm x 1196.3mm and weighs 124.7kg.

Note: Neo flex DTG printer achieved first place in 38th Impressions Awards.

9. Azon Tex Pro DTG printer
Price ~ $12,000 to $15,000

Azon Tex Pro DTG Printer

Pros

- With Azon Tex Pro DTG printer, you can print beautiful full-color prints on light and dark-colored textiles like t-shirts, towels, jeans, aprons, bags or else, with superb adhesion of ink.

- Cost-effective and easy to use DTG printer.

- You can print up to 50 light shirts to 15 dark shirts per hour.

- You get a maximum printing size of 400 x 600 mm with a maximum resolution of 1440 dpi.

- It contains 4 CMYK and 4 white inks with a laser beam printhead protection.
Moreover, it has a physical dimension(LxBxH) of 960mm x 810mm x 460-580mm weighing 113kg.

10. Anajet RICOH Ri 6000
Price ~ $25,000 to $30,000

ProsAnajet RICOH Ri 6000 DTG Printer

Pros

- The RICOH Ri 6000 can print full-color 12-inch x 10-inch graphics on light garments in less than 27 seconds in speed print mode and 53 seconds in the fine print.

- CMYK-plus-white technology lets you lay a white base beneath full-color designs to make images jump off of dark garments that get you a vivid and lifelike color output.

- It has 192 nozzles per channel and RICOH Ri 6000 has 12 such channels.
You get a 600×600 dpi print resolution.

Cons

- The print on garments may not be as vibrant as other DTG printers.
- It uses a bit of old technology as compared to other DTG printers. However, it enough to make your work done.

- Not suitable for large scale printing.

Other Notable Printers:

Some of the notable printers mentioned here are legends on their own rights. Some of them may have been discontinued, but you may be able to purchase from other sources or buy a used one for your new DTG venture. If you're still unsure about which printer is right for you, we have resources on DTG vs. sublimation printing and the printers that work best for specific business purposes.

Brother GT-782 – Price ~60,000
Freejet 700TX – Price ~30,000
Anajet MP10i – Price ~20,000
Brother GT-541 – Price ~20,000
Anajet125 – Price ~16,000
Anajet Sprint – Price ~16,000
Epson SureColor F2100 – Price ~20,000
Anajet MP5i – Price ~15,000

* The prices mentioned above are close to its original cost. However, for a used printer, the prices could be 1/3rd of the original price.