Direct To Garment Growth in the Market

Industry Update on Direct to Garment 

The past couple of years have been very impactful to the printing industry. Most markets have seen a decline whereas the custom garment (t-shirt) printing space has seen huge growth during this time. The availability of equipment that is capable of handling small order runs and complex images allowed this relatively new print-on-demand service to flourish and gain a sizable portion of the market. 

Personalized one-of-a-kind Items at customer's fingertips

As the demand for large order quantities continues downward, many businesses are turning to Direct-to-Garment to accommodate the buying habits shift to what customers have now come to expect: a personalized one-of-a-kind item at their fingertips. Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printing has proven to be the go-to answer for companies looking to take advantage of the growth of ecommerce marketplaces, online fulfillment opportunities and b2c sales models. 

“As consumers experienced the convenience, fast shipping, and seemingly endless array of products at their fingertips, they became hooked—if they weren’t already. In the DTG space, sales surged as retailers and PSPs marketed on-demand graphics on a wide variety of customizable garments and colors. Initial predictions at the onset of COVID-19 were forecasting a 17% drop in overall DTG print volume for 2020 compared to 2019.”

“As consumers experienced the convenience, fast shipping, and seemingly endless array of products at their fingertips, they became hooked—if they weren’t already."

“Thanks to accelerated ecommerce and digital print on-demand expansion, however, 2020 outpaced 2019 by about 5% as the second half of the year exploded—and the lion’s share of this occurred in North America. The DTG printing revolution is gaining momentum with a forecasted 13% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2019–2024. An estimated 823 million impressions were generated from DTG devices in 2020 and are expected to top over 1.4 billion impressions by 2024.” Source: Amidst a Global Pandemic, DTG Is Stronger Than Ever; Keypoint Intelligence 2020. 

DTG printing revolution is gaining momentum

In conclusion, consumers have changed the way they buy, and print shops need to be able to adapt.  While the pandemic created a downward trend for most of the print industry, DTG has been able to capitalize on the shift to ecommerce buying, selling, and fulfilment like none other.