A Digital Artist Finds DTG

A reader recently posted:

"bless my stars I found your blog in the sources section on the Wikipedia page for DTG printing, if you'd be so kind as to answer a question that's really troubling me I would be grateful.

I'm an illustrator I create high resolution digital paintings on photoshop and someone recently told me I should look into printing and selling some of these designs on t-shirts so I've been looking into t-shirt printing and what is the best method for me to get my paintings onto t-shirts with high quality prints, I'm planning to have low quantities and high pricing, so a high printing cost for a high quality print on 100% cotton can be absorbed. so could you please help me out with this? Thank You Sir"

People are becoming aware of DTG! This is great. Now we must educate. Here is the response I gave:

"Great question. There are several options for getting your images on to clothing. Heat transfers will get your print on to the shirt, but this method does not attain the high quality you are going for. Based on your comments, you will want to go with a process that can attain not just high quality look, but also a high quality feel. The best way to do this is digital direct-to-garment. Another consideration is whether the company you purchase your machine from is able to ship their product to your country, and give the support needed to help you get up and running. If you are based in the United States, you will have many companies to choose from. Pricing can vary greatly from company to company. Things you will want to consider are machine cost, ink cost, maintenance cost, and head replacement cost. Some companies also offer financing options, and this can be very helpful if you need to keep your cash flow free. Be very careful about used or homemade printers, as they probably won't come with a warranty, and you need to make sure that you can get support for your product. I recommend checking out the forums too. Here are a couple of addresses:

https://plus.google.com/b/117973706207801271116/communities/101204742741581995959

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/

DTG printing is a great way to profit from your art! I hope it goes well for you!"

Another one comes to the light of DTG, and a dream has been born. When will you make your Mona Lisa?