Abstract: A method and apparatus for printing images on a high volume of printable substrates such as garments is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an inkjet printer, a conveyor system, heat presses and beds. The beds are trays with garment attachments such as platens for holding multiple garments in place during printing. In the preferred embodiment, the method first involves loading garments onto the beds and platens. The beds then travel along the conveyor system which includes one or more conveyor tables and optional heat presses. The beds are preferable placed under a heat press for pre-pressing the garments. Then the conveyor system facilitates the transfer of the beds to a high volume inkjet printer, where both an underbase and an image can be printed on each garment. After printing images on the garments, the beds are transferred again to the conveyor system and optionally delivered to another heat press to cure the image. Finally, the garments are unloaded from the beds and new un-printed garments are loaded.

Abstract: A method for printing light colors on dark substrates such as black textiles is disclosed. The method includes screen printing a pre-treatment onto a textile, inkjet printing an underbase on the textile, inkjet printing an image over the underbase, and counting and displaying the number of printings of the underbase and image. In the preferred embodiment, a pre-treatment is screen printed onto a black t-shirt, then a white, opaque underbase is inkjet printed onto the black t-shirt, and finally a white image is inkjet printed over the white underbase. In alternative embodiments, a white image is inkjet printed directly on the black t-shirt without any underbase or is inkjet printed over a screen printed underbase.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for printing on dark textiles such as black t-shirts is disclosed. The method includes screen printing an underbase onto the textile and then using an inkjet printer to print an image over the underbase. In the preferred embodiment, a white, opaque image is screen printed onto a black t-shirt, followed by inkjet printing a white image on top of the screen-printed image.