The heart of your T-shirt business may be creative and unique designs. But the muscle of your business is going to come from the equipment you use. You will have to invest in a printer that can keep up with your order demands, work reliably and print in good quality so your customers will be satisfied.

There are a lot of direct to garment printers out there but which would be the best ones for your business?

While there are a lot of variables involved and your ideal printer will depend largely on the nature of your business, we have compiled a list specifically for those just getting their business off the ground.

Take a look at our list of the best T-shirt printers for new businesses:

Ricoh Ri 1000

Ricoh has been quietly making business-grade direct to garment printers for a while now. We have added their latest model, the Ri 1000 to our list because of their outstanding technical support.

If you are new to T-shirt printing, Ricoh can walk you through the basics with over the phone and on-site technical support.

The Ri 1000 features plenty of features to ease the burden of T-shirt printing neophytes. Features such as automated printer head cleaning, power purge system ink removal and an adjustable table. It can print 600×600 images in 28 seconds and 1200x1200images in 48 seconds.

Epson Surecolor F2100

Epson has been a staple for DTG printers and the Epson Surecolor F2100 is one of their finest machines. It is a very compact 3x5x1.5’ printer that can be deployed in virtually any space.

With a max printing resolution of 1440×1440 DPI and plenty of colors and black printing nozzles, the F2100 produces very high-quality images.

AnaJet Sprint

The AnaJet Sprint really earns its name and its place in our list because of its printing speed. For a high quality 11×10 inch graphic featuring white and color inks, the Sprint takes only about a minute and forty seconds to print including downtime.

The Sprint is also a surprisingly intuitive machine that newbies can pick up very quickly. It works with all major software and can be connected to your computer very easily.

Brother GTX

The Brother GTX comes in a very sturdy chassis that is known for longevity. It offers a max printing resolution of 1200×1200 DPI and 2 print heads featuring an on-demand Piezo ink head.

It uses water-based pigment ink and features a max printable area of 16×21”. The platen itself is a standard 14×16”. While the Brother GTX is one of the more expensive compact DTG printers on the market, it is a great investment because it will last you a very long time.

Any of the printers on this list would be a great help to any T-shirt printing business whether you are operating from your garage or from your own shop. They don’t take up much space so are ideal for smaller office spaces.

If quality, versatility, and reliability are priorities for you, any of these fine printers would be great for getting your business off the ground.

Cover photo credit: K?rlis Dambr?ns / Flickr