A system providing a design interface that displays a virtual model of an article to be designed by a user such as a shoe. The user may apply colors and images to the article, and may scale, rotate, and position images using the interface. The interface displays the custom design throughout and may also provide warnings or simulated results where the custom design may be influenced by equipment limitations of a direct to garment printer (DTG) on which it will be printed. A completed design is serialized and saved and may be used to create a print dataset that may be printed to a DTG printer or site and that is usable to configure and execute a print job for the design. Print jobs may be aided by the use of specialized covers and platens to prevent overspray, isolate movement, and provide a flat print surface for irregularly.

An apparel printing system for printing on regions of tubular fabrics with repeating patterns includes a textile printer having a print head and a tubular platen that includes features on the platen surface to retain and register the tubular fabric on the platen surface during printing.

A garment printing machine is provided with a transportable platen that can be utilized to significantly decrease the delay in printing expended in loading and unloading a garment for printing in either a digitized garment printing machine or a screen garment printing machine. The platen is provided with structure that holds a print receiving area of a garment firmly in position atop a print panel support plate that forms a part of the platen. Furthermore, the invention includes a platen support structure that cooperates with the conventional couplings' on existing conventional garment printing machines. A plurality of transportable platens constructed according to the invention are utilized interchangeably so that while one garment loaded on one of the platens is being printed upon in the printing machine, the prior garment just printed upon is unloaded and the next garment to be printed is loaded onto another identical platen. This totally avoids any delay in printing due to loading and unloading of garments on the platens.

An apparel printing system for printing on regions of tubular fabrics with repeating patterns includes a textile printer having a print head and a tubular platen that includes features on the platen surface to retain and register the tubular fabric on the platen surface during printing.

A method of printing and processing a fabric having first material yarns forming a technical front, and second material yarns forming a technical back, first and second material yarns being held together by a ground; carding and polishing the technical front to increase the permeability of the fabric; printing an image on the technical front of the fabric, so that ink from the printing process penetrates to the ground of the fabric; brushing and napping the technical back, after the printing process, so that ink from the technical front is pulled through the ground to the technical back, so that a mirror image of the image from the technical front is formed on the technical back.

An apparel printing system for printing on regions of tubular fabrics with repeating patterns includes a textile printer having a print head and a tubular platen that includes features on the platen surface to retain and register the tubular fabric on the platen surface during printing.

A hybrid printing machine is described having both silk screening stations and a direct-to-garment digital printing station with a raster image processor to control a portion of a printing process.

A cap logo applicator, and method of fabricating, includes a first mandrel having a front and a back, the first mandrel having a curved, non-cylindrical surface, and a relief space in the back such that when a cap is positioned on the first mandrel, a front of the cap is in contact with the non-cylindrical surface and a top of the cap extends over the relief space, and a second mandrel opposing the first mandrel and configured to apply pressure to the first mandrel. At least one of the first mandrel and the second mandrel includes a heater.

A hybrid printing machine is described having both silk screening stations and a direct-to-garment digital printing station with a raster image processor to control a portion of a printing process.

A lower mandrel for a cap logo applicator includes a structure having a curved surface and a first end and a second end, an extension extending from the first end to the second end, and a first pad positioned on an upper surface of the structure. The first pad extends radially beyond both the first end and the second end and below a lower surface of the structure.