I Washed DTF & DTG Shirts 5 Times… Here’s What Happened

About this video

Martinez wash-tests two identical shirts from Gelato’s premium apparel catalog to compare print methods: both are black 2XL Gildan Heavy Cotton tees, the Gildan 5000, one printed DTG as the standard print and one printed DTF as the premium option, using the same ’tiny but loving’ penguin-and-heart design. Before washing he shows the fit on himself, noting he normally wears XL to 2XL depending on the shoulders and prefers 2XL for a relaxed fit, and compares the prints up close: the DTF print looks smoother and higher quality, while the DTG print is not bad but visibly different. He washes both cold, turned inside out, for a total of five washes, drying on low and then hang/air drying to reduce shrinkage, and shows washing instructions on screen. After three washes both prints still look clean with no cracks. After five washes he reports both are still solid: the graphics did not crack at all, the text looks clean, there is pretty much no shrinkage — maybe a tiny bit — and the fit is still solid. By touch he describes the DTF as smoother and the DTG as a little rougher in texture, says he is impressed with both, and recommends Gelato’s premium apparel line for sellers on their own website, Amazon, Etsy or TikTok Shop, inviting viewers to order a sample themselves.

Key takeaways

• Test used identical black 2XL Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton shirts from Gelato, differing only in DTG versus DTF print
• Up close before washing, the DTF print looked smoother and higher quality than the DTG print, though he calls DTG not bad
• Wash method was cold, inside out, across five washes, with low drying plus hang/air drying to reduce shrinkage
• After three washes neither print had cracks, and after five washes neither graphic cracked and shrinkage was essentially none
• After five washes the main remaining difference he reports is feel: DTF smoother, DTG a little rougher in texture

Episode details: published January 14, 2026 · 8:20 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are RJ Martinez’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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