Firebird Pretreatment GEN3 Lights And Darks - 1 Gallon
Ready-to-use DTG pretreatment formulated for light and dark garments, delivering vibrant print results, minimal staining, a soft hand, and consistent performance across compatible direct-to-garment printing systems.
Characteristics
FIREBIRD FBX-100 Gen3 Light & Dark Pretreatment is a professional direct-to-garment pretreatment engineered to improve print quality, color vibrancy, and ink performance on a wide variety of garments.
Designed for DTG production, the Gen3 formula provides the foundation needed for bright, detailed prints while helping minimize visible pretreatment staining on the finished garment. It is particularly effective for colored and dark garments where white DTG ink is used to create an underbase for the printed design.
FBX-100 Gen3 is supplied ready to use, eliminating the need to measure, mix, or dilute concentrate before production. This simplifies pretreatment preparation and helps shops maintain more consistent application from garment to garment.
The efficient formulation allows operators to achieve excellent results while applying less pretreatment than many conventional formulas. Proper application helps create a suitable printing surface while maintaining a softer finished garment.
Gen3 is formulated to minimize common pretreatment issues including visible staining and crystallization. It also does not require garments to hang dry before continuing through the production process, helping streamline DTG workflow and improve production efficiency.
The universal Gen3 formulation is compatible with DTG printers utilizing wet-on-dry printing technology. This makes it a versatile choice for shops operating different DTG equipment or looking for a dependable general-purpose pretreatment solution.
For best results, pretreatment application should be optimized for the specific garment style, fabric composition, color, ink system, and printing equipment being used. FIREBIRD provides garment-specific spray recommendations that can be used as starting points when dialing in production settings.
- Professional direct-to-garment pretreatment
- Gen3 FBX-100 formulation
- Designed for light and dark garment applications
- Ready-to-use formula
- No dilution required
- Helps produce bright, vibrant DTG prints
- Excellent performance with white-ink DTG applications
- Helps improve white ink opacity and print appearance
- Designed to provide consistent DTG print results
- Helps maintain a soft garment feel
- Minimal staining when properly applied and cured
- Formulated to minimize crystallization
- Efficient formula can require less spray than many conventional pretreatments
- No hang drying required
- Compatible with wet-on-dry DTG printing technology
- Suitable for a variety of garment fabrics and colors
- Can be applied using compatible automatic pretreatment equipment
- Suitable for properly controlled manual spray application
- Designed for professional DTG production environments
- Available in multiple container sizes
- Shake or agitate the pretreatment as recommended before production.
- Apply pretreatment evenly across the entire area that will receive the DTG print.
- Use a pretreatment machine whenever possible to improve application consistency and repeatability.
- When manually spraying, maintain a consistent distance, spray pattern, and application speed across the garment.
- FIREBIRD recommends approximately 8" to 12" between the sprayer and garment when manually applying pretreatment with a compatible HVLP sprayer.
- Spray continuously across the treatment area rather than allowing the sprayer to dwell in one location.
- Avoid excessive pretreatment application, as oversaturation can negatively affect print appearance and garment feel.
- Pretreatment quantity should be adjusted according to the specific garment style, color, fabric composition, and desired print result.
- Refer to the current FIREBIRD garment or T-Shirt Matrix for recommended starting application amounts.
- Properly dry and cure the pretreatment before printing according to FIREBIRD recommendations.
- When heat pressing pretreatment, use enough pressure to flatten garment fibers while still allowing moisture to escape.
- Use a suitable silicone-treated parchment or kraft cover sheet between the garment and heat press.
- Verify actual heat press temperature periodically, as platen temperature can differ from the displayed setting.
- Once pretreatment is completely prepared, print the garment according to the DTG printer and ink manufacturer's recommendations.
- Always test unfamiliar garment styles, colors, and fabric blends before beginning a full production run.
- Store pretreatment properly and protect it from excessive heat, freezing conditions, and direct sunlight.