Ever wonder what the benefits and differences are between all the various pretreats are?

We tested so you don't have to. Our test was done only on black t-shirts on an Epson F3070. We tested on black garments because it's the hardest to print on.


For all the pretreats that we tested, they must be shaken before use (except TeeTreat) and we recommend wearing a mask and gloves at all times.

$16.00
Firebird Universal FBX-100 Gen3 DTG Pretreatment 1 Liter
Firebird Universal FBX-100 Gen3 DTG Pretreatment 1 Gallon
Firebird Universal FBX-100 Gen3 DTG Pretreatment 5 Gallon

Benefits

  • Vibrancy and hand feel are good.
  • Others like it because it's the newest pretreat by Firebird.
  • Ready to use out of the bottle.

Drawbacks

  • Seems to slightly stain more than the Firebird Gen 2.5.
  • This pretreat is more watery than other pretreats, thus it requires more pretreat when applying.

Our thoughts

  • If you purchase the 55 gallon drum, you must stir the pretreat everyday to prevent issues.

$16.00
Firebird FBX-100 Brother Optimized DTG Pretreatment 1 Liter
Firebird FBX-100 Brother Optimized DTG Pretreatment 1 Gallon
Firebird FBX-100 Brother Optimized DTG Pretreatment 5 Gallon

Benefits

  • The most forgiving pretreat when it comes to staining.
  • More thick than Firebird Gen 3 so you can use less and get really vibrant prints.
  • Ready to use out of the bottle.
  • Out of all the pretreats we tested on this list, this probably provided the best prints.

Drawbacks

  • May have to spray more than other pretreats to get a good print.
  • Stains neon colored garments.

Our thoughts

  • If you purchase the 55 gallon drum, you must stir the pretreat everyday to prevent issues.
  • If you are printing on neon colored garments, we recommend other pretreats on this list.

$50.00
Image Armor DTG Ultra Pretreatment 1 Gallon
Image Armor DTG Ultra Pretreatment 5 Gallon

Benefits

  • Get a really opaque print.
  • Ready to use out of the bottle

Drawbacks

  • Sacrifice hand feel.
  • Garment feels really thick after the design was printed and pressed.
  • Staining is an issue. Out of all the shirts we tested, this had the most apparent pretreat stains.
  • Some customers complained about having an allergic reaction.
  • There is a mold issue if the pretreat is not used for 3-6 months (does not happen immediately)

Our thoughts

  • If you only care about the quality of print, we recommend this pretreat.
  • We recommend storing this pretreat in a nice cool area with no direct sunlight.
  • If you purchase the 55 gallon drum, you must stir the pretreat everyday to prevent issues.

$16.00$16.00
TeeTreat DTG Pretreatment Solution for Dark Garments 1 Liter
TeeTreat DTG Pretreatment Solution for Dark Garments 1 Gallon
TeeTreat DTG Pretreatment Solution for Dark Garments 5 Gallon

Benefits

  • Most forgiving pretreat (with the Firebird Gen 2.5). Really hard to get pretreat stains.
  • Most cost-effective out of all the pretreats.
  • Ready to use out of the bottle.
  • Other customers love this pretreat.

Drawbacks

  • Initially, there was an issue with the smell but this has been resolved.
  • Some customers complained about having an allergic reaction.

Our thoughts

  • Solid pretreat and it is the second most affordable on this list.

$154.99
Epson DTG UltraChrome Pretreatment Liquid 1 Gallon
Epson DTG UltraChrome Pretreatment Liquid 5 Gallon

Benefits

  • Overall good print.
  • Had a really nice hand feel and very minimal staining.
  • Many Epson customers love this pretreat concentrate.
  • No staining on red or neon color garments and triblends.
  • Only pretreat on this list that is Oeko Tex Cerified.

Drawbacks

  • More expensive than other pretreats.

Our thoughts

  • Make sure to mix with a 1:1 ratio for dark.

Final Thoughts

All of the pretreats tested were great. Can't go wrong with any of these choices; however, 3 did stand out in terms of vibrancy, hand feel, and staining. Our top picks are the Firebird Gen 2.5, Epson Pretreat Concentrate, and TeeTreat Pretreat.


We want to reiterate that your condition and environment may be different from our tests so we encourage you to test them yourself to see which is optimal for your needs! We have smaller sizes of these pretreats so you can try it before you commit to a bigger size.


Here at All American, we don't want to push one brand or product and want to give you options. We want what's best for you and your business.