Dilute the PowerBright Pretreatment Liquid with a 2:1 ration amount of distilled water, 2 parts pretreatment and 1 part water.
Fill the sprayer reservoir with the mixture. It is very important to use distilled water as city water, well water or filtered water may have mineral content that can affect the performance of the pretreatment.
Lay down the garment on a flat spray table. Make the garment even and flat.
Apply the pretreatment mix with the sprayer, spread an adequate and even amount so that the material has an even, wet sheen. Remember that you only need to apply the pretreatment to the areas that will be printed on.
Going in only one direction, use a plastic squeegee to help spread the pretreatment evenly after spraying. This also flattens any fabric fibers that may have risen due to the application of the wet pretreatment.
Dry the garment, you can achieve the best results by letting the garments air dry or, alternatively, using a blow dryer, heat tunnel, or heat press in the hover position (not fully closed with about an inch gap to allow the steam to escape).
Do not dry your garments in a tumble dryer. These dryers are full of lint and since the pretreatment is wet and somewhat sticky you will end up with lint stuck to the pre-treatment. Once the garment is dry to the touch you can print on it. If you plan on storing the garments for later use, be sure that they are completely dry beforehand to prevent mildew.
When first attempting the pretreatment process, test with a few shirts to determine how much to spray. Too much pretreatment can leave dark areas on the garments while too little pretreatment can make the prints come out dull.
The performance of white ink is highly dependent on proper application of pre-treatment.
RICOH DTG offers Pre-Mixed Pretreatment if you do not wish to dilute your own pretreatment.