Hybrid silk screen and direct-to-garment printing machine and process

1. A method of printing on a substrate with a printing press system having a plurality of pallets, a direct-to-screen printing station, a screen printing station and a direct-to-garment printing station, the method comprising:

providing a digital art file of an image;

using a processor to create a first signal representative of a base coat from the digital art file and a second signal representative of non-base coat colors from the digital art file;

sending the first signal to the direct-to-screen printing station to apply to a screen and creating the screen for use in applying the base coat to a substrate;

applying the base coat to the substrate on the first one of the plurality of pallets by the screen printing station using the screen;

moving the first one of the plurality of pallets to the direct-to-garment printing station;

sending the second signal representative of non-base coat colors to the direct-to-garment printing station; and,

applying the non-base coat colors to the substrate on the first one of the plurality of pallets by the direct-to-garment printing station.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the processor is a raster image processor.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

mounting the screen in the screen printer.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

loading the digital art file onto a processor coupled to the printing press.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the direct-to-garment printing station with a print head array that spans a width of a printing area.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

moving the print head over the substrate in a single direction to print the non-base colors on the substrate.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of providing the direct-to-garment printing station with a print head array that spans a width of a printing area comprise:

providing a first row of a plurality of print heads; and,

providing a second row of a plurality of print heads where each print head of the second row of a plurality of print heads is aligned with a print head of the first row of a plurality of print heads to form a plurality of columns of print heads.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

providing a plurality of additional rows of a plurality of print heads.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the first row of a plurality of print heads has ten print heads.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein each row of a plurality of print heads prints a different color.

11. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

moving the print head array along only a length dimension of an area to be printed on the substrate.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a textile.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

curing the non-base coat colors printed on the substrate.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

drying the non-base coat colors printed on the substrate.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the printing press includes a conveyor, the method including:

moving the plurality of pallets by the conveyor.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of moving the plurality of pallets by the conveyor comprises:

moving the plurality of pallets in a circular path.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of moving the plurality of pallets by the conveyor comprises:

moving the plurality of pallets in an oval path.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a raster image processor for controlling a portion of the printing process.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

converting a digital file into a first file representing a base coat location and a second file representing a non-base coat location by the raster image processor.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

sending the first file to the screen printing station and the second file to the direct-to-garment printing station.