Apparel printing system and methods for printing on articles with repeating patterns

An article of apparel having a tubular knit textile region, the tubular knit textile region having an internal side and an opposite external side configured to be exposed during use, the tubular knit textile region comprising:

• a plurality of yarns in an arrangement of interlocked loops;
• a series of parallel rows of loops on the external side formed from the arrangement of interlocked loops, the rows of loops each having a pair of opposite side portions and a top portion therebetween facing outward from the tubular region;
• a plurality of channels on the external side formed between adjacent ones of the parallel rows of loops, each of the plurality of channels including a base channel portion facing outward from the tubular region and opposing side portions of the adjacent rows of the loops that form the channel;
• and
• a printed ink design on the external side of the tubular knit textile region formed from ink applied to the parallel rows of loops and to the channels,
• wherein the tubular knit textile region includes a plurality of orientation gaps formed therein and configured to orient the tubular knit textile region on a platen surface during printing, and wherein the tubular knit textile region is expandable in a lateral direction generally transverse to the plurality of rows and channels, and a width of the rows increases as the tubular knit textile region is expanded in the lateral direction.