What is DTF printing?
DTF — direct-to-film — prints your artwork onto a clear film with a white backing layer, coats it with adhesive powder, and heat-presses it onto the garment. It works on almost any fabric, needs no screens, and prints any number of colours at one price.
Why it matters
It is the method that made full-colour custom t-shirts economical at 50 pieces. Under about 150 pieces, or with artwork of more than three or four colours, DTF is usually the cheapest method that will still last.
On our floor
Transfers are printed in batches within a day of artwork approval; the pressing is done one garment at a time. A left-chest transfer adds roughly $1.30 per garment at 50 pieces from our current rate sheet; a full front around $3.40.
Common questions
- What fabrics does DTF work on?
- Cotton, polyester, blends, nylon, canvas — almost anything. It is the most fabric-tolerant method we run.
- Is DTF durable?
- Fifty-plus washes with the garment inside out and no hot tumble drying. Roughly a screen print's life.
- Does DTF have a setup cost?
- No. That is why it suits small orders and orders with many different designs.
- DTF or DTG?
- DTF for anything with polyester in it, dark garments in quantity, or several designs. DTG for the softest finish on light cotton.
Related terms
DTG printing
DTG — direct-to-garment — prints water-based ink directly into the fabric with a large inkjet printer. The ink sits in the fibre rather…
screen printing
Screen printing pushes ink through a fine mesh screen stencilled with your artwork, one screen and one pass per colour. Setup is per…
hybrid printing
Hybrid printing screen prints a white underbase onto the garment, then prints full-colour artwork over it with a DTG head. Each method does…
underbase
An underbase is a layer of white ink laid down before the colours so that the design stays bright and opaque on a dark garment instead of…
Where this applies
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