Dtg technology has been revolutionary in the textile industry and no one can deny it, but times have shown us that we must be versatile and always improve. DTF printing revolutionizes the business with at-home T-Shirt solution.
It provides a more modern alternative to the now-archaic methods of DTG printing, screen printing or sublimation.
Direct To Film a.k.a DTF delivers a printing service that gives the advantage to any person to print digital transfers to decorate dark and light t-shirts on cotton, polyester, all kind of blends, leather, nylon, and more without expensive equipment.
With the advancement in DTF technology, there is no denying that DTF printing is taking the industry by storm. It is instantly becoming one of the most popular technologies for textile printing compared to traditional printing methods.
How DTF printing is working
Direct Transfer Film works by printing transfers that are heat pressed to a variety of garments. There are many compatible fabrics, unlike DTG technology which only works on cotton fabrics. This therefore means that this printer works on a much wider substrate, making it the most adaptable digital printer in the market. DTF printers work on both white and dark garments. Unlike DTG technology, DTF printers are preferred, because they are affordable and require no pre-treatment. For quality results, you will need DTF powder and DTF sheets to print transfer film, and of course, DTF Ink.
Steps: print film, add powder, heat set, apply to shirt -and the magic happens! 
Many benefits and still counting
DTF printers also combine reliability, unmatched quality and high productivity. They can handle large production volumes, which is essential in this fast-growing industry.
Another advantage of DTF printing over traditional printing is that it is highly sustainable. There is no question that the fashion industry is increasingly focusing on sustainability.
Easier to get started than Direct to Garment (DTG) printing, the process frees up creators and crafters with a few simple adjustments to their existing printers. From there, the easy four-step process results in T-shirts that feel softer than regular vinyl and offer greater washability. Welcome to the tee-shirt expression revolution.
What do you need for DTG? Printer, heat press, pretreat machine or hand sprayer (not consistent) What do you need for DTF? Printer and Powder/Heater unit, heat press
DTF VS DTG
If you are wondering about the pricing and the maintenance, they are about the same. You really only shake the cartridges, print with it, and clean the capping station/print-head with a foam swab either way.
If the transfer is done right, lightly powdered, with proper ink levels, the result will come out very soft and smooth as well. You are basically adding plastic to the wet ink in a layer on the back. Then that plastic is pressed into the shirt as an adhesive. So now, instead of the ink adhering itself like for the DTG method, it now has a layer of plastic under it.
The larger the print, the more noticeable it will be, though.
In short, DTG may seem more functional, but clearly DTF is the easiest.
If you are looking for a reputable way to start a business and want to maintain a quality product, you will not solely use DTF printing.
It’s great for an addition to DTG/Screen-printing. You can absolutely use it for that purpose though, that is up to you. But to compare them in this aspect, based on how easy it is to maintain, and the cost, isn’t the only thing you need to think about.
The BEST way for anyone to decide if they should use which method, Get samples of each one! Compare them all, ask your friends randomly which they prefer, and which they would pay money for.
We hope this information will simplify your decision and clarifies you about this brand new trend, which is DTF printing.
Have you tried this at home or do you have any garment DTF printed? Drop us a line!
Thank you for the great content and real, ‘bite sized’ pieces of advice.