What is DTF?

DTF Printing, short for Direct-to-Film Printing, is an innovative technique revolutionising the garment printing industry, by printing full colour designs which can be later transferred onto a variety of popular substrates, like t-shirts, Hoodies, tote bags, hats and much more.

Unlike traditional methods, DTF printing involves printing your design onto a special film, before applying and curing a powder adhesive over the top. This process allows high-quality prints to be created which can be easily transported and stored, too be later pressed onto various materials types such as cotton, polyester, nylon, leather and much more.

This method's simplified process ensures a cost-effective approach without compromising on detail, and results in a print that has a soft feel and appears as if it has been printed direct to the garment, with a sustainability that will endure multiple washes, general wear and tear to often outlive the life of the garment itself.

Because of its unmatched versatility, and its ability to produce those vibrant colours, and intricate designs DTF Printing has gained significant popularity that bridges the gap between other traditional printing as it offers an affordable solution for designs that are too technical for vinyl weeding or designs with too many colours to be screen printed.

By choosing us at DTF Printing Online to do the printing side for you, you will get all the benefits of DTF printing, what you need when you need, fast! All without the additional expense and burden of buying, housing, maintaining and of course the training involved in owning your own DTF printer.

DTF printer close-up showing print head and ink cartridges - DTF Print Online

Step 1 - PRINT!

Your design is printed onto a specialised film using our large format CMYK DTF printer and premium DTF formulated inks. DTF is printed in two parts, first your colour print, followed by a layer of specialised white ink that is designed to aid application and promote those vibrant colours.

Step 2 - GLUE!

Once freshly printed the film is evenly coated with an optimised hot melt powdered adhesive, with any excess powder being removed.

DTF transfer sheet on heat press showing Nottingham Print design - DTF Print Online

Step 3 - CURE!

Following the adhesive application. The film is steadily moved through an temperature controlled industrial oven where it is cured and dyed ensuring the adhesive bonds effectively with the print and is in a manageable state for transportation and storing.

Peeling DTF transfer off a pink hoodie showing Nottingham Print design - DTF Print Online

Step 4 - PRESS!

Finally, the printed film is ready to be heat
pressed onto a fabric of your choice. Leaving your stunning design with all its
vibrancy and detail ready to be adored!

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WHY CHOOSE DTF Transfers?

  • Unlimited Colours! Your eye popping designs can be printed without colour restrictions, using CMYK inks DTF creates a wide spectrum of colours, to show a true reflection of your design.
  • Perfect detail! Due to its high-resolution printing process DTF is perfect for your fine detail designs. The specialised inks and film allow for crip, sharp lines and intricate graphics. (*over 0.8-1mm at edges)
  • Versatility! One of the most significant advantages of DTF printing is its ability to adhere to almost any fabric Types. It can be printed onto: Natural fabrics, Synthetic fabrics, Blended fabrics, and other substrates such as Leather, Canvas, Wood, and Metal.
  • Durable! The quality of Professional DTF prints makes them much more resilient to wear and tear then some other printing (or at home) techniques. With proper care they are less likely to fade or crack and often outlive the life of the garment itself.

If you're looking to create unique, high-quality garments without breaking the bank, it's time to experience the benefits of DTF printing yourself!

DTF vs OTHER Methods

We want you to choose the right method of printing for your individual needs, so below is a summary of your options.

  • DIRECT TO GARMENT (DTG) Printing: Great for small orders with fine detail. DTG offers high-quality, detailed prints with unlimited colours that is printed directly onto your garment leaving a natural feel that will last. However, the process can be limited to certain fabric types that have to be pre-treated before the print can be applied making it time consuming and expensive.
  • SUBLIMATION Printing: Great for white polyester garments. Sublimation is a process that uses heat to transfer a design that's been printed onto sublimation paper with a special dye. When heat is applied the dye turns to a gas that permanently bonds with the fabric fibres to become one with the garment, making it comfortable and highly durable. However, the process is limited to pre treated sublimation white or pale garments only.
  • SCREEN Printing: Great for bulk orders. Screen printing involves creating a screen for each individual colour of your design. Each screen is individually placed over the garment and its colour is applied, the process is then repeated with the next screen and colour and so on. The print is long lasting and resistant with vibrant colours. But the process is not suitable for really fine detail or gradients. The initially set up costs can also be high, but the per-unit cost decreases significantly with those larger orders.
  • VINYL application: Great for small orders, one colour designs and personalisation options. Vinyl cutters can be relatively inexpensive to buy and run. However, only offers solid colours so greatly lacks in intricate details and can be very time consuming, especially if weeding out fine details or adding multiple colours.

With DIRECT TO FILM (DTF) Printing supplied by a professional you will get all the advantages from the above traditional methods of applying designs to garments, but at a fraction of the price and time to your business and you're in control!