What is direct-to-film or DTF?
DTF can be considered as a combination of direct to clothing or transfer printing such as inkjet printing and thermal sublimation.
Alternatively, as sublimation transfer, but with the addition of "melt powder", transfer can be applied to dark polyester, cotton, etc.
Benefits of using DTF film
Suitable for all kinds of materials
Although direct printing works best on 100% cotton, DTF is suitable for a variety of different clothing materials: cotton, nylon, treated leather, polyester, 50 / 50 blend, and light and dark fabrics. Transfer can even be applied to different types of surfaces, such as luggage, shoes, even glass, wood and metal! You can expand your inventory by using DTF to apply design to various projects.
No pretreatment required
If you already have a DTG printer, you may be familiar with the pretreatment process (not to mention the drying time). The hot-melt ability applied to DTF directly adheres the printed matter to the material, which means no pretreatment is required!
Use less white ink
DTF requires less white ink - about 40% white, while DTG printing requires 200% white. White ink is often the most expensive because it uses more, so reducing the amount of white ink used for printing can save a lot of money.
More durable than DTG printing
It is undeniable that DTG printing has a soft, almost hands-free feeling, because the ink is directly applied to the clothes. Although DTF printing does not have the soft feeling boasted by DTG, the transmission is more durable. Direct transfer to the film washes well and is flexible - which means they do not break or peel off and are ideal for heavy-duty items.
Easy to design
DTF transmission on means that you can place your design on a hard to reach or unwieldy surface. If this area can be heated, you can apply DTF design to it! Because you can stick to the design only by heating, you can even sell printing transfer directly to customers, so that they can easily paste the design on any surface or object they choose without special equipment!
Faster production process
Because you can eliminate the steps of pretreatment and drying clothes, you can significantly shorten the production time. This is good news for traditional unprofitable one-time or small batch orders.
Help your inventory more diversified
Although it may not be feasible to print a large number of the most popular designs on clothing of every size or color, with DTF printing, you can print popular designs in advance and use little storage space. Then, you can always prepare your best seller and apply it to any clothing as needed!