The DTF printing process is pretty simple. There are really no graphical requirements to create a DTF print, but like anything it’s going to be garbage in, garbage out.
Then..
DTF Printing Process | Making the DTF Transfer
Step 1: Pre-Pressing the T-Shirt
It doesn’t have to be a t-shirt of course. But whatever you’re going to apply your DTF transfer to should be completely smooth. Any wrinkles will show up in the print!
And maybe even more importantly it will completely dry the tymaterial. You’d be surprised how much moisture fabric can absorb from humidity in the air, and that would affect print quality.
DTF Printing Process | Making the Custom T-Shirt
Step 2: Applying the DTF Transfer
Once you’ve ordered a direct to film transfer you do NOT need to use it right away. Like most other kinds of transfers, they store well. That’s why so many small businesses focus on just buying the transfers themselves!
The PET film with the image and the melted powder is placed on the pre-pressed material in the heat press. You’ll then heat press the transfer onto the shirt just like you would any other, for 15 seconds at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 3: Peel DTF Transfer
DTF uses a COLD PEEL. 100% of the time.
So after heat pressing onto a shirt, set it aside until the fabric and transfer are completely cooled off.
If you are doing a run of shirts you can just press them all, one after the other, and start peeling when they are all cooled off.
The hot-melt as it cools down acts as a binder that bind the colored pigment in the inks with the fibers of the fabric.
Once the film is cooled, peel off the transfer and leave the required design behind!
Step 4: Direct to Film Finishing Press
This is an optional step, but you should definitely do it on every garment application.
Like with white toner printer transfers, DTF require that final press to really cement the longevity of the print. It improves wash “fastness” by leaps and bounds.
Normally, you’re just investing about 5 to 10 more second for this final step.
DTF (direct to film) doesn’t have the same limitations of sublimation – which can’t be applied to cotton – or DTG – which you can’t print onto dark polyesters.
It produces a pretty amazing transfer. You can apply it to almost any fabric!
What is Direct to Film, or DTF?
In the end, you can think of this as a combination of direct to garment, or inkjet printing, and transfer printing like sublimation.
Or, as a sublimation style transfer print, but with that extra step of adding the “melt-powder” so the transfer can be applied to dark polyester, cotton and more.
