Within the last year, DTF (Direct to Film) printing has drawn a lot of attention. With its ability to be transferred on various fabric mediums, being affordable, and its efficiency, DTF has made and will continue to impact the community of printing.
Knowing this, here at 4C Print Shop we began tasking ourselves with learning the ins and outs of DTF printing. When we first began experimenting with the DTF method, it was very time consuming and inconsistent in its results. This however can be attributed to the fact that we were using machines intended for DTG, to print DTF transfers. Because of this we had to navigate and create ways to make the most of our resources in order to carry out DTF orders. For instance, combining artworks in Photoshop or CorelDraw, or manually mirroring images and rearranging the print order of the white and color layers; in addition to hand drying the ink when it got too saturated on the sheet. Task like those, made DTF printing somewhat of an extensive process. Despite that, through that experience we gained more knowledge on the basics means of DTF printing.
Once we got a DTF printer, we had to take everything we learned and apply it a little different than before. Partly due to the fact that the RIP software for the DTF printer automatically mirrors the images and prints the color ink layer first. You can also “nest” or combine artworks from within the RIP. Not to mention, that the printer can print, powder, and cure a sheet all in one process.
Since having this DTF printer, we reasonably changed our mindset in regards to the time efficiency of DTF printing. DTF printing is in fact much faster than DTG printing. DTF transfers are also vibrant in color, and have a great feel once transferred. Again, DTF transfers can be printed on various fabrics, such as: cotton, polyester, leather, silk, denim, etc. DTF Transfers can also be great for hard to reach areas and has excellent wash and wear durability.
There is no guarantee what the future holds, but one thing is for certain; DTF printing and transfers are on the rise!