1. What is DTF Printing?

Direct To Film (DTF) printing; the perfect solution for printing full colour designs on to any coloured material.

The DTF printing process involves printing via a RIP software such as Acrorip.

The image is printed in CMYK with a white backing on to a PET film transfer sheet.

The printed PET film sheet is coated with a polymer powder, cured and then heat pressed on to a garment.

DTF allows for full colour printing including white on any material and any colour.

• Full colour printing CMYK
• White colour printing
• No weeding
• Fast processing speed
• Stretchable and crack resistant transfers
• Print on any material
• Print on any colour

Welcome to the future of garment printing!

• A converted printer is required for DTF printing. Printers are required to have 6 ink channels so CMYK + White inks can be ran; CMYK in 4 channels and White in the remaining 2 channels.
• Designs are made with transparent background. Any white areas (where white printing is required) are left as white.
• Recommended file type is PNG – we have found this to be the best file format to use.
• The design is then printed through RIP software such as Acrorip or Cadlink – we find Acrorip to be the best, due to its simple user interface and setup.
• The design is printed on to PET film media using the printer with DTF specific inks.
• The printed design is then covered in DTF adhesion powder – the powder sticks to the wet ink / any area that has had ink applied.
• The powdered and printed PET film sheet is then cured to melt the adhesive DTF powder – this can be done with a convection oven, heat press or heat gun / hot air gun; we find a hot air gun to be the fastest and most efficient way of curing DTF powder.
• The cured PET film print can then be heat pressed onto any coloured garment using a digital clam or swing away heat press.
• Pressing is recommended as follows-
  Heat Press at 160c (Celsius) for 30 seconds
  Allow 90 seconds to cool
  Peel the PET film sheet from the garment
  Heat Press for a second time at 160c (Celsius) for 10 seconds

Direct to Film (DTF) printing requires a specific / dedicated printer, DTF inks, DTF powder, PET film and RIP software.

• DTF Printer – commonly a DTF printer is produced by converting a standard Epson inkjet printer. Original Equipment Manufacture (OEM) printers are also available but these are extremely costly. A converted printer offers a much cheaper method of entering the DTF printing market.
• DTF Ink – direct to film inks are specific for the printing method. They are opaque pigment based inks available in cyan, magenta, yellow, black and white. These inks are designed to print on to PET film media and offer excellent water and wash resistance.
• PET Film Media – direct to film printers print on to a film media as the name suggests. PET film media is made from a form of plastic known as Polyethylene Terephthalate. The media has a matte coating applied gto one side to allow the inks to be printed onto the film sheet.
• DTF Adhesion Powder – a polymer powder is applied to the printed PET film sheet. The ink remains wet following printing. The powder adheres to the wet ink and any areas of the PET film which has had ink applied. The powder is then melted / cured using a heat source such as a convection oven, heat press or heat gun. We recommend using a heat gun.
• RIP Software – RIP software such as Acrorip is required to allow the printer to print in full colour with a white ink backing. RIP software is essential for DTF printing. We recommend Acrorip due to its simple user interface and setup.