What is DTF printing?
DTF stands for direct to film. Your artwork is printed onto a sheet of clear film, coated in a hot melt adhesive powder and cured. What you receive is a finished transfer that sits on your bench until you want it.
Lay it on a shirt, press it, peel the film away, and the design is part of the garment. No weeding, no screens, no color limits, and no minimum order.
How a transfer is made
We print your design onto clear PET film on a Mimaki TxF300-75, laying the white ink last so it ends up underneath the color. The wet print runs through a powder unit that coats the ink in hot melt adhesive, then through a dryer that cures it.
What comes out is finished. Nothing about it is fragile or time sensitive. Store it flat and out of direct sunlight, and press it whenever you are ready.
Why it looks right on any color shirt
DTF lays a solid white underbase beneath your colors. That white layer is the reason a design reads the same on a black hoodie as it does on a white tee, instead of going dull or see through the way plain ink does on dark fabric.
In practice it means one transfer, not a different version for every garment color you stock.
How it feels, and how long it lasts
A pressed transfer is thin and it moves with the fabric, so it stretches rather than cracking. It is not the heavy plastic patch people remember from iron on letters.
Pressed correctly and washed with some care, cold water, inside out, low heat, a transfer can last 50 to 100 washes without major cracking. That range depends far more on how it was applied than on how it was washed. Wrong temperature, not enough pressure, or skipping the second press, and it can start lifting within the first few washes.
DTF against the alternatives
Heat transfer vinyl has to be cut and weeded, one color at a time, and fine detail is slow and fiddly. DTF prints full color in a single pass with nothing to weed.
Screen printing is hard to beat at high volume, but it needs a screen per color and a big enough run to justify the setup. DTF has no setup, so one shirt costs what one shirt costs.
Sublimation only works on polyester, and only on light colors. DTF goes on cotton, polyester and blends, light or dark.
How to press one
Pre press the garment for 10 seconds to drive the moisture out. Lay the transfer where you want it and press at 280°F for 10 seconds with firm pressure. Peel the film hot or cold, either works on standard film. Then cover the design with parchment and press again at 280°F for 10 seconds.
Glitter film is the same time and temperature with one difference: let it cool completely and peel it cold, never hot.
Do not stretch or wash it for 24 hours.
DTF questions
What does DTF stand for?
Direct to film. The design is printed onto a sheet of clear film first, then heat pressed from that film onto the garment.
What fabrics does it work on?
Cotton, polyester and blends, light or dark. It also presses onto canvas bags, hats, aprons and most fabric items. Vinyl, leather and anything that cannot take 280°F are the exceptions.
Do I need a special printer?
No. We do the printing. You need a heat press that holds a steady 280°F with firm, even pressure. A household iron will not do it, because it cannot hold the temperature or apply even pressure across the design.
Is there a minimum order?
No minimum on DTF transfers. Order a single piece if that is all you need.
How long does a pressed transfer last?
Pressed correctly and washed with some care, 50 to 100 washes without major cracking. How it was applied matters more than how it is washed.
How fast can I get them?
Order by 11:00 AM Eastern on a weekday and your transfers print and ship the same day. Add Rush Processing and that cutoff moves to 3:00 PM.
Try it on your own artwork
Not sure yet? Order a free sample pack and press one yourself, one per customer.
Ready to go? Upload your design and we will print it, any size, no minimum. Check the artwork requirements first if you are unsure about your file.