Why DTF is the Next Best Move in the Textile Industry?

Although DTG printing can produce high-quality full-size prints with bright colors and a very soft feel, DTF printing has some advantages, making it a perfect complement to your clothing printing business.

Direct film printing involves printing the design onto a special film, coating and melting the powder adhesive onto the printed film, and then pressing the design onto the garment or commodity. You will need the transfer film and hot melt powder, as well as the software for creating printouts - no other special equipment!

Next, we will discuss the seven advantages of this new technology.

Suitable for multiple materials

Although direct-to-garment printing works best on 100% cotton, DTF is suitable for many different garment materials: cotton, nylon, treated leather, polyester, 50/50 blends, and light and dark fabrics. The transfer can even be applied to different types of surfaces, such as luggage, shoes, and even glass, wood, and metal! You can expand your inventory by using DTF to apply your design to a variety of products.

No pretreatment required

If you already have a DTG printer, you may be familiar with the pre-treatment process (not to mention the drying time). The hot melt capability applied to the DTF transfer will bond the print directly to the material, which means no pretreatment is required.

Save 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 is used more and the pigment is titanium oxide, 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 is soft and almost has no feel because the ink is directly applied to the clothes. Although DTF printing is not as soft as DTG boasts, transfer printing is more durable. Direct transfer to film washes well and is flexible – meaning they do not crack or flake, making them ideal for heavy-duty items.

Easy to apply

Printing to film transfer means you can place the design on a hard-to-reach or clumsy surface. If the area can be heated, you can apply a DTF design to it! Because only heating is needed to adhere to the design, you can even sell the printed transfer directly to your customers and allow them to place the design on any surface or item they choose without special equipment!

Faster production process

Because you can save the steps of pretreatment and drying of clothes, you can significantly shorten the production time. This is good news for one-time or small-batch orders that are traditionally unprofitable.

Helps diversify your inventory

Although it may not be feasible to print a pile of the most popular designs on each size or color of clothing, DTF printing allows you to print popular designs in advance and use a very small space for storage. Then, you can always have your best-selling products ready for any clothing you need!

Although DTF printing cannot replace DTG, there are many reasons why DTF can be an important supplement to your business.

Basic Steps for DTF Printing

Step 1: Print on film

Insert PET film instead of plain paper into the printer tray. First, the entire image is printed in white on the PET film. The desired image is then printed on a white image layer using the appropriate color settings in the printer. It is important to remember that printing on film must be a mirror image of the actual image that needs to appear on the fabric.

Step 2: Powder

This step is to apply the hot melt powder on the film with the image printed. When the printed matter is wet, the powder shall be evenly applied, and the excess powder shall be carefully removed. It is important to ensure that the powder is evenly distributed on the printed surface of the film. A common guarantee method is to keep the film on the short side so that its long side is parallel to the floor (transverse), and then pour the film from top to bottom in the middle of the film to form a pile about 1 inch thick from top to bottom. Pick up the film and powder together, and gently bend inward to form a slight U shape, with the concave facing itself. Now shake the film slightly from left to right to make the powder slowly and evenly spread on the film surface. Alternatively, an automatic shale shaker that can be used in a commercial environment may be used.

Step 3: Melting powder

In this step, the powder melts as indicated by the name. This can be done in many ways. The most common method is to heat the film printed with images and powder in the curing furnace. If there is no curing oven, place the film in the press so that the top of the press is very close to the film, but do not touch it. There should be a gap of about 4-7mm between the film and the hot-pressed roof. The pressure on the top can be secured with wire so that it does not completely close the film and leave the necessary clearance. For best results, it is strongly recommended to follow the manufacturer's powder smelting specifications. According to the difference between powder and equipment, the heating time is generally 2~5 minutes, and the temperature is about 160~170 ℃.

Step 4: Preload

This step involves preloading the fabric before the film transmits the image. Hold the fabric in a hot press and pressurize it under heat for approximately 2 to 5 seconds. This is done to flatten the fabric and ensure that the fabric is dehydrated. Preloading helps to transfer the image correctly from the film to the fabric.

Step 5: Transfer

This is the core of the DTF printing process. The PET film with images and molten powder is placed on the repressed fabric in the hot press so that there is a strong adhesion between the film and the fabric. This process is also called "curing". Cure at a temperature range of 160 to 170 degrees Celsius, approximately 15 to 20 degrees Celsius. The film is now firmly attached to the fabric.

Step 6: Cold Peeling

The fabric and the film now attached to the fabric must be cooled to room temperature before the film is removed. Because the property of hot melt adhesive is similar to amide, when it cools down, it acts as an adhesive to firmly bond the colored pigment in the ink with the fabric fiber. After the film has cooled, it must be stripped from the fabric to leave the desired ink pattern on the fabric.

Step 7: Back pressure

This is an optional step, but it is strongly recommended for best results and high-performance parameters such as washing fastness and rubbing fastness. In this step, the final fabric with the transfer design is pressed in a hot press for about 10 to 15 seconds.