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Direct-To-Film (DTF) Printing

What DTF printing is, how a transfer is made and when it's the best fit for your apparel order.

What Is DTF Printing?

In direct-to-film (DTF) printing, your design is printed onto a clear transfer film and then applied to the garment with a heat press.

The film is printed, coated with a powdered adhesive and cured, then pressed onto the fabric, where the heat bonds it in place.

Because the adhesive does the work, DTF sticks to cotton, polyester, nylon, blends and even some leather, which makes it handy for apparel, bags and promotional items.

Below, we cover the process, its strengths and where we use it.

At a Glance

  • Designs are printed onto film, then heat-pressed onto the garment
  • The process: print, powder, cure, press, peel
  • Works on cotton, polyester, nylon and most blends
  • Full colour with fine detail, gradients and good stretch
  • No screens needed, so small runs stay affordable

Why DTF Has Become So Popular

DTF gives you full-colour printing without screens, which used to be the main barrier for small orders.

It isn't fussy about fabric either. The same transfer works on a cotton tee, a polyester jersey or a nylon bag, so you can brand a mixed range of items from one design file.

Prints come out sharp and vibrant, and the film layer is flexible, so it stretches with the fabric instead of cracking after a few washes.

The DTF Process, Step by Step

First, the artwork is printed onto PET film with a white underbase. While the ink is still wet, it's dusted with hot-melt adhesive powder, which is then cured. The garment is pre-pressed to remove moisture and creases, and the transfer is applied with a heat press.

Planning a Custom Order?

Ordering T-Shirts or Corporate Gifts in quantities of 20 pieces or more? Talk to us and we'll take care of the rest.

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Final press: roughly 160–170°C for about 15–20 seconds, then the film is peeled away.

Where DTF Fits in Apparel Production

For custom apparel, DTF bridges the gap between one-off printing and large production runs.

Designs can change from order to order without new set-up costs, which is ideal for event shirts, staff names and seasonal designs.

With no screens to make, short runs stay cost-effective, and you can mix sizes, garment colours and fabrics in a single order.

At the same time, DTF scales up to larger quantities when a design has too many colours for silkscreen.

Key Benefits

Here's a quick summary of what DTF does well.

Feature

What it means for you

Print quality

Vivid colour, gradients and fine lines

Fabric range

Cotton, polyester, nylon and blends

Speed

No screens to prepare, so jobs start sooner

Small-run pricing

No set-up fee for each colour

Less waste

Print only what you need, with less leftover stock

In short, DTF gives you digital flexibility with a durable, washable finish.

Summary

DTF printing is a flexible, dependable way to produce full-colour custom apparel.

It works on a wide range of fabrics, handles detailed artwork and keeps small orders affordable.

Whether you need 20 shirts for an event or a few hundred for a team, it's worth considering whenever your design is too colourful for silkscreen.

See how we've used it for other customers in our DTF recent projects.

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