Direct‑to‑Film (DTF) printing is a method of garment decoration that involves printing a design onto a specialised polyester film, applying a heat‑activated adhesive, and transferring the image to the final substrate using a heat press.
This method is valued for:
Its versatility across cotton, polyester, blends, and other fabrics.
The ability to produce durable, high‑quality prints without pre‑treating garments.
Efficiency in both short‑run and high‑volume production.
When using PrintFactory, the software manages critical stages of this process, including colour management, white‑ink layering, and nesting of multiple designs on a single film, ensuring both quality and material efficiency.
A heat‑resistant polyester film specifically engineered for transfer printing.
In PrintFactory:
Ensure your PMM (media profile) is suitable for the film you are printing on. Custom profiles built using PrintFactory's device-link VISU color engine will deliver the best results.
Important: White ink is almost always required in DTF printing. Some DTF methods allow replacing the White ink layer with a Clear ink layer, which can be suitable for light-coloured garments. We're also seeing a printable glue used instead of white ink+powder. However, by far the most common method used in most cases is to print a White ink layer followed by an adhesive powder.
It is not an adhesive itself.
Its function is to provide an opaque foundation for colour inks and to create a surface that the adhesive powder can properly bond to.
Without a white underbase, the printed colours will appear muted or dull, and the adhesive layer will not perform as intended.
The true bonding agent in the process. This powder is applied to the wet ink, then cured. Under heat pressing, it fuses the ink layer to the garment.
Efficient use of film is achieved by arranging multiple designs onto one sheet, commonly referred to as a gang sheet or nest.
PrintFactory offers advanced nesting tools to optimise the layout and reduce waste, including True-Shape nesting and other advanced nesting algorithms. PrintFactory also has the ability to auto-generate cut data using rope contour nesting or more accurate close-to-the-image contour paths using the Trim and Bleed tool.
PrintFactory Layout (the "gang sheet builder") can also be accessed remotely from home or other locations. See here for more information
Although specific settings vary by film and adhesive type, typical guidelines are below but please refer to manufacturer instructions(don't take our word for it!):
Temperature: 140–160 °C (285–320 °F)
Pressing time: 10–20 seconds
Peel method: Hot peel (immediate removal) or cold peel (after cooling).
Hand Feel (Softness): How natural the print feels on the garment, influenced by ink density, adhesive choice, and pressing techniques. Using PrintFactory's DTF auto halftone screening can help reduce ink and create a softer handfeel as well as provide a more natural looking final product. Enabling Black Knock‑out in the RIP when printing for black garments avoids unnecessary ink usage by using the t-shirt black point whilst both improving flexibility and handfeel. After peeling, a brief second press with a textured sheet (such as sandpaper or open‑weave fabric) can further enhance the softness and improve the overall hand feel.
Washability: High washability means the transferred design remains vibrant, does not crack, peel, or fade significantly, and the adhesion to the garment stays strong even after many wash cycles. Poor washability shows up as fading colors, lifted edges, cracking ink layers, or complete detachment of parts of the print after only a few washes.
Pre‑Press: Maintain a clean, dry environment for films and regularly service the printer. The printer should be kept in a temperature-controlled environment.
Post‑Press: Inspect prints for clarity and adhesion; trim gang sheets as needed.
Precision in White Layer Generation: Essential for strong adhesion and colour vibrancy. Dynamic white layer generation can generate white layer data in varied opacity levels depending on the contents of the image.
Advanced Nesting: Optimises film usage and reduces production costs.
Consistent Colour Management: True‑to‑brand colour output through professional easy to use profiling tools with PrintFactory's VISU color engine.
Integrated Workflow: Supports complex production environments with multiple devices with the opportunity to scale up into automation with ease.
For more detailed guidance on DTF profiling and image processing in PrintFactory please refer to the following articles:
- DTF Color Profiling and White Control
- DTF Image Processing