What Is DTF Printing? Everything You Need to Know About Direct-to-Film

If you have looked into ordering custom apparel in the last few years, you have probably seen the acronym DTF and wondered what it means. DTF stands for Direct-to-Film, and it is the printing technology that has fundamentally changed what is possible in custom apparel, from the cost per shirt to the level of detail to the fabrics you can print on. I have been using DTF printing in my York, PA studio since I started producing custom graphic tees in 2021, and at this point, the vast majority of the custom apparel that leaves my studio is printed using this method. Here is everything you need to know about what DTF printing is, how it works, and why it matters for your next project.

What Is DTF Printing?

DTF printing (Direct-to-Film) is a process where a full-color design is printed onto a special film, coated with an adhesive powder, and then heat-pressed onto a garment. Unlike screen printing, which pushes ink through a mesh stencil directly onto fabric, DTF creates a self-contained transfer that bonds to virtually any fabric type when pressed at the right temperature and pressure.

The "direct-to-film" name describes the first step: the design is printed directly onto a coated PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film using specialized CMYK inkjet printers that also lay down a white ink base. That white ink layer is critical. It is what allows DTF to produce vibrant, opaque prints on dark-colored garments without the colors looking washed out or transparent.

How DTF Printing Works: Step by Step

The DTF process has several stages, and each one affects the final quality of the print. Here is what happens from design file to finished garment.

Step 1: Design Preparation

Your artwork is prepared as a digital file, ideally a vector (AI, SVG, EPS) or high-resolution PNG at 300 DPI or higher with a transparent background. The design is color-corrected for CMYK output, since DTF printers use cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks plus white. This is the same color model used in commercial printing, which means smooth gradients, photographic images, and unlimited color counts are all standard. Whether your design has 2 colors or 200, the production cost is the same.

Step 2: Printing onto Film

The design is printed onto coated PET film using a specialized DTF printer. In my studio, I print at 1440 DPI resolution with 8-pass printing for maximum ink density. The printer first lays down the CMYK color layer, then prints a white ink base behind it. That white layer is what makes the colors pop on dark fabric. Without it, the colors would be translucent and the garment color would show through.

Step 3: Adhesive Powder Application

While the ink is still wet, a fine thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) adhesive powder is applied evenly across the back of the printed film. This powder is what bonds the transfer to the fabric during heat pressing. The amount of powder matters. Too much creates a stiff, plasticky feel, and too little causes the print to peel. Getting this right is one of the calibration details that separates professional DTF output from cheap prints.

Step 4: Curing

The powdered transfer passes through a curing oven that melts the TPU adhesive into a smooth, uniform layer on the back of the print. After curing, the transfer is a self-contained sheet: your full-color design on one side, a smooth adhesive layer on the other. At this stage, the transfer can be stored, shipped, or pressed immediately.

Step 5: Heat Pressing

The cured transfer is placed face-down on the garment and run through a heat press at a specific temperature, pressure, and dwell time. For Comfort Colors 1717 blanks, I press at 305 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds. For Bella Canvas 3001, it is 300 degrees for 12 seconds. These numbers vary by fabric type because different materials absorb the TPU adhesive differently. Getting the settings wrong means either a stiff print (too hot, too long) or a print that peels (too cool, too short).

Step 6: Peel and Final Press

After the initial press, the PET film carrier is peeled away, leaving the print bonded to the fabric. I then do a final press with a Teflon sheet over the print to smooth the surface and fully seal the adhesive edges. This finishing step is one that many DTF printers skip, but it significantly improves wash durability and gives the print a cleaner appearance.

Why DTF Has Changed Custom Apparel

Before DTF matured as a technology, ordering custom apparel meant navigating real trade-offs. Screen printing gave you durability but charged per color and required expensive setup. Sublimation gave you unlimited colors but only worked on white polyester. Heat transfer vinyl worked for simple text but cracked and peeled. DTF removed most of these compromises, and that is why it has become the dominant method for custom apparel production at the small-to-medium scale.

Unlimited colors at no extra cost. A DTF print with 2 colors costs the same to produce as one with 20 colors. This is the single biggest advantage over screen printing, where every color requires a separate screen, and every screen adds to the setup cost. For detailed designs like fire department crests or full-color logos, DTF is often the only economically viable option. I print DTF transfers for York County fire departments with intricate multi-color badges that would require 8 or more screens in traditional screen printing.

No setup fees or minimums. Screen printing has significant per-order setup costs because screens need to be burned for every design and color. DTF is digital. The design goes straight from file to film with no physical setup. This is why I can offer a 12-piece minimum on custom graphic tees and still make the economics work. For organizations ordering 24 to 48 pieces for a fundraiser or event, DTF keeps the per-unit cost reasonable without the setup penalty.

Works on any fabric. Cotton, polyester, blends, nylon, performance fabrics. DTF transfers bond to all of them. More importantly for my wholesale customers, DTF works beautifully on garment-dyed blanks like Comfort Colors. These premium blanks have a textured, pre-washed surface that creates problems for screen printing but takes DTF transfers with a premium, embedded look. The slightly textured surface of garment-dyed cotton actually makes DTF prints look better, not worse.

Photo-quality detail. At 1440 DPI, DTF reproduces fine serif text, smooth gradients, photographic images, and intricate line work. The level of detail possible was simply not achievable in affordable custom apparel before this technology. If your screen can display it, DTF can print it.

DTF Quality and Durability

The most common question I get about DTF printing is how it holds up in the wash. A properly produced DTF transfer is rated for 50+ washes when cared for correctly: cold wash, tumble dry low. The TPU adhesive creates a mechanical bond with the fabric fibers that flexes and moves with the garment rather than cracking.

The key word there is "properly produced." DTF quality varies enormously depending on ink quality, adhesive powder application, curing temperature, and press calibration. Cheap DTF prints from cut-rate online shops will start peeling after a handful of washes because they use inferior inks, over-apply adhesive powder, or press at generic temperatures without calibrating for the specific blank. I have spent years documenting the optimal press settings for every blank in my catalog because those details determine whether a print lasts 50 washes or 5.

The hand feel of a quality DTF print is soft and slightly textured. You can feel the print, but it is flexible and moves with the garment. It does not feel like a sticker slapped onto the fabric. Compare this to screen printing with plastisol ink, which has a heavier, more rigid feel, especially on multi-color designs where ink layers stack up. If hand feel matters to your customers (and it should), DTF delivers a noticeably softer result for full-color work.

When to Choose DTF vs Other Methods

DTF is the right choice for the majority of custom apparel projects, but it is not the only method, and I am not going to pretend otherwise. I wrote a detailed comparison of DTF vs screen printing that covers the full trade-off analysis, but here is the quick summary.

Choose DTF when: your design has more than 2 to 3 colors, your order is under 200 pieces, you want to print on garment-dyed blanks, or you need photo-quality detail. This covers roughly 80 percent of the custom apparel projects that come through my studio.

Choose screen printing when: you have a simple 1 to 2 color design and need 250+ pieces, or you want specialty ink effects like metallic, glow-in-the-dark, or puff ink that DTF cannot replicate.

Choose sublimation when: you are printing on white or light polyester and want zero hand feel. The ink literally becomes part of the fabric. Sublimation does not work on cotton or dark colors.

If you are trying to decide between DTF and embroidery for a specific project, that is a different comparison with different trade-offs. I plan to cover that in a separate guide.

Cost Factors for DTF Printing

DTF pricing depends on a few variables: print size (a left-chest logo costs less than a full-front design), order quantity (per-unit cost decreases as quantity goes up, though not as dramatically as screen printing), blank selection (premium blanks cost more than budget options), and whether you want pressed garments or transfer-only.

Transfer-only orders are popular with boutique owners who have their own heat press. I print and ship the DTF transfers, and they press shirts as they sell them, eliminating inventory risk. This is a flexibility that screen printing simply cannot offer, and it is one of the reasons DTF has been adopted so widely by small businesses.

Get Started with DTF

If you have a design, a logo, or even a rough concept, send it over and I will tell you the best print method for your project. Every order at Floorboard Findings gets personal attention — you work directly with me, not a customer service queue. I will recommend the method that makes the most sense for your design, your blanks, and your budget, and I will explain why.

Small business launching branded merchandise? Fire department planning a fundraiser? Boutique owner looking for a reliable DTF transfer supplier? The process starts with a conversation. Send your artwork and your quantity, and I will get you a quote.