About DTF Printing
Another facet of digital printing (done in the same department as Direct-to-Garment / DTG Printing), DTF or Direct-to Film Printing provides a great alternative for decorating items that are not compatible with Screen Printing or DTG. Like DTG, this decoration method excels at capturing fine details and providing high-color prints without the laborious setup process that can come with attempting to Screen Print the same design. In the same manner as DTG, the desired art is jet-printed with CMYK ink, but instead of directly onto the item, it is printed on a special film paper that is then cured, cut, and heat pressed onto it. Because this method does not rely on the ink being absorbed by the item, it allows for decoration on otherwise difficult items such as those with special finishes, blend materials, or hats and bags, etc. This may sound like more work than a traditional DTG print, but since it cuts out the need for pre-treatment and additional curing, the time for completion is often similar if not quicker depending on the specifics of the order.
4 Step Process For DTF Orders
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Submit Art & PO
Send your art over with your order info. You can even send the art before you get the order in to review and troubleshoot ahead of time. As with Screen Print and DTG, we review each piece of art for good decoration capabilities before we mock up the digital art proof. The art submission guidelines for digital printing are a little more lenient than with screen printing, but the golden rule remains - good art makes better prints.
Art Proofing & Approval
While your goods are on their way, we will set up the art proof for your approval. In this step we communicate what the final print will look like, including imprint size and location, etc. Based on your desired design and garments, we’ll give you a heads up about any potential hurdles, advise on solutions, and once everything meets your approval, move forward with production. Sometimes we will need to physically take a look at the items before proofing and will address this with you on a case-by-case basis. When applicable, we strongly encourage you to provide tracking for your incoming garments to your customer service representative so we can ensure your order is kept on schedule and meets your expectations.
Transfer Printing & Cutting
Just like an office inkjet printer, heads containing ink jets move back and forth over the special film paper we are printing, spraying special CMYK ink to recreate a mirrored version of the digital image of your design. DTF printers have additional white jets to create an under base, which is printed on top of (or rather, behind) the color image as described above. Next, the film is fed through a special dryer that simultaneously applies a powder coating of adhesive onto the backside of the prints and cures it all together. Once the film with all of the transfers for the order have completed this phase, they are cut out from the larger roll into a manageable size for placement on the item.
Pressing & Packing
After the transfers have been cured and cut, the order is staged and the items are placed onto the appropriate heat press machine. There are a variety of sizes of heat presses and platens to accommodate the myriad items we are able to decorate here. The heat press machine is set to the required temperature & pressure, and the transfer is placed in the desired location on the item. Typically, most items require about 10-15 seconds of pressing. After the machine releases the item, the film backing is peeled away, and you are left with a beautiful and durable decoration. Some items are pressed a second time with a teflon sheet over the imprint to ensure proper adhesion and smoothing of textures when applicable. Once the order is completed, it is boxed up by our team and provided to our Shipping Department with the necessary paperwork, or may be moved to our Finishing Department for final touches like folding, bagging, or tagging depending on your specific needs for the job.
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