Which One Is Better?
Because of the epidemic, small studios have shifted their concentration to Print-on-Demand manufacturing. DTG and DTF printer have reached the market as a result, attracting the attention of manufacturers interested in dealing with personalized clothing.
Direct-to-garment (DTG) has long been the most common method for producing t-shirts and small runs, but in recent months, DTF printer has gained ground in the business, earning more supporters each time. To understand this paradigm shift, we must first understand the differences between the two methodologies.
Smaller items that require customisation, such as T-shirts or masks, may benefit from both types of printing. However, the outcomes and printing techniques change in each case. As a result, picking which one to employ for business purposes might be difficult.
There is no such thing as a “Master of Prints” technique. Several businesses that have evolved past the early stages of operation have discovered that there is no single thing that consumers want and that not all materials can be printed on. Alternatively, this takes care of any customizing concerns.
Every technology has benefits and drawbacks. What are the drawbacks of DTF (direct-to-film) printers, the newest technology that everyone wants?
Is DTF printing going to take over the bespoke T-shirt printing business? Perhaps have the same impact that white toner printers had (and continue to have) four or five years ago?
But first, a few chores:
DTG Printer
- It demands pre-treatment: In the case of DTG printing, the method begins with pre-treatment of the garments. This step is essential before printing since we will be working directly on the fabric and the ink will need to be thoroughly fixed to prevent it from transferring through the fabric. We’ll also need to heat the garment before printing to start this method.
- DTG printing : Because DTG prints directly to clothing, it can be a speedier process than DTF because no transfer is required.
- Usage of white ink: We can use a white mask as a foundation to ensure that the ink does not mix with the color of the medium, however this is not always necessary (for example, on white bases), and it is also possible to reduce the use of this mask by just using white in specific spots.
- Cotton printing: This type of printing can only be used on cotton clothing.
- Final press: At the end of the method, we must perform a final press to set the ink before our garment is complete.
DTF Printer
- Because the design is pre-printed on a film that must be transferred, there is no need to pre-treat the fabric with DTF printing.
- Printing on film: DTF prints on film before transferring the pattern to cloth. This can make the procedure take a little longer than DTG.
- Adhesive powder: An adhesive powder will be used after the ink has been printed on the film for this type of printing. With printers specifically designed for DTF, this process is included into the printer, so you don’t have to do anything manually.
- Usage of white ink: A layer of white ink must be put over the color layer in this case. This is the one that is transferred to the fabric and serves as the foundation for the primary colors of the pattern.
- Any type of fabric: DTF has the benefit of letting you to deal with any type of textile, not merely cotton.
- Transferring the image from the film to the fabric: At the final stage of the process, the printed film is transferred to the cloth using a press.
How Does DTF Printer Function?
DTF stands for direct-to-film in the same way that DTG stands for direct-to-garment. DTF printer is a type of inkjet transfer printing that combines inkjet printing with a hot melt “glue” and a transfer film.
Consider it similar to making white toner printer transfers. Using white toner printers, an LED printer prints your image onto film. Then you hot press it on a glue sheet. After “marrying,” you’ll have a fully functional full-color transfer.
DTF printing involves printing your image onto film with an inkjet printer. Then you coat it with “hot melt” powder and let it dry. After it’s dry, you’ll have a fully functional full-color transfer.
There are more options for DTF printers than for white toner transfer printing. It is a laborious process because converting an inkjet printer to DTF is done one at a time.
There are also 24′′ ROLL printers designed specifically for direct-to-film printing. At about the same price as a standard DTG printer like the DTG G4, Epson, or Brother DTG.
Film
DTF films have a thickness of around 0.75mm due to their soft properties and may better grip onto the cloth. DTF Transfer Films are square sheets or rolls that are mostly white in color and may be ordered virtually anywhere the film is sold online. Another sort of PET film classification is based on the type of peeling that occurs after the transfer.
Software
Every design must be transferred onto cloth using specialist computer software. The entire design must be loaded into the application. Following this stage, the colors of the design will be matched to a CMYK printer’s standard, which is more precisely suited to how ink and cloth appear when colored together.
The program determines the quality of your prints in addition to verifying that everything is correctly set up before submission. Otherwise, you may face poor quality or unexpected ink spills that are difficult to clean up if no basic instructions are left behind.
Hot-melt Powder
The white DTF printing powder acts as an adhesive, binding the bright pigments in the print to the fabric strands. There are various types of DTF hot-melt powders available, each with a distinct micron size.
