The DTF printer is a type of digital garment printing machine, widely known for its application in T-shirt heat transfers. The garment printing market and demand are currently experiencing strong growth, with DTF printing, which uses DTF printers, being one of the main production methods. Choosing the right DTF printer is a key factor in the success of a printing business and one of the most important parts of investing in a printing business or running a garment printing shop.
To help you choose the right DTF equipment for your printing business, we will introduce:
- What is a DTF Printer?
- Why Choose DTF Printers? What Are the Advantages of DTF Printers?
- Important Factors in Choosing a DTF Printer:
- Understanding Printing Needs
- Key Components of DTF Printers
- Print Heads
- Motherboard
- White Ink Circulation
- DTF Printing Consumables
- DTF Ink
- DTF Hot Melt Powder
- PET Film
- Print Quality
- DTF Printer Prices
- Manufacturer Training, After-Sales Service, and Support
What is a DTF Printer? – Definition of a DTF Printer
DTF stands for Direct to Film. A DTF printer directly prints designs onto PET film, which is then evenly coated with hot melt powder, melted at high temperature, dried, cut, and finally heat-pressed onto various garments using a heat press. This completes the garment printing process. Why do we focus on this method of garment printing? Since 2021, this method has been steadily gaining market share and has become one of the mainstream methods of garment printing. According to Google Trends, searches for “DTF Printer” have been rising since 2021. A significant part of the popularity of DTF printers is due to their unique advantages: convenient printing method, short preparation period, fast printing speed, high production efficiency, and reliable output quality. Whether it’s the need for bulk printing during peak seasons or urgent custom clothing orders during off-peak seasons, DTF printing can easily meet the demand.
Advantages of DTF Printers: Compared to DTG (Direct to Garment) printing, DTF printing does not require pretreatment liquid spraying, eliminating a preparatory step. Unlike screen printing, which involves complex steps such as plate making and film production, DTF printing only requires designing the pattern using software, followed by correct machine operation to complete the steps of printing, powdering, drying, and heat pressing.
DTF printing is durable, with water wash fastness reaching levels 4-5. For a T-shirt worn in summer and washed three times a week, it can last for two years.
Compared to DTG and sublimation printing, DTF printing not only overcomes the limitations of these methods but also has broader applications. It can be used on cotton, polyester, wool, nylon, Lycra, linen, denim, silk, and more. DTF printers can be considered the “universal printing machine” in the garment industry.
How to Choose the Right DTF Printer
Different configurations of DTF printers come with different prices. The more features and higher the configuration, the higher the price. But does it mean you have to choose the highest configuration with the most features? The answer is that suitability is most important. Besides traditional manufacturers, emerging DTF printer manufacturers offer more innovative and well-thought-out designs that leverage the advantages of DTF printing and meet local market needs.
Specifically, choosing a DTF printer that truly suits your garment printing business involves carefully considering the following important factors:
1. Choose a DTF Printer Based on Market and Business Needs: There are many types of DTF printers, such as high-precision, high-quality desktop A3, A4-width DTF printers for high-quality T-shirt printing, large-format high-performance DTF printers for mass production and special finishes, and industrial-grade multi-head DTF printers (e.g., 1.2m, 1.8m machines with 4 or 5 print heads) for continuous, stable, high-speed output, meeting the mass production needs of garment factories.
As an operator, you should already have a clear understanding of your local printing market, demand, and characteristics. Ask yourself questions such as: How big is the market demand? How many orders are there? What is the printing volume? Is it consistent during regular and peak seasons? Are there special printing needs (e.g., large format, all-black prints, special durability)? Are there sudden, urgent orders? With answers to these questions and understanding the different printer characteristics and types, you can narrow down your choices and find the DTF printer or DTF solution that suits your garment printing business. If you find that some configurations do not match your printing business needs, some manufacturers offer flexible DTF printer configurations. You can try to communicate with DTF printer manufacturers to get the most suitable DTF printer for you.
2. Key Components of a DTF Printer:
Understanding the configuration and key components of a DTF printer is crucial for choosing the right one. Otherwise, you might feel confused by some parameters and names and may not understand why seemingly similar printers have significant price differences. Some are just because of a larger brand name, not necessarily worth it, while others have high performance hidden behind parameters and configurations but are not chosen because the brand is new. As a successful investor, try to avoid this.
Print Heads – The print head is one of the most important components of a DTF printer. It determines the printer’s performance and quality and is the core of an inkjet printer. If clogged or burned out, it can significantly affect the machine’s overall operation. Most manufacturers use Epson print heads, with XP600 or Epson’s newly released I1600-A1 print head being common choices for lower requirements, while the I3200-A1 print head is preferred for higher demands due to its higher performance and longer lifespan.
Motherboard – The motherboard coordinates the printer’s components, including the print head and ink delivery system, to produce high-quality images on the media. Renowned in the industry are Hanson, Beijing, and Sinyard motherboards, with some manufacturers having the capability to develop their own boards.
White Ink Circulation – White ink flow smoothness is crucial for white ink heat transfer printers due to the unique composition of white ink. Most machines are equipped with a white ink circulation system, including white ink circulation pumps and filters. High-quality printers use Japan’s 3M brand filters, while lower-quality printers use generic brands.
3. DTF Printer Consumables – DTF Ink:
DTF ink is a water-based pigment ink with excellent lightfastness, moisture resistance, and oxidation resistance (including ozone). This explains why prints using this ink can be preserved for a long time on garments. Good ink has strong color saturation, wide color gamut, high color reproduction, and long-lasting print patterns.
Characteristics of High Purity, High-Quality DTF Ink:
(1) No clogging: At room temperature, with automatic or manual humidification, the printer can stop for 24 hours without drying out, making it less prone to clogging and improving printer efficiency.
(2) Lower consumption: DTF ink can print 10-20% more area than regular ink, saving costs.
(3) High color reproduction: DTF ink can print more colors, with vibrant, true-to-design prints achieving photo-quality results.
(4) Clear edges: DTF ink prints clear pattern edges, making powder shaking clean without sticking, reducing edge glue issues.
(5) Soft feel: DTF ink uses imported raw materials, resulting in vibrant, soft prints with higher water resistance.
4. DTF Consumables – DTF Hot Melt Powder:
There are various hot melt powders on the market to meet different production needs, such as PA hot melt powder, EVA hot melt powder, and TPU hot melt powder. We recommend using high-purity TPU hot melt powder with DTF printers for perfect heat transfer results. 100% TPU powder is clean, with no added impurities, better tensile strength, clean powder shaking, non-stick powder, clear small text lines without ghosting, scratch resistance, and yellowing resistance.
5. DTF Consumables – PET Film:
DTF printing involves printing on PET film or transfer paper, then heat-pressing onto garments. PET printing film is available in single-sided and double-sided coated films, as well as cold peel, warm peel, and hot peel films. High-quality DTF transfer materials feature uniform coating, strong ink absorption, accurate alignment, non-slip, clean powder shaking, good release effect, even baking, high washability, soft feel, and high elasticity without cracking. Transfer film/paper has a heat press temperature of 130-160°C and a time of 8-15 seconds.
6. DTF Printer Prices:
The current market price for DTF printers does not have a fixed range, as different manufacturers have different pricing strategies. The price of certain parts may fluctuate over time, and factors such as national policies supporting the industry can also affect prices. Therefore, to obtain a high-quality DTF printer, besides choosing well-known brands, consider those with thorough operational processes, technical compliance, and quality assurance. (If you cannot visit China, we can provide such services for you).
7. After-Sales Support and Training:
When purchasing a printer, the supplier’s ability to provide comprehensive after-sales support is a key factor. Questions such as transportation arrangements after purchase, warranty period, maintenance, and replacement parts frequency need to be discussed with the supplier. Using a DTF printer is not difficult, and training can provide some help. Many suppliers offer on-site teaching and technical guidance to help customers better understand the equipment. Manufacturers that provide comprehensive training, operation guides, and troubleshooting documents and videos are generally more reliable.
Conclusion:
In summary, when investing in DTF printers, there are many factors to consider, such as cost, equipment features, reliability, technical support, and service capabilities. Understanding your needs and carefully comparing suppliers and their products will help you make the right choice.
