When it comes to custom printing for t-shirts, there are two main routes that you might choose to go down: Direct to Film (DTF) or Direct to Garment (DTG). Both offer great results each one is better suited to certain types of jobs and certain businesses. If you are a big commercial producer, it is likely that your needs will be very different to those of a small home-based business, and so now there is a printer to suit every situation.
DTF printing uses new technology to create high quality transfers, whilst DTG machines print straight onto the garment itself. They are both capable of creating wonderful results, so how do you design which one is right for your business?
In this article, John-Paul Burton is the Director of YES Group, specialists in textile machinery explains the difference between DTF and DTG printing and each of their pros and cons to help you work out which one you should choose.
What is Direct to Film (DTF) printing?
Direct to Film (DTF) printing is the latest technological advance when it comes to garment printing, so it is no wonder that many people are now questioning whether they should be upgrading.
Essentially, a DTF printer works as an inkjet transfer printing process. The image that you want is printed onto a film with an inkjet printer, which then needs to be covered with ‘hot melt’ powder. It then needs to be left to dry before it can before a full colour transfer which needs heat pressing onto the garment. Depending on the set up that you choose, you can either have a system that works on a one at a time process, or you could opt for a specially built printer which has a 24” roll option.
Whilst transfer systems are not a new thing in the fashion world, this is by far the most efficient and effective way of making the transfer technology work in a commercial environment.
A commercial high-volume printer can produce a significant number of transfers in just a few minutes, meaning that your levels of production can increase dramatically. It is a quick and efficient way to print a lot of garments in a short space of time, giving you the capacity to handle large orders comfortably.
One of the big bonuses of a DTF transfer is that they can be applied to almost any fabric, in any colour. Cotton and polyester both look fantastic, whether they are dark or light, and it can work on stretchy fabric as well. There are also less restrictions on the size of the transfer, just as long as you have a heat press big enough to apply it.
As DTF printing is a digital process, it means that you are in a position to just make one, or 1001. Having the flexibility to do a one-off design or a large mass-produced print makes DTF printing extremely popular.
A DTF printer tends to be a more expensive option when it comes to getting set up, but as it is able to produce such high numbers, it means that it gives a relatively low cost per print. The good news is that means it won’t be long before you’ve made back that extra outlay!
If you want to develop your business further, it is worth remembering that with a DTF printer, you will have the ability to sell the transfers as well as the garments themselves, so people can have a go at heat pressing the design onto something for themselves.
What is Direct to Garment (DTG) printing?
Whilst DTF printing does allow for one-off designs; big commercial printers can end up wasting transfer material for a single shit. However, with DTG printing this is not a concern. As a single design can be loaded up and printed directly onto the shirt itself, there is endless scope for you to produce singular and unique garments, each one in less than 10 minutes.
This can be particularly useful in a customer facing business where you are more likely to be asked to produce garments in small numbers. It works quickly enough for the customer to happily wait around, and the touchscreen controls make it easy to store popular designs in the memory of the machine so that they are ready to go when you need them.
In spite of the great quality that DTF is capable of offering, it is still DTG printing that offers the best quality prints. It can create stunning fades as well as smoke and flame effects, meaning that the garments will always look outstanding. It also tends to work quietly and without odour or fumes, meaning it is better suited to public places as it will cause very little disruption.
As DTG printers print directly onto the shirt, the designs that they produce feel no different to the shirts itself, unlike DTF printing, which does leave behind a distinct texture.
Choosing the right printer
There is no right and wrong when it comes to choosing between DTF and DTG printing, so it all depends on how your business actually works. For home-based businesses and small retail environments where you are working with much smaller numbers, then a DTG printer can be the perfect solution, it produces fantastic results in good time, and gives you some great flexibility that will allow you to please your customers and give them exactly what they want.
Alternatively, DTF printing ticks all of the high-volume boxes, allowing you to produce much greater numbers just in a day and is better suited to a larger, more commercial t-shirt printing business.
The great thing about technology is that as it develops, we all have more options available to us. Whilst DTG printing has long been the relied upon system for garment printing, it is by no means obsolete now that there is a new kid on the block. Both printers have their advantages and can allow different types of businesses to co-exist, all producing great quality printed garments for their customers.
