What Is DTF Printing?

DTF stands for Direct to Film. If you’ve been shopping around for custom apparel and keep seeing those three letters, here’s what they actually mean, and whether it’s the right method for your order.

How it works

The process starts with your design being printed onto a special film using a printer loaded with CMYK ink plus white. A hot-melt adhesive powder is applied to the wet ink, then cured with heat. What you’re left with is a transfer film: your design, ready to press.

That film goes onto the garment with a heat press. The adhesive bonds the ink to the fabric. Peel the film away and the print stays put.

No screens, no setup for individual colors, no minimum quantity to make the numbers work.

What DTF does well

Full-color designs with gradients, fine detail, or lots of colors: DTF handles all of that without any extra cost or complexity. With screen printing, each color in your design means another screen, which affects pricing on smaller runs. With DTF, a 12-color design costs the same to set up as a 2-color one.

It also works on almost any fabric: cotton, polyester, blends, tri-blends, nylon. If you can press it, you can print it.

And because there’s no per-color setup, small quantities make sense. Need 3 shirts for a group gift? One hoodie for a team captain? DTF is usually the answer.

What DTF isn’t the best fit for

Very large runs where you want the lowest possible cost per piece: that’s where screen printing tends to win. Screen printing also produces a feel that some people prefer for certain apparel: slightly softer hand, depending on the ink. DTF prints have a bit more texture to them, which most people don’t notice but is worth knowing.

If your design is one or two solid colors and you’re ordering 50+ pieces, screen printing is probably the better call. We’ll always tell you which way to go.

How we use it at 570 Apparel

DTF printing is one of the most requested methods we offer, especially for custom one-offs, small team orders, and anyone who needs something quick with a detailed design. We print in Forty Fort and serve customers across Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, Kingston, and the rest of NEPA.

No minimums. If you’ve got a design and need it on a shirt, fill out a quote and we’ll make it happen.

Not sure if DTF is right for you? See how it compares to screen printing.