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Direct-to-Film (DTF)
Process:
Design Preparation: The design is created digitally using graphic design software.
Printing: The design is printed directly onto a special DTF film using a DTF printer. The ink used is typically a special type of pigment ink.
Powder Application: While the ink is still wet, a hot melt adhesive powder is applied to the print.
Curing: The print with the adhesive powder is then cured in an oven or with a heat press to ensure the powder adheres to the ink.
Transfer: The film with the design is placed onto the substrate (like a T-shirt) and heat pressed, transferring the design onto the material.
Peeling: The film is peeled off, leaving the design on the substrate.
Advantages:
Versatility: Can be used on a wide range of materials, including cotton, polyester, blends, and even hard surfaces.
Quality: Produces vibrant colors and detailed designs with a soft feel.
Durability: Prints are typically durable and resistant to washing and wear.
No Weeding: Unlike vinyl transfers, there’s no need to weed out excess material.
Ideal Use Cases:
Custom T-shirts
Apparel with complex and colorful designs
Small to medium batch printing
Thermal Transfer
Process:
Design Preparation: The design is created digitally.
Printing: The design is printed onto a special transfer paper using a standard inkjet or laser printer, or it can be cut from colored vinyl using a plotter.
Cutting and Weeding: If using vinyl, the design is cut out and excess material (weeding) is removed.
Transfer: The printed transfer paper or cut vinyl is placed onto the substrate.
Heat Pressing: A heat press is used to transfer the design from the paper or vinyl onto the substrate.
Advantages:
Cost-Effective for Small Runs: Ideal for small batch production or one-off items.
Simple Process: Especially when using transfer paper with inkjet or laser printers.
Availability of Materials: Transfer papers and vinyl are widely available in various finishes and colors.
Ideal Use Cases:
Custom T-shirts and apparel with simple designs or logos
Personalized items like mugs, hats, and bags
Small batch or on-demand printing
Key Differences:
Material Compatibility: DTF can be used on a wider variety of materials compared to thermal transfer.
Detail and Color Quality: DTF typically produces more vibrant and detailed prints.
Process Complexity: DTF involves more steps and requires specific equipment (DTF printer and curing oven), whereas thermal transfer can often be done with a standard printer and heat press.
Durability: DTF prints are generally more durable and wash-resistant compared to those from thermal transfer, especially when using transfer paper.
Production principle: Thermal transfer is a printing process that heats the pattern through the thermal transfer film and transfers the pattern to the surface of the substrate. DTF is a printing process that directly heats the fabric, and the white pattern is directly heat-stamped on the clothing through high temperature and high pressure.
Applicable materials: Thermal transfer is suitable for the surfaces of various materials such as plastic, wood, glass, metal, etc., and can be used to make cups, plastic bags, furniture, toys and other products. DTF is suitable for a variety of fabrics, such as polyester, nylon, cotton, silk, etc., especially suitable for making clothing.
Color performance: Thermal transfer has richer color performance, but due to the limitation of the surface color of the substrate, color distortion may occur. DTF has brighter, more natural colors and is not easy to fade.
Production cost: The production cost of thermal transfer is relatively high, including the cost of thermal transfer film, heat press machine, labor, etc. DTF is suitable for small batch production and has a relatively low production cost.
Washability: Thermal transfer has good washability, the color is not easy to fall off after washing, and the pattern remains clear. DTF has relatively poor washing resistance, and the color may fall off after washing, affecting the clarity of the pattern.
Environmental protection: Chemical substances in the thermal transfer process may have a certain impact on the environment. DTF is relatively more environmentally friendly.
Process characteristics: The thermal transfer process can be customized according to customer needs, including substrate surfaces of different sizes and materials. DTF has the characteristics of clear patterns, bright colors, good durability, and can be washed repeatedly, which is suitable for making sportswear and other clothing that need to be washed frequently.
Digital thermal transfer is different from DTF. It can only be applied to pure polyester fabrics or cotton-polyester fabrics with high polyester content. The process is to use CMYK four color mirrors to print on special transfer paper, and then pass through the printing roller machine to transfer to cloth or cut pieces through high temperature. At present, the application range of this process is much larger than DTF. After more than ten years of precipitation, thermal transfer technology is mature, cheap, and has a large output. In addition to flower bitmaps, it can also be printed on a large area of the whole body. It is widely used in sportswear and other polyester materials, and is also the main force of textile printing. However, the disadvantage of thermal transfer is the limitation of fabrics. The thermal transfer process is very picky about materials, and many fabrics cannot be applied. At the same time, the thermal transfer process will produce a lot of air pollution, which is particularly serious for the environment, so the threshold requirements for the processing plant industry are getting higher and higher.
