DTF vs DTG Printing: Which is Right for You

Do you want to know about DTF and DTG for your business? Torn between DTF and DTG? Pandemics have led small studios to focus on print-on-demand production, and with that, DTG and DTF printing have entered the market, increasing the interest of manufacturers who want to get started with personalized apparel.  

Read this guide to learn all about DTF and DTG information and features.

What is DTF Printing

Both direct to film (DTF) and sublimation printing are thermal transfer technologies in the design printing industry. DTF is the newest printing service technology for decorating dark and light colored T-shirts on natural fibers such as cotton, silk, polyester, blends, leather, and nylon without the need for expensive equipment. Sublimation printing uses a chemical process in which the solid immediately becomes a gas without passing through the liquid stage. 

Why is DTF gaining popularity?

Direct-to-film (DTF) printing is a versatile technique that involves printing a design onto a special film for transfer to a garment. Its thermal transfer process offers similar durability to traditional screen printing. Many times people say that DTF is an upgrade from DTG, which is why it is growing so quickly.

DTF printing offers greater versatility than other printing technologies. DTF can print on a variety of fabrics including cotton, nylon, rayon, polyester, leather, silk and more. 

DTF printing has revolutionized the textile industry and updated textile creation for the digital age. The process is simple: create digital artwork, print it on film, and transfer it to fabric. 

How does DTF work? 

DTF works by printing transfers on film, which are then heat pressed onto various garments. While DTG (direct to garment) technology is only available for cotton fabrics, many more materials are compatible with DTF printing. 

DTF printers are affordable compared to DTG or screen printing technologies. DTF powder, printable double-sided cold peel PET film (for printing transfer films) and high quality DTF inks are required to get the best results.

DTF Printing Steps

Designing a DTF print is as easy as designing on paper: your design is sent from the computer to the DTF machine, and the printer does the rest. Although DTF printers look different from traditional paper printers, they function very similarly to other inkjet printers. 

The simple DTF four-step process makes fabrics feel softer and provides better wash resistance. 

Step 1: Insert the PET film into the printer tray and print.

Step 2: Apply hot melt powder to the printed image on the film. 

Step 3: Melt the powder. 

Step 4: Pre-press the fabric.

Features of DTF and DTG

• DTG

  1. It requires pretreatment: For DTG, the process starts with pretreatment of the garment. This step is necessary before printing because we will be working directly on the fabric, which will keep the ink well and avoid transferring it to the fabric. In addition, we need to heat the garment before printing to activate this treatment.

  2. Print directly on the garment: With DTG, you can print directly on the garment, so the process is shorter than DTF and no transfer is required. 

  3. Using white ink: We can choose to use a white mask as a substrate to ensure that the ink does not mix with the color of the medium, although this is not always necessary (for example on white substrates) and it is also possible to place white only in certain areas to reduce the use of this mask. 

  4. Cotton print: This print can only be printed on cotton garments. 

  5. Final Press: To fix the ink, we must perform the final press at the end of the process, where we will prepare the garment. 

• DTF

  1. No pre-treatment: In DTF printing, the fabric does not need pre-treatment because it is pre-printed on the film and must be transferred. 

  2. Print on film: In DTF, we print on film and then the design must be transferred to the fabric. This can make the process a little longer compared to DTG. 

  3. Gum Powder: This type of printing requires the use of gum powder, which is applied immediately after the ink is printed on the film. On printers created for DTF, this step is included in the printer itself, so you can avoid any manual steps. 

  4. Use white ink: In this case, a layer of white ink is required, placed on top of the colored layer. This is a color that is transferred to the fabric and used as the base for the main color of the design. 

  5. Any type of fabric: One of the advantages of DTF is that it allows you to use any type of fabric, not just cotton. 

  6. Transfer from film to fabric: The final step of the process is to remove the printed film and transfer it to the fabric using a press. 

More advantages of DTF printing 

In contrast, screen printing involves dozens of steps, which means it's usually only cost-effective for the simplest designs or for printing large quantities of items. 

While screen printing still has a place in the apparel industry, DTF printing is more affordable for small businesses or textile organizations that want to make smaller orders.

DTF printing offers more design options 

Screen printing complex patterns is not feasible due to the amount of work involved. However, using DTF technology, printing complex, multi-color graphics is different from printing simple designs. 

DTF also allows creators to create DIY hats, handbags and other items.

DTF printing is more sustainable and less costly than other methods

With the fashion industry's growing interest in sustainability, another advantage of DTF printing over traditional printing is its highly sustainable technology. 

DTF printing helps prevent overproduction, which is a common problem in the textile industry. In addition, the inks used in digital direct-jet printers are water-based and environmentally friendly.

DTF printing allows for one-off designs and eliminates waste of unsold inventory. 

Compared to screen printing, DTF printing is less expensive. For small orders, DTF printing has a lower printing cost per unit than traditional screen printing processes.

What is the difference between DTF and Sublimation printing

DTF printing involves the transfer of an image onto a fabric or material using DTF PET film. In contrast, sublimation printing uses sublimation paper. What are the differences and advantages and disadvantages of these two printing techniques?  

• DTF Advantages.

  1. DTF printing can be done on almost all types of fabrics

  2. In contrast to DTG, no pre-treatment is required

  3. The fabric has good washing characteristics.

  4. DTF process is less cumbersome and faster than DTG printing

• DTF Disadvantages.

  1. slightly different feel in the print area compared to thermal sublimation printing

  2. Color vibrancy is slightly lower than sublimation printing.

• Sublimation Advantages.

  1. can be printed on rigid surfaces (cups, photo slabs, plates, clocks, etc.)

  2. Very simple and very easy to learn

  3. it has an unlimited range of colors. For example, thousands of different color combinations are possible with four-color inks (CMYK).

  4. There is no minimum print run.

  5. Orders can be produced the same day.

• Sublimation Disadvantages.

  1. The fabric must be made of 100% polyester, or at least use about 2/3 polyester.

  2. Only special polyester coating can be used for non-woven substrates.

  3. The item must have white or light-colored printed areas. Sublimation does not work well on black or dark colored fabrics.

  4. If permanently exposed to direct sunlight, the color can fade within a few months due to the effects of UV light.

  At wellye, we sell both DTF film and sublimation paper and ink. They are of the highest quality and use the latest technology to achieve bright and vivid colors on your fabrics.

In general, DTF transfers achieve photo-quality images and are superior to sublimation. The higher the polyester content of the fabric, the better and more vibrant the image quality. For DTF, the design on the fabric is soft to the touch. You will not feel the sublimated design when the ink is transferred to the fabric. DTF and sublimation use different heating temperatures and times for transfer.

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How you should decide to use DTF and DTG

So, what factors should we consider when deciding which print to choose? 

As a leading supplier of DTF film products, we are frequently asked by our customers which is the better printing method - DTG or DTF? While both methods have their strengths, we firmly believe that DTF is the superior option for many applications.

DTG (Direct-to-Garment) printing has been a popular printing method for custom apparel for several years now. It involves printing ink directly onto the fabric using a specialized printer. While DTG printing can produce high-quality images, it has its limitations. The main drawback of DTG printing is that it can only be used on 100% cotton or cotton blends. Additionally, the cost of DTG printers can be quite high, which may not be feasible for smaller businesses.

On the other hand, DTF (Direct-to-Film) printing is a newer printing method that has been gaining popularity in recent years. It involves printing onto a specialized film, which is then heat pressed onto the fabric. DTF printing can be used on a wider variety of fabrics, including polyester, nylon, and even leather. This means that businesses can offer a wider range of products to their customers. Additionally, the cost of DTF printers and film is more affordable than DTG printers, making it a more accessible option for businesses of all sizes.

But what about the quality of the final product? While both methods can produce high-quality images, we believe that DTF printing offers superior vibrancy and color accuracy. The ink used in DTF printing is more opaque than the ink used in DTG printing, which means that the colors appear brighter and more vivid. Additionally, because DTF printing involves printing onto a film before transferring the image onto the fabric, there is less risk of the ink bleeding or smudging during the printing process.

In conclusion, while both DTG and DTF printing have their strengths, we firmly believe that DTF is the superior option for many businesses. DTF printing offers a wider range of fabric options, is more affordable, and produces higher quality images. If you're looking for a new printing method to take your business to the next level, we highly recommend giving DTF printing a try!

In short, DTF printing may seem more popular than DTG, but they actually have very different applications and uses. For small-scale printing where you are looking for good color results and don't want to make such a large investment, DTF may be a better fit. But DTG now has more versatile and diverse presses with different plates and processes for faster, more flexible printing. 

Are you looking for a suitable DTF PET film, powder, ink? Or do you have sublimation transfer business at the same time? Wellye is a leading DTF PET film and sublimation transfer paper manufacturer in China. If you want to buy DTF consumables in bulk for your business, contact us for more information about digital printing and DTF consumables