Direct-to-Film printers are used in the commercial printing industry to produce large-format or wide-format prints.
The number of DTF printers available in the market is limited compared to standard desktop printers but are more efficient in producing quality prints.
There are two types of printers:
According to reports, the global digital textile printing market will grow at a CAGR of 5.9 percent between 2019 and 2025.
The automatic DTF printers are perfect for commercial purposes. Especially, where large numbers of prints have to be made at a faster rate. Large format digital printing technology will soon overtake offset printing in the commercial sector. These high-volume printers will play a pivotal role in this revolution.
They are used to produce high-quality prints quickly with minimal wastage of time and material.
A single operator can oversee several machines connected in series. They do not require frequent attention from fabricators. Compared to other categories, these printers have a long life span due to their durability, efficiency, and low maintenance cost.
Where a manual DTF printer may have started life as a simple Epson home inkjet machine, automatic or high-volume DTF printers used for DTF transfers are a different story. These systems are designed to create dozens or even hundreds of transfers in a single run. Thus, they’re based on high-speed vinyl roll printers.
The DigitalHeat FX DTF-24H4 printer, for example, is a four-head 24” roll printer. Designs print onto PET film – just much faster and on a ROLL. Therefore, reducing the cost per print.
Users still apply hotmelt, but the prints move through a “shaker” that automatically applies the glue evenly. It collects the powder that isn’t used to be recycled. And the transfers still must dry. Just not clumsily with a heat press that hovers. The roll runs through a belt dryer like a screen-printer. At the end of the process, your transfers reroll onto a tube. You can then cut them out, apply them to a garment or simply send the tube to wholesale customers.
The main benefit of the high-volume DTF printers is that they can produce prints in significantly less time. This means that even if you have a huge order to complete, you will be able to do it quickly.
They are also high-resolution machines that result in clear and vivid prints. Since they print on large media sheets, managing them is also easy. The high-volume printers are designed so that the amount of waste produced during the printing process is nearly negligible.
Many people prefer manual DTF printers for their reliability and cost-effectiveness. These printers enable you to print a particular design and transfer it directly onto any surface. This is great because you can choose any surface you want. The modified printers used for this purpose usually come with multiple-colored ink tanks. You operate these using CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and key) color settings. You will require specific RIP software, PET films, printer inks, hot melt adhesive powder, curing oven, automatic power shaker, and a heat press machine to complete the entire printing process. However, it has plenty of advantages. For example, it can be used on almost any fabric or material and does not require any pretreatment.
These are normally made from Epson inkjet printers.
These kinds of printers were made popular by hobbyists and dedicated DIYers. These people played a role in making Direct-To-Garment or DTG printers popular in their initial stages.
With a manual printer, you follow the following steps:
Now you’ve got a completed transfer.
The main advantage of manual DTF printers is that they offer very high-resolution prints. However, the best factor is that there is no compromise with the color quality.
Fabricators can easily monitor the printing operation for better management and reduce wastage. It takes less time to make a single print, which decreased labor costs.
You can use DTF printers for various purposes. These include the following:
Using these printers for commercial printing will help you save time and money. Especially as it helps in producing quality prints quickly at a large scale.
Businesses can use them to produce promotional materials. Making them great for marketing campaigns. The ability to design your t-shirts using DTF printers makes these printers great for entrepreneurs.
High-resolution DTF printers are perfect for producing high-quality artwork. They accurately carry the colors from layer to layer. You can print any design or work digitally as per your requirements. In addition, you do not have to worry about the color combinations as all the work is done on your computer.
If you are looking to print bed sheets, photographs, or just anything for personal use, a digital t-shirt printer is great. You can easily print pretty much anything you want. The best part is that you will not have to worry about any color combinations, as you have complete control over the process.
You can also design your clothes with this printer. Simply, create a pattern on a computer and print it directly onto your clothing.
For your small business, these printers may not meet your standard printing needs in which case you want to look for the best small business printers for your office needs.
Depending on the type of transfer you use, you can make money selling your t-shirt transfers. The best way to tell if you can make any money selling them is by testing it yourself. This means you don't need to put much effort into making the designs (or buying premade layouts).
DTF printers are perfect for commercial purposes. They enable you to produce large prints in a short time with minimal wastage of material or labor.
