DTF Printing Explained: What It Is and Why It Replaced Screen Print for Small Runs

DTF (direct-to-film) printing changed the economics of custom apparel. No minimums, full colour, ready in days. Here's how it works and when it makes sense over screen printing.

How DTF Works

The design is printed onto a special PET film using CMYK and white inks. A hot-melt adhesive powder is applied to the wet print, then cured. The resulting transfer is heat-pressed onto the garment at high temperature and pressure. The adhesive bonds the print to the fabric fibres.

The result is a full-colour, photo-quality print on virtually any fabric colour - including dark garments, thanks to the white ink underbase. No screens, no setup fees, no colour limitations.

Why It Changed Small-Run Apparel

Screen printing requires a physical screen for each colour in the design. Setting up those screens costs money whether you're printing 5 shirts or 500. That setup cost, divided across a small order, made custom apparel expensive at low quantities.

DTF has no screen setup. Each print is produced digitally. Printing one shirt costs the same per unit as printing twenty. That means a small business can order 5 custom tees without paying a premium that only makes sense at scale.

What DTF Does Well

Full colour with no price penalty. A 12-colour design costs the same as a 1-colour design. Photos, gradients, and detailed artwork all print without additional cost.

No minimum orders. One shirt, one hoodie, one tote bag. Each item is an independent print job.

Works on any fabric colour. The white underbase means vivid prints on black, navy, red, or any dark garment.

Fast turnaround. No screen setup means jobs go straight from file to production. Small orders are typically ready in 2 to 3 business days.

When Screen Print Is Still Better

Large runs (50+ identical units). Once the screens are set up, screen printing is faster and cheaper per unit at volume. The setup cost that hurts small orders becomes negligible at scale.

Extreme durability needs. Screen print ink bonds into the fabric more aggressively than DTF adhesive. For industrial workwear that gets washed daily in commercial machines, screen print has a longer lifespan.

Specialty inks. Metallic, puff print, discharge (bleach-out on dark garments), and other specialty effects are screen print techniques that DTF can't replicate.

The Blank Matters

DTF prints best on quality cotton or cotton-blend garments. We use AS Colour blanks as standard. Cheap polyester or heavily treated retail fabrics can cause adhesion issues - the print may crack or peel prematurely. The garment is half the product. Don't undermine a good print with a bad blank.

Cost

A single printed tee on a quality blank starts around $30 to $40. Per-unit cost drops with quantity - 10 shirts might land around $28 to $35 each, 25 shirts around $25 to $30 each. Full colour, any design, no setup fees.

Send us your design and quantity and we'll quote it.