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Bottom Line Up Front: Direct-to-Film (DTF) transfers are one of the most popular current decoration methods for shops of all sizes. Find out why this technology pairs well with GraphicsFlow and why you should consider adding it to your services.

If you haven’t heard about direct-to-film (DTF) transfers yet, it’s a decoration method that’s recently caught a lot of attention in apparel decorating and promotional products. That’s because DTF transfers are a versatile printing method that pairs well with lots of different products and a process that doesn’t take extensive training to learn. Because of these qualities, DTF is an excellent opportunity for print shops to tap into more customer categories and offer additional products.

Direct-to-Film: A brief explanation

DTF transfer decoration starts with printing onto a PET film with a DTF printer. After that, the decorator applies the transfer to a substrate. Products for DTF decoration range from standard apparel items like T-shirts, hats, or jerseys to hard goods like mugs and tumblers. The transfer is applied to the product with an adhesive powder and heat. For businesses already involved in printing with heat transfer vinyl, DTF transfers are a relatively easy learning curve. If you’re interested in a more in-depth history of the evolution of this technology, check out this excellent blog.

Significant benefits to DTF transfers

Aside from the learning curve, there are a handful of major benefits to DTF transfers driving the recent popularity of this discipline. Those include:

• Durability: While some print methods tend to crack or peel under stress, DTF transfers keep their form a lot longer. In contrast to methods like screen printing or direct-to-garment, the fibers from a fabric typically won’t push through the print on a DTF-decorated garment if it’s pulled or stretched. 

• Versatility: DTF transfers work well on a wide variety of fabrics, making them suitable for all types of apparel jobs.
  • Mark Heise, the owner of Yellow Springs Tees & Promotions, says his shop has been DTF printing on cotton, polyester, triblends, and even cotton/poly blends with excellent results. Mark says even with wash and stretch tests; DTF transfers hold up on these fabrics.
    
• Perfect upsell: Along with apparel, DTF transfers are suitable for countless other goods like crowlers and water bottles. That makes them ideal for an upsell or add-on sale if you’re looking to bundle more goods to accommodate your customer and boost your bottom line.
  
• More colors: DTF transfers work with light and dark garments, giving way to more color options in your printed design. You can use the transfers for bright, multicolor designs not available on traditional heat transfers.
  
• No pretreatment: Garments don’t need to be pretreated for DTF printing, saving you and your team time in the production process.
  
• Minimal setup time: DTF printing is a relatively quick setup time, making it perfect for short-run jobs. This makes it easier for your shop to take on larger clients who may want a bulk job of screen-printed shirts and accommodate that smaller order of shirts for the family reunion. Plus, you can charge a premium for those short-order shirts to make them profitable for your shop.
  
• Prototype perfect: Since DTF transfers don’t require as much setup as other print methods like screen printing, designing and printing one-off designs is much easier and less overhead for your team. If you want to create and test out different designs without printing a large run, DTF is a great option for this application.

Combining the power of GraphicsFlow and DTF

With all the versatility and market opportunity that DTF printing provides, your shop can take this print method one step further by combining it with the power of GraphicsFlow. Since the GraphicsFlow Art Library features all vector-based, production-ready designs, you can build and customize artwork for your customers from the library. They’ll be ready to print as soon as the customer approves the art.

Plus, with GraphicsFlow Art Portal, your customers can browse, select, and send your shop design ideas from that same art library. Depending on the job volume and type of merch your customer wants, you can easily recommend DTF transfers as an option.

Market opportunities

Because DTF transfers give you both the capabilities of full color and short runs, they’re ideal for lots of demographics. With those smaller orders, some popular categories that you can print a short run and charge a premium for include:

• Family reunions
• Limited-edition merch for special events
• Smaller school sports teams and clubs
• Fundraiser (for premium-level donators)

With a powerhouse combination of high-quality artwork from GraphicsFlow and a versatile decoration method like DTF transfers, there’s an excellent opportunity to grow your business and find new customers. And, it’s a great way to show your existing customers that your shop offers new services.

Want to learn more about the benefits of DTF transfers?

Sign up for the May 4th Decorator Academy, featuring Mark Heise from Yellow Springer Custom Tees and Promotions. You’ll get a detailed discussion of how the technology works and how to use this powerful print method with GraphicsFlow to crush your merch sales.

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