DTF Transfer Printing

How DTF transfer printing works

DTF stands for direct to film. Your artwork is printed in full colour onto a film, with an adhesive powder bonded to the back. When it arrives, you cut out each design, lay it on the garment and press it with heat. The design lets go of the film and bonds to the fabric. You can mix lots of different designs on one order, which is why DTF transfer printing suits short runs.

Who uses DTF transfer printing

• Small clothing brands pressing tees and hoodies to order, so they never sit on stock.
• Sports clubs and dance schools adding a crest to the chest and names to the back.
• Market sellers and crafters doing tote bags, aprons and one-off gifts.
• Anyone with a heat press who wants full colour designs without printing them in-house.

The DTF transfer printing gang sheet

There is one product, DTF Transfers, on one format: a 560 × 1000 mm DTF transfer sheet. That is a gang sheet, which just means you fill it with as many designs as you can fit. A big back print, a row of chest logos, a strip of little sleeve badges and a couple of name tags can all share the same sheet. Order anywhere from 1 to 10 sheets. The size table near the top of the page shows the live price for the sheet.

Planning your DTF transfer printing sheet

Sizes come first

What you put on the sheet is what ends up on the shirt, at exactly that size. Grab a favourite printed hoodie from the drawer and get the tape measure out: that tells you roughly how wide a left-chest badge or a full back design should be.

Then play Tetris

Space the designs a few millimetres apart so the scissors have room. Slot the little badges into the corners the big designs leave empty, and one sheet goes a lot further.

Then test

Cotton, polyester and most blends all take DTF. You press it yourself, so follow the settings recommended for DTF film on your heat press, and try the first one on an old shirt before the full batch of club kit.

Artwork for DTF transfer printing

• Transparent background, always: a PNG or PDF. If your logo sits on a white square in the file, the white square gets printed too.
• 300 dpi at the size it will be pressed. People look at a T-shirt from arm's length.
• Skip hairline details and tiny lettering; they are the first bits to go wrong in the press.
• Send the whole sheet laid out, or send each design on its own with a note of its finished width.

Upload a print-ready file, use the free online designer, or book our paid artwork service. A real person checks every uploaded file for free. The artwork guidelines list accepted file types, and the FAQ page covers common questions.

DTF transfer printing times and delivery

Standard production is 4 working days, express from 2 and saver 6, counted from when your order and artwork are confirmed. Every sheet is made to order and dispatched from the UK. UK mainland delivery is £7.95, free on orders of £100 or more after discounts (artwork fees excluded). Mainland Highlands add £10. Northern Ireland, the Scottish islands, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight are quoted. See the delivery page. Need more than 10 sheets? Ask for a quote.