What is a DTF transfer?

Direct-to-Film (DTF) is a decoration method where CMYK+White ink is printed onto a PET film, coated with a hot-melt adhesive powder, cured in an oven and then heat-pressed onto the garment at 150–165°C. It combines the unlimited-colour freedom of sublimation with the ability to apply to cotton, dark polyester, blends and technical fabrics.

How does DTF compare to sublimation?

Sublimation only works on white polyester and produces zero hand-feel because the dye is inside the fibre. DTF works on any fabric and any colour, but leaves a soft, flexible film on the surface — you can feel it, though far less than screen print or plastisol transfers. DTF wins when the base fabric is not white polyester.

How durable are DTF transfers?

Well-applied DTF transfers survive 40–60 industrial washes without cracking, peeling or significant fading. Wash-fastness depends on cure temperature, adhesive powder quality, press dwell time and pressure. Retail-grade DTF passes standard AATCC and ISO wash-fastness tests when applied per specification.

When should I choose DTF for a kit programme?

Choose DTF for player names and numbers (per-item variable data), small-run custom kits below screen-print break-even quantity, cotton or blended teamwear where sublimation cannot bond, and complex full-colour logos on dark or coloured base fabrics where screen print would need too many colours.

Decoration · Sportswear Encyclopedia

DTF Transfers

Direct-to-Film sits between sublimation and screen print. It prints unlimited colour like sublimation, but it applies to any fabric — cotton, dark polyester, blends, technical stretch — because the print carries its own adhesive layer. That's why DTF now dominates player-name-and-number work and small-run custom kit.

Substrate

Any fabric

Cotton, poly, blend

Press temp

150–165°C

10–15 sec dwell

Wash-fast

40–60 washes

AATCC / ISO grade

Break-even

1–100 units

Per design

How the DTF process works

Artwork sent to a DTF printer with CMYK + white ink channels. White is printed as a backing layer under the colour so the design remains vivid on dark fabric.
Wet PET film exits the printer covered in ink. Hot-melt polyurethane adhesive powder is dusted evenly across the ink while it is still tacky.
Film travels through a curing oven at ~120–150°C for 2–4 minutes. The adhesive melts and locks into the ink layer, forming a peel-ready transfer.
Transfer is heat-pressed onto the garment at 150–165°C for 10–15 seconds at 40–60 PSI. The adhesive bonds into the fabric fibres.
Film is cold or warm peeled depending on the film type. A second post-press for 5 seconds locks the print and gives a matte, flexible finish.

Hand-feel — where DTF sits between sublimation and screen print

Sublimation — zero hand-feel. Dye lives inside the polyester fibre. You cannot feel the print at all.
DTF — soft, flexible film on the surface. Noticeably present under a fingertip, but stretches and flexes with the fabric. Not sticky in sweat when cured correctly.
Screen print (plastisol) — thick, opaque, sometimes rubbery. Very present on the fabric. Best for streetwear, worst for compression baselayer.
Screen print (water-based) — thinner than plastisol, closer to DTF in hand-feel, but limited to cotton or cotton-heavy blends.

Durability, wash-fastness and failure modes

Failure	Root cause	Fix
Peeling edges	Under-cured adhesive powder	Raise oven temp / extend post-press
Cracking after 10–20 washes	Cheap adhesive powder or wrong ink	Use retail-grade TPU adhesive
Sticky in heat	Under-cured film, poor peel timing	Post-press with silicone paper
Faded white base	Low white-ink density	Increase white channel opacity to 100%
Cracking over stretch panels	Rigid film on compression fabric	Use stretch-grade DTF film + soft adhesive

When DTF is the right decoration choice

Player names and numbers — per-item variable data that cannot be sublimated at fabric stage.
Small-run custom kits below 50–100 units where screen-print screen setup does not amortise.
Cotton teamwear (hoodies, tees, tracksuits) where sublimation cannot bond.
Full-colour complex logos on dark or coloured base fabric where screen print would require 6+ screens.
Prototype and sample decoration ahead of a screen-print bulk run — DTF produces retail-grade decoration for approval samples at unit cost.

When DTF is the wrong choice

All-over prints and edge-to-edge patterns — DTF cannot cover full panels economically. Use sublimation.
Compression baselayer with tight stretch — even stretch-grade DTF cracks under 8-way stretch cycles. Use silicone print or engineered fabric.
High-volume simple 1–2 colour logo runs above 500 units — screen print will be 30–50% cheaper.
Metallic, glitter, glow, high-density puff — screen-print specialty inks only.

Get costed DTF options for your kit

Send us artwork, garment type and quantity — we'll price DTF, screen print, sublimation and hybrid workflows side by side.

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