We’ve tested over £2000 worth of DTF transfer film from 23 different manufacturers in 6 different countries and most of it was rubbish, despite the fact every manufacturer claiming to have the best material.
As you can see by the photo, even visually, there is a large variety of different film circulating the DTF market. Generally speaking, more opaque film resulted in better results because it tends to have more ink absorbing coating, however there were a few exceptions. One brand in particular sold us a roll of “DFT film” which looked perfect at first glance however after the first test it turned out that their coating was actually repelling the DTF ink. Usually this happens when you accidentally print on the wrong side of the film, however this was not the case. It was almost as if the film was coated in that new nanotube water repellent spray. Ink was being deposited in tiny droplets, combining into large droplets and then running straight off the film without leaving a trace. This was actually pretty impressive.
A lot of the film had loose powder coating which resulted in uneven prints and some areas just refused to take in. Handling such film was difficult with powder constantly being shaken off and fingertips leaving fingerprint marks all over the film.
Some films started off perfectly but then warped and bubbled during curing process. This one type of DTF film in particular seemed to have melting temperature below that of a DTF powder. We ended up melting the film before the powder and that was at 150C. Maybe it was designed for lower melting point powder? Bu then surely that would affect washability at high temperatures. This other type of film warped so much, it lifted itself up 10cm and stuck to the top of the oven, setting itself on fire and ruining the heating elements.
Finally, a few films did great during all the test but when it came to transferring the print onto a garment they would stick so hard to the t-shirts it almost created their own new thick and glossy heat transfer printing technology.
Out of 23 different types of DTF heat transfer film we’ve tested only 3 passed all check marks. This is a new and emerging technology so hopefully with time quality will improve.
Good morning
Would you like to give me some information?
1) the Epson L 1800 printer
can you deliver it already modified?
2) to print white you need the RIP
or is the white printing system already included in the Epson software (CD)?
3) if you need the RIP, you sell it and how much it costs.
Regards. Antonio Orlando Turin Italy
Hello Antonio,
I’m sending you an email so that we don’t talk in public comments.
Hello, you’re saying that only three films passed, but you don’t say which? Can you help me?
Regards, Anne
Hello Anne,
The film that we sell has passed all the tests.
Best regards,
Ilia
Hi There,
Could you please provide me with more information to my mail address?
We have been looking to get a DTF printer but which PET Film should we select, why? Please provide me with some useful information we have to take care of during our selection.
Regards,
Hello, we offer some of the best film you will find in our store right here. It will all work great.
hello can you send us the qulaity film you mentioned?
Hello. That’s the film that we sell.
Seems like you have the perfect fórmula like cocacola!
Has anyone done any videos of all these different films? It would be great to see it in action:+
This might be something we could do in the future.
Hello, how much is the film you sell?
BTW, I’m from Philippines. You should contact me
Hello. Thank you for your interest. Please visit our store here: https://www.dtf.technology to see all the prices.
And where we can see the result of witch film are good, with some picture of the transfer quality ?
I suppose we could make a video comparing various types of film. In the meantime, you can order a small sample of the film or a sample ready to press DTF transfer pack for testing.
hi.what dtf films are best?tnx
So, you’ve tested them all, found 3, but you’re not going to tell anyone what BRANDS you’ve found to be the best? What’s up with that? I don’t have the time to wait on shipments from the UK.
The article is quite old now. There were a lot of improvements since then. I believe we sell the best film you can get for the money. There are a lot of other brands out there now which we have not tested. I guess your best bet is to ask for samples and find a local supplier which works for you.
Hello I have problem with ink I guess printing perfectly after transfer colours go down and can see garment what the problem and how solved?