DTF printing for custom team apparel.

How direct-to-film printing works

DTF stands for direct-to-film. The artwork is printed in full color onto a film and heat-pressed onto the garment, and only the ink layer transfers, which leaves the print sitting flush with the fabric. Gradients and photographs print as they look on screen, and there's no limit on the number of colors.

Screen print needs a screen per color, and that makes a four-color design on a short run expensive per tee. DTF has no per-color setup and we charge no setup fee, which is how full-color art can run at our minimum order.

Two of our customers' designs are jobs a needle can't do. Poly9's booth tees carry a purple-to-pink gradient across the chest, and Northwind Labs runs a teal molecular lattice print on hoodies and tees, with a white embroidered wordmark above it.

Print is for big graphics such as full fronts and full backs. For a small logo on a piece that should look considered, embroidery is the better answer, and every garment we make takes both. Screen printing is a third option, and we can tell you which garments suit it.

What we print on each product

The beanie is the exception, because knit won't take a direct print. The artwork goes onto a label and the label is sewn to the cuff, which is how Summit Fitness's coral beanie carries its mark. The polo takes a print as well as thread, and Embroidery vs DTF Printing for Team Apparel helps you choose between the two.

Artwork files we can print from

• Send vector (SVG, AI, EPS) if you have it, because it scales to any print size without loss.
• Otherwise a 300 dpi PNG at print size works, on a transparent background.
• We print gradients and photographs as sent, in any number of colors, and you don't need to simplify the mark for us.
• The colors in your file are the colors we print, where embroidery has to use the nearest thread color.
• A designer flags any fine lines too thin to survive the wash when you get the proof.

You don't need to get any of this right on the first try, because a designer on our team checks the file and sizes the print for the placement. To see the print on a real garment first, order the paid sample set, which arrives in about two weeks. Your approval of the design starts three weeks of production, and two weeks of shipping follow. Artwork housekeeping for a whole program is in the brand guidelines for merch guide.

Wash durability and care

The print is rated for 50-plus washes without cracking. It's flexible and sits flush, and that lets it move with the fabric with no thick edge to lift. Wash cold and inside out, tumble low or hang dry, and don't iron the print. Embroidery is permanent and outlives the garment, and for a piece meant to last years we'd put the mark in thread and the big graphic in print. Suhail's own zip hoodie is black with the mark printed across the back.

Print placements and widths

The common fleece combination is a stitched left chest and a printed back. A hoodie printed on the chest and the back pays the print fee once and comes to $23.96, the $20.18 rate plus $3.78. Swap the chest print for stitching and the embroidery fee is priced in one business day. Event teams put a full-back print on tees for booth staff and keep a stitched tee for the office, and the company t-shirt guide works through both.

One print fee, however many placements

Each printed piece is the garment rate plus that one print fee, with no per-color charge and no setup fee. 50 pieces takes 12% off the whole order and 150 pieces takes 22%. Fifty printed tees come to 50 × $14.98 = $749, and 150 printed hoodies to 150 × $18.69 = $2,803.50. Northwind Labs' 180-piece first order cleared the 150 tier. We keep your design and size history between orders, and a reorder needs only the quantity. Every product at every tier is on the pricing page, and the Design Studio designs a collection across all eight products and gives you a link.

Related reading.

• Embroidery vs DTF Printing for Team Apparel
• Custom Company T-Shirts, Explained
• Custom Company Hoodies: The Buyer's Guide
• How We Decorate Team Apparel

Print questions we get.

What is DTF printing?

DTF is direct-to-film printing. The artwork is printed in full color onto a film and heat-pressed onto the garment, and only the ink layer transfers. The print sits flush and holds gradients and photographs, with no color-count limit. Because there's no per-color setup, we can start from 15 pieces on full-color art.

How long does a DTF print last?

It's rated for 50-plus washes without cracking. Wash cold and inside out, then tumble low or hang dry. If you expect to keep a piece for years, put the mark in thread, which is permanent and outlives the garment, and the big graphic in print.

Which products can be DTF printed?

All eight. The T-Shirt, Pique Polo, Hoodie, Zip Hoodie, Sweatshirt, Button-Up Shirt and Cap take a direct print, and the Beanie takes a printed label patch sewn to the cuff.

What artwork do I need for DTF?

Vector (SVG, AI, EPS), or a 300 dpi PNG at print size on a transparent background. Gradients and photographs print as sent, in any number of colors. A designer on our team checks the file, and you approve the proof before production.