Direct To Film (DTF) printing is a relatively new method of printing, primarily in the apparel (shirt) industry.  It utilizes a special printer and ink system to print your graphics on a specialized film.  A bonding powder is added and the print is 'cured' before it is ready to be adhered the garment.  When heat of a certain temperature and duration is applied the film can be peeled off, leaving a durable and vibrant artwork on the garment. 

Screen Printing is an established method of shirt printing for multiple reasons; it is durable, economical, and scales well for growing print businesses.  It mostly uses petroleum-based ink products called 'plastisols' for printing, though there are also water-based and other specialty inks available.  Screen Printing commonly used a single screen that is 'exposed' to the artwork for every color needed in the design. 

DTF is relatively new to the printing world, and takes advantage of modern digital printing techniques and new ink formulations for farment printing.  It can print full color without the need for screens and color separations and exposures.  

Screen Printing is an extremely established industry, with countless companies making and innovating new products.  Screen Printing is relatively inexpensive to get into, with just a few hundred dollars getting you a basic manual press and the supplies needed to print a shirt in a spare room.  Inks and supplies are generally very affordable, and special formulations of inks can be mixed to make custom colors or to match customer requested Pantone (PMS) colors.  

Screen Printing scales extremely well.  Large businesses may get orders for thousands of garments at a time, and large automatic presses that can be run by a single user keeps labor costs down and can be run extremely fast.  

Screen Printing inks also are able to offer colors and effects that DTF inks cannot, such as glitters, shimmers, foils, reflectives, puffs, neons, glow-in-the-dark, water or heat activated, color changing, and more.  There are also inks that offer a far different feel, such as silicone inks.    

Some disadvantages compared to DTF may include cost; though very cheap to acquire the basic equipment, professional shops interested in automation see significantly higher prices.  Another disadvantage is that typical screen printing requires an exposed frame for every color needed (though four-color-process printing, a more advanced screen printing technique, can eliminate this need).  This can also require more artwork optimization before you print.  Setup and cleanup time is also a disadvantage and more 'comsumables' are used compared to DTF printing.  

DTF printing is relatively new to the apparel industry, and manufacturers are still actively developing products to introduce to the market, so you won't find the amount of equipment and consumables that you will find for screen printing.  That said, there are clear advantages to DTF printing.  More economical printers are being developed and released, making DTF entry easier by the day.  

DTF prints are durable and can capture the full color range of CMYK printing with no screens and very little setup time.  In some instances and with proper setup, a user can develop their artwork, hit 'print' and have a shirt out the door within mere minutes.  This makes DTF printing ideal for small-run orders where setting up a screen printing press wouldn't be economical.  This opens many new doors for established screen printers.  

Some disadvantages compared to screen printing may include initial startup costs and space needs.  A truly professional DTF setup can have special space and humidity needs, and startup equipment can be costly compared to some screen printing setups.  While not as many consumables are needes for DTF printing, ink prices can be more expensive (in some cases, considerably more expensive).  Whereas white is typically quite cheap for screen printers, DTF white inks can be their most expensive color.  Lastly, equipment maintenance may not be consumer friendly, often requiring a technician trained by the factory to perform repairs.  

Yes!  In addition to selling DTF products from the leading brands and being able to service those brands, Texsource brands their own equipment and products from very select manufacturers that we know and trust to bring you quality products.  We stand behind these products, and our team is able to provide proper setup and startup, but also service after the sale.  If your products start experiencing issues, our team is only a phone call away!

We have it!  We carry a full line of films, adhesive powders, inks, and other supplies needed by every DTF and screen print shop.  We ship from 5 US locations, so we can see to your needs fast.  In cases where specialty parts may need to be ordered, we maintain a great relationship with our preferred manufacturers, and will get your parts out to you without delay.  

If you are wanting to get started wtih DTF printing, there are some things to keep in mind.  Many YouTubers or other sites claim that there are consumer inkjet printers that can be 'converted' to perform well with DTF inks and films.  This is not the case.  DTF ink formulations are far different than CMYK inks for consumer printers, and can clog print heads quickly.  A quality printer designed and optimized for DTF inks is likely the most expensive part of any DTF setup, but this investment will ensure trouble-free prints during the life of the product.  

It is also advisable to get a quality heat press with a 16"x20" heat element area at minimum.  You can get extravagent here, or you can keep it simple (and affordable) as our heat presses come with a variety of functions and automation features, all depending on your needs and budget.  

The consumables needed will be your film (sold in rolls), the inks, transfer powders, and possibly cleaning solutions (depending on the model of your printer).  Out turnkey DTF printing system automates the process of coating the print with the transfer powder, then running the film through a heat dryer to 'cure' the transfer.  On smaller printers it may be possible to print individual transfer sheets and cure in a small conveyor dryer or even with your heat press (though this can be a time consuming and uneven process).  

Finally you should have a good RIP or artwork software such as Corel products or Adobe Illustrator.  These flexible programs will allow you to properly prepare your artwork for printing.  Our turnkey DTF package includes a laptop with the appropriate software preinstalled and configured.