Blog — DTF printing

Four methods dominate custom apparel decoration: DTF, screen printing, DTG, and embroidery. DTF prints a full-color design onto film and heat-presses it on, no per-color setup, works on almost any fabric. Screen printing pushes ink through a mesh screen, one screen per color, cheapest at real bulk in one or two colors. DTG prints ink directly onto the garment like an inkjet printer, best on cotton, no minimum order. Embroidery stitches the design in thread, the only method with a physical, textured result. Which one you want depends on your quantity, your fabric, and whether the design has more than...

For most orders under 100 pieces, DTF wins on cost and turnaround. Screen printing pulls ahead only once you're past roughly 150 pieces in one or two colors, where its per-piece price drops below what DTF can match. Below that line, DTF is usually cheaper, faster to turn around, and handles full-color art that screen printing can't touch without adding a screen per color. That's the short version. Here's the actual math behind it, pulled straight from real per-piece pricing, not a rule of thumb. DTF Pricing by Quantity and Size DTF (direct-to-film) is priced per piece, per print location,...

Small businesses are using AI to generate custom apparel designs faster and cheaper than ever. Here's the real workflow, the best tools, and what your printer still needs from you.

AI-generated images almost never come out of the tool ready to print. Here's why your AI design isn't print-ready and exactly what we do to fix it before it goes on a shirt.

We ran 5 AI tools through our actual DTF print process, Nano Banana, ChatGPT, Midjourney, Ideogram, and Kittl, and rated each on design quality, print readiness, and text handling. Here's what we found.