Coming back with some results about flock:

Washed it 10 times now, no color degrading, it doesnt peel off.

Only downside i see right now, everytime you wash it, there is tiny particles from other clothes that stick to it. But if you use a lint roller is fine.

Washed it at 40 degrees celsius normal, not inside out.

The test continues as i want to see how much does it truly last. I always do this test before selling it to customers.

 

Only downside i see right now, everytime you wash it, there is tiny particles from other clothes that stick to it. But if you use a lint roller is fine.

Flock does this... it's normal.

 

Hey, I get it — DTF is one of those topics that sparks a ton of questions lately, and not all answers out there are very clear or based on real production experience.

I’ve been in the decorated apparel world for a while (screen print, HTV, sublimation, white toner, you name it), and I’ve been running DTF in-house for over 2 years. Here's my honest breakdown:


Is DTF any good?
Short answer: It can be excellent — but like any method, results depend on where you're getting your transfers or how you’re making them.

If you’re buying cheap film and powder from AliExpress and trying to run it on a poorly calibrated setup, it won’t look or last great. But with the right inks, film, adhesive, and curing process, DTF gives vibrant, soft, long-lasting prints that rival screen printing in durability. I’ve personally tested washes at 140°F and even high-heat tumble with zero cracking or fading after 50+ washes.


DTF vs. White Toner Transfers?
White toner can be a decent method, especially for hard surfaces or quick one-offs. But for apparel, DTF has the edge in stretch, color accuracy, and feel. White toner prints often feel stiffer and can crack or flake. Maintenance is easier with white toner, yes — but you're trading that for a lower-end finish, in my opinion.


DTF vs. HTV?
If you're doing names and numbers, HTV is still king. Super reliable and easy to layer. But when you want full-color, photo-quality, or you're tired of weeding, DTF takes the win. HTV can’t compete when it comes to printing gradients, shading, or detailed designs. And if you’re scaling up production, DTF saves major time.


Durability & Washability?
People bash DTF for not lasting, but that usually comes down to cheap materials or improper curing. Good DTF transfers hold up great. The reason most sellers include overly cautious wash instructions is because they’re using lower-quality film and powders that don't bond well.


What about those UV-DTF “garment” prints from overseas?
Just to be clear — that’s not DTF. It’s UV printing with a thermal adhesive slapped on the back. It’s thick, doesn’t stretch, and cracks under stress. Good for mugs or packaging. Not for t-shirts.


Bottom line: DTF isn’t perfect, but it’s a legit print method when done right. It’s not a replacement for everything, but it solves a lot of problems for decorators — especially those doing custom or small-batch runs.

Happy to answer questions or show sample results if anyone’s interested!

 

DTF gives vibrant, soft, long-lasting prints that rival screen printing in durability.

If that were true... no one would do screen-printing.

I’ve been in the decorated apparel world for a while (screen print, HTV, sublimation, white toner, you name it)

I’ve personally tested washes at 140°F and even high-heat tumble with zero cracking or fading after 50+ washes.

Do a forum search, and you will find posts claiming 50+ washes for laser toner transfers as well.

As usual... new user, unverified claim for "50+ washes"

If you're doing names and numbers, HTV is still king. Super reliable and easy to layer. But when you want full-color, photo-quality, or you're tired of weeding, DTF takes the win. HTV can’t compete when it comes to printing gradients, shading, or detailed designs. And if you’re scaling up production, DTF saves major time.

Let's just pretend that printable HTV does not exist?
DTF itself is basically printable HTV, but without the weeding part (Color Layer + White layer + Adhesive Layer).
When designs are easy to weed, which is actually fairly common, printable HTV is in my opinion a better and more reliable option.

 

Just to be clear... DTF does have it's place but it is over-hyped by exaggerated claims.

The reality is that DTF, HTV, and laser toner transfers are all "film" aka "vinyl" type transfers.
They are basically dry ink films getting hot-glued on top of the fabric.

DTF is not like screen-printing, sublimation, or DTG, where the ink itself goes into the fabric.

 

Hey Bob, you’re absolutely right that all these methods—DTF, HTV, and laser toner—have their pros and cons, and none are truly one-size-fits-all.


Oh man, I could go on for days on this subject. I actually just bought out all the vinyl from Craftables’ auction here in the U.S. — over 400 jumbo rolls of HTV in every flavor imaginable. I thought, “Crafters are going to love this!” But here’s the truth: nobody wants to cut and weed anymore. Too much work, too little time. I ended up just using it in my physical store for walk-in customers who still want to DIY.


Meanwhile, I also sell DTF transfers, and from what I’ve seen, DTF shines for people who want quick, full-color prints with minimal effort. Especially for gang sheets, team orders, or Etsy sellers — it just saves time.


That said, printable HTV still has its place, especially for people with solvent printers or those doing one-offs with specific materials. I totally agree that it can be more predictable and durable for certain garments, especially stretch fabrics.


At the end of the day, DTF isn’t magic — just another tool in the toolbox. If you're dialed in with good film, adhesive, and pressure, it can be impressive. But you're spot-on: it’s not sublimation or screen print, and it shouldn't be hyped as something it’s not.


Appreciate the thoughtful convo. Love seeing real experiences being shared. 👊

 

But here’s the truth: nobody wants to cut and weed anymore.

It depends on the type of weeding, because many designs are super easy to weed.
Also for metallic, glitter, puff, and much more, weeding HTV is still the best option.

Meanwhile, I also sell DTF transfers, and from what I’ve seen, DTF shines for people who want quick, full-color prints with minimal effort.

This is exactly why doing both HTV and DTF is the best option.
Ordering DTF transfers is slow, and printing your own is difficult.
BUT, you can use HTV for the easy to weed jobs, and order DTF transfers for the rest.
The best of both worlds, and without having to deal with the headaches DTF printing.

At the end of the day, DTF isn’t magic — just another tool in the toolbox. If you're dialed in with good film, adhesive, and pressure, it can be impressive. But you're spot-on: it’s not sublimation or screen print, and it shouldn't be hyped as something it’s not.

A very reasonable statement...
DTF influencers however are saying the opposite.

 

This is exactly why doing both HTV and DTF is the best option.
Ordering DTF transfers is slow, and printing your own is difficult.
BUT, you can use HTV for the easy to weed jobs, and order DTF transfers for the rest.
The best of both worlds, and without having to deal with the headaches DTF printing.

Bob, If you're making DTF for garments do you also have a sell tranfers arm to businesses please?

Not "asking for a friend" but for myself as a UK based person who knows how to club a DTF image together but has no intention of ever buying a machine.

 

New DTF wash test video from Printful added in post #18.
Looks like a section of a larger more detailed video... Hopefully they will publish the full version too.

 

EDIT: 29 June 2025
My sister just showed me this DTG vs DTF video from printful.
Again... Kudos to printful for being reasonably honest and showing the limitations of their printing methods.
As I've been saying DTF is basically the same as HTV and will crack, but I'm actually surprized the sample crack after just 5 washes.

These cracks are not too bad at this stage, but even the thicker areas will crack after 20-25 washes.
I think printful will not dare showing the shirt after 25 washes, and I don't blame them, because they have to stay competitive against less honest POD companies.

[/QUOTE]

The dtf shirt was obviously not double pressed, this makes a huge difference.

 

The dtf shirt was obviously not double pressed, this makes a huge difference.

If the shirt wasn't double pressed, the result would be a lot worse.
Also, this is a demonstration by a company selling the product.
Finally, as I keep saying... people can always get samples and try it for themselves.

 

I find that using DTG ink to print DTF method actually produce more vivid and durable colors (especially the white) than using DTF ink. My old print (back when I still use my dtg machine to print dtf) looks way better compared to recent ones that uses actual DTF ink which already have cracks on them.

 

Of course... but DTG white is more expensive.

 

A worthy sacrifice for those who are paranoid about washability I guess? Tho rn using dtf ink I haven't had complaint about washability except for one case when I tried to print the white with clogged nozzle which results in a thinner print than usual.

 

Very few follow the washing instructions including me. Not sure how much effect it has one way or the other.

 

Very few follow the washing instructions including me. Not sure how much effect it has one way or the other.

Not much... but DTF will survive 10-15 normal washes.
People are unlikely to complain after that, even if they never see the wash instructions.
The same apply to many other transfer methods by the way.

If you want to establish a brand however, which is what everyone should be doing in my opinion, you should stay away from transfers.
People will notice when a shirt bought 5 or even 20 years ago still looks good.

 

DTF gives vibrant, soft, long-lasting prints that rival screen printing in durability.

If that were true... no one would do screen-printing.

Setting aside whether it's true or not, the claim that if it were true no one would screen print makes no sense. Even if a DTF print was just as good as a screen print, screen printing e.g. a 72 pc three color full front 11"x16" print would be much cheaper to produce than DTF'ing them. Even setting aside the $2 or more PER SHIRT print direct cost difference of ink vs film, at some point the total labor time per shirt becomes less in screen printing (total time including printing seps, burning and reclaiming, and time on press). So less time per shirt and less material cost per shirt.

 

Even if a DTF print was just as good as a screen print, screen printing e.g. a 72 pc three color full front 11"x16" print would be much cheaper to produce than DTF'ing them. Even setting aside the $2 or more PER SHIRT print direct cost difference of ink vs film, at some point the total labor time per shirt becomes less in screen printing (total time including printing seps, burning and reclaiming, and time on press). So less time per shirt and less material cost per shirt.

DTF is definitely not as good as screen-printing.
As an example, would you cannot really DTF all-over-prints. They will just don't look or feel right.
DTF is not as durable as screen printing either, for the same reason plastisol transfers are not as durable.

Having said that, and as I keep repeating... DTF does have its place.
The hype, the deception, and the silly claims is what I have a problem with.
Also, personally, I'd rather have a DTG printed tee... especially if white (no white ink used).

 

How do you get $2 per shirt more?
I buy rolls of film 600mm x 100m for £50

 

I had looked at a few articles from this year talking about the "true cost" of in-house dtf printing, including film, ink, powder and equipment and they were between $1 and $2 for roughly a 1 foot square print, and this hypothetical is bigger than that. But maybe I should've said $1 more instead of $2. They seem to be in agreement that the cost of the DTF ink is more than the cost of the film fwiw.

 

We obviously have very different clients, if we sold shirts at $35 we wouldn't be in business very long.

I had looked at a few articles from this year talking about the "true cost" of in-house dtf printing, including film, ink, powder and equipment and they were between $1 and $2 for roughly a 1 foot square print, and this hypothetical is bigger than that. But maybe I should've said $1 more instead of $2. They seem to be in agreement that the cost of the DTF ink is more than the cost of the film fwiw.

Ink cost £18 per litre, roughly 2 litres per roll, makes materials around 15p per square foot. Obviously more to add for time, electric etc.
For small-ish runs I can have 100 shirts, from email of artwork, printed and packed in about 2 hours.