DTF versus screen printing: which makes more sense for your job?

People often ask which printing method is best. The honest answer is that neither direct to film printing nor screen printing is better in general. They are good at different jobs, and the right choice usually becomes obvious once you know four things: how many pieces, how many colours, what fabric, and what finish you want.

Here is how the two compare.

The two processes in one paragraph each

Screen printing pushes ink through a fine mesh screen onto the fabric. One screen is prepared for each colour in the design, and the garment passes under each screen in turn. The setup takes time, but once it is running, each garment takes seconds.

Direct to film printing, or DTF, prints the design onto a transfer film in full colour with a white backing layer, coats it with an adhesive powder, and presses it onto the garment with heat. There is no screen to prepare, so a job can start immediately.

Quantity

This is the single biggest factor.

Screen printing carries a setup cost per colour that does not change with quantity. Spread that cost over a large run and it becomes small per garment. Spread it over ten garments and it dominates the price.

DTF has no screen setup, so the cost behaves much more evenly across quantities. Small runs stay sensible, and repeat orders do not need anything rebuilt.

As a rule of thumb, small runs favour DTF, and large runs of the same design favour screen printing. Where exactly the balance tips depends on the number of colours, so it is worth asking rather than guessing.

Number of colours

Screen printing costs more as colours are added, because each colour needs its own screen and its own pass. A one colour logo is cheap to run. A photographic image is not practical at all in the traditional sense.

DTF does not care. Full colour artwork, gradients and photographs all print in a single pass at the same cost as a simple mark.

So a two colour logo on 300 shirts is classic screen printing work. A full colour illustration on 30 shirts is classic DTF work.

Fabric

Screen printing is at its best on cotton and cotton rich fabrics. It can be done on other materials, but the ink and the process need to match the fabric.

DTF handles cotton, polyester and blends with the same transfer, which is why mixed orders are so much simpler with it. If one order contains cotton t shirts, polyester sportswear and a few softshell jackets, a single method covering all three saves both time and money.

Detail and small text

DTF holds fine lines, small type and soft edges well, because the design is printed at high resolution rather than pushed through a mesh.

Screen printing handles bold shapes and solid colour beautifully, but very fine detail is limited by the mesh and by registration between colours. A design with hairline strokes may need to be simplified.

Feel and appearance

Screen printed ink sits into the fabric surface and, done well, feels soft and looks integrated with the garment. On a large solid area it is usually the more comfortable result.

A DTF transfer sits on top of the fabric. It is flexible and stretches with a jersey, but you can feel it. On a small chest logo this is barely noticeable. On a very large back print it is more apparent.

Turnaround and repeats

DTF is quick to start. Nothing is prepared in advance, so short lead times and last minute additions are easier to accommodate.

Screen printing takes longer to set up but runs fast once it is going, and a repeat of the same design in the same colours is straightforward.

A quick way to decide

Use this as a first pass.

What we need from you to advise properly

You do not need to choose the method. Tell us:

• the garment and the fabric, if you already know it
• how many pieces, and the size breakdown if there is one
• how many colours are in the design, or send the artwork
• where the print should sit and roughly how wide it should be
• when you need the finished order

With those five things we can tell you which process gives the best result for your budget, and price the job properly rather than approximately.