DTF printing supplies fall into four groups: a printer, an oven to cure the powder, ink, and adhesive powder. All four are on my DTF Printing Must-Haves list, a 7-item list on my Amazon storefront for people who want to print their own transfers. Marie Gems prints in-house on its own printer, film, ink, powder, and heat press. This post is a guide to what each supply does and what to check on its listing, drawn from the items on my list, and it is not a record of the exact brand inside my own printer.
Disclosure: some links in this post are affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
What does a DTF printer setup include?
A DTF setup needs a printer that can lay down white ink, film to print on, ink, powder, and a way to cure the powder. The pressing happens later, on a heat press, and that is why the DTF Printing Must-Haves list has no heat press on it. The printer on the list is the PUNEHOD A3 DTF printer. Its listing calls it an R1390 direct to film machine with a white ink circulation system and a roller and sheet feeder, sold as a 13 inch width printer plus oven. It was about $1,799 as I write this, which makes it the biggest single decision on the list.
Why does DTF printing need an oven?
The oven is the curing step. After a design prints onto film, adhesive powder goes onto the wet ink and gets cured, and that cured powder is what makes a transfer ready to press. The imtfzct A3+A4 DTF oven dryer on my list has temperature control, and its listing gives a film size of 14.6 by 19 inches. It was about $360 as I write this. The PUNEHOD A3 printer listing is sold as printer plus oven but states no oven size, so compare the imtfzct's stated 14.6 by 19 inch film size against the film you print on before you buy a separate oven.
Which DTF ink listings should you compare?
Compare the printhead each listing names, then the amount, then the price. Four ink listings are on my list, and the prices below are about what they cost as I write this:
- The PUNEHOD 1500 ml DTF ink refill is 5 bottles of 250 ml CMYKW plus 250 ml of moisturizing liquid, about $79 as I write this.
- The PUNEHOD ink and powder combo pairs 1500 ml of ink with 500 g of powder, about $110.
- The SAIBOYA 250 ml ink combo is 2 white bottles plus one set of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, about $69.
- The Welacer white ink is a single 500 ml white refill, about $21.
CMYKW means cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and white. Each title lists the printers and printheads it works with, such as L1800, R1390, XP600, and TX800, so match your machine to the listing before you order. My DTF Business Starter Kit list on Benable also has printer, ink, powder, film, and shaker oven entries, and my note on its white ink says it is the one that clogs if you let the printer sit, so keep it circulating or agitate the bottle before refilling.
What does DTF powder do, and how much do you need?
DTF powder is the hot melt adhesive that bonds the printed design to fabric. In my own process the powder goes onto the wet ink and is cured, and without that step the design would only sit on top of the fabric. The LNKCOS white DTF powder on my list is a 1 kg bag (35.3 oz), about $36 as I write this, and the PUNEHOD combo above includes 500 g. Buy the size that matches how many transfers you actually make, since you can always order more.
Should you print your own DTF transfers or buy them ready to press?
Printing your own means roughly $1,800 as I write this for the printer and its oven before any ink or powder, plus the time to run and maintain the machine. Buying ready-to-press transfers means the only equipment you need is a heat press. Marie Gems sells ready-to-press transfers in 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 inch sizes, pressed at 320°F for 15 seconds with a cold peel, so a buyer can skip everything on this list. I chose to run the whole process myself, which is a real tradeoff of more equipment, more time, and more to manage, and I wrote about it in how DTF transfers are made.
Is DTF the right method for your product?
Only if the product needs it. DTF works across a wide range of fabrics and colors, while sublimation needs polyester or poly-coated surfaces and heat transfer vinyl suits simple shapes. DTF vs. sublimation vs. HTV is the comparison I wrote for that decision, and it is worth reading before you spend on a printer.
The bottom line on DTF printing supplies
Decide whether you want to print at all before you compare inks. If you do, the printer, the oven, the ink, and the powder are the four purchases, and each ink listing names the printheads it works with. If you would rather press than print, Marie Gems transfers are already made and ready to go, and my full Business Supplies list covers the pressing side.