Direct To Film vs. Screen Printed Transfers: Which One Is Right For Your Project?

Рет қаралды 57,396

2 жыл бұрын

Direct to Film Heat Transfers (DTF) are the latest technology in heat printing these days, but how to they stack up to Screen Printed Plastisol Heat Transfers? When should you use DTF? What's more cost effective? How do they compare on the garment?
We're answering all those questions (and more) in this video.
Join Dave as we break down the differences and similarities between Direct To Film Transfers and Screen Printed Heat Transfers.
We take our Goof Proof Screen Printed Transfers and compare them to the UltraColor Max Direct To Film Transfers to see how they feel, how easy they apply and the capabilities of each one of the heat transfers.
Goof Proof [Screen Printed Plastisol]: www.transferexpress.com/heat-...
UltraColor Max [Direct-To-Film]: www.transferexpress.com/heat-...
Of course, if your artwork has 3 or more colors, gradients or photo realistic choosing a digital transfer like the UltraColor Max is the best bet.
Watch the whole video to find out if DTF or plastisol transfers are right for your next project.
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#DTF #HeatTransfers #ScreenPrintTransfers
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Пікірлер: 65

@kmwdesigns2963 Жыл бұрын

This is a great explanation of the differences between both transfer types, thank you!

@transferexpress Жыл бұрын

Thanks KMW, We're always happy to help!

@alankeogh6419 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Dave. Great product 👌

@MichiganderGirl 2 жыл бұрын

This was a very good presentation of the comparison between the two. I will be trying the Ultra Color Max for full color designs in the future.

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jane, while they're different we really tried to show the best apples-to-apples comparison. We're so happy we could help!

@pamcole8949 2 жыл бұрын

Love this comparison in the single color...I was wondering about trying my one-color logo in the UC Max, so I will try that on my next order. The screen print version changed my color effect (using gold on denim), making it look more yellowish. So I am wondering if I will get more true coloring with UC Max, regardless of background?

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Pam! We tried to give the best comparison side-by-side of both of these transfer types. Like you can see in the video here the Goof Proof Screen Printed Transfers are just slightly more opaque, so you may see a similar color shift when printing on denim with the UltraColor Max. Screen Printed transfers are spot colors, where the Max is using CMYK+ white inks. Did you use the Metallic Gold or Standard Gold Color? The actual screen printed ink colors vary from what you see on screen, but they should print the same color as in the color selector swatch book: www.transferexpress.com/marketing-tools/color-selector

@pamcole8949 2 жыл бұрын

@@transferexpress Thanks so much for the quick reply. I used the standard gold and yes, I do have the color selector from the kit I ordered. I ordered several sheets of Goof Proof using the gold so I am wondering if I just need to print on lighter colors with the rest of my transfers? Also, when I used the sample black hot-split retro on denim, it was fantastic, so I am wondering if the gold would work better with that type of transfer on denim or did the black just work better because of the dark color? Thanks for your help :)

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Pam, Hot Split will be slightly less opaque than the Goof Proof, so most likely it was the darker color ink that made the print look better. If you can take some pictures and send it to us (Using the resolution center in your account dashboard) we can ensure the goof proof is printing properly. You can test print some of the gold onto a lighter color to see how the color compares too (we always send an extra sheet or two with our screen printed transfer orders)

@pamcole8949 2 жыл бұрын

@@transferexpress I really appreciate your follow up! I tried my screen print logo on a lightweight fabric, which made it more of an orange-gold; then I tried a darker denim than I used before, but again, it was not what I was hoping for. So I got out more samples, using the senior class design in Ultra Color Soft, since that is just the gold color I want. That did great on the denim as far as color and texture (very impressive!), but some of the edges were not totally adhered, so I am wondering if the denim just needs a particular type of transfer or adjustments to the heat time or pressure? (Do you have any other resources on that?) Also, I had one small UC Max transfer with gold in it, so I tried that on the denim. Again, the color was great but what I noticed was that you can see the denim texture behind UC Max, whereas the UC Soft does not reveal any fabric texture. So, both are great, depending on the desired effects for each project. I have to say that they are both my favorite versus the screen print, so that is what I will order the most.

@KicoMendoza 6 ай бұрын

So which one has a softer hand feel?

@lincoln3x7 2 жыл бұрын

How many washes would you expect a ultracolor max transfer stand up to before cracks appear?

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

When applied to the application instructions, our independent wash testing has exceeded 50+ wash/dry cycles

@MentalPistol Жыл бұрын

Great video, only thing missing was showing a color example.

@transferexpress Жыл бұрын

Good call Mental P! Sounds like a good idea for a new video 😋

@MentalPistol Жыл бұрын

@@transferexpress Yall gotta pay me in transfers if you use my ideas.

@psychoslingers8732 2 жыл бұрын

Will your transfers work on things like wood coasters, any type of coffee mugs, glass, etc?

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

Wood, coasters and cardboard, yes- our UltraColor Max transfers will work. Mugs and glass you would be better suited for our Cad Prints stickers (dishwasher safe) or pressure sensitive vinyl or even sublimation.

@jorgezambrano3533 Жыл бұрын

I have my own logo i am screen printing my fisher/rashguard shirts resr logo is 6’’ round snd front is 3’’ hi x 8’’ wide single color, what you guys recommend will last longer for sun and sea water use?

@transferexpress Жыл бұрын

Hey Jorge! That's a great question! For super durable 1 color prints on those 100% polyester rash guard / fishing shirts and the screen printed look and feel, our Elasti Prints transfers (www.transferexpress.com/heat-applied-transfers/elasti-prints-screen-printed-transfers) would work great! They apply at a low temperature to avoid any scorching or press marks on the garment. I would also like to add- the majority of those fishing / rashguard shirts I see are sublimated, so if you're printing on light or white colored shirts, the sublimation transfers ( Check the bottom of the page here: www.stahls.com/full-color-digital-transfer ) from Stahls' may be a fantastic option as well- It gives you the ability to print full color with a print that feels like the fabric of the shirt. These only work on white or very light colored 100% polyester fabric.

@Grace-lx5bs Жыл бұрын

Hello, I was told that screen print transfers can only be used on the light color items of a minimum of 60% polyester?? are your screen print transfers, different from others? Thank you!

@kathleencrump1495 Жыл бұрын

That’s sublimation

@transferexpress Жыл бұрын

Hey Grace, Kathleen here is correct, you're thinking about sublimation transfers. Screen printed transfers can be applied to cotton, polyester and cotton/poly blend fabrics in any color. They're the same, opaque plastisol ink that's been used in the apparel decorating industry for decades. Sublimation transfers do not print with white inks (just CMYK like your desktop printers) and bond to the polyester fibers in the garment- thus requiring high polyester content along with light or white color fabrics exclusively.

@kyrietatum4353 2 жыл бұрын

UC Max looks good after freshly pressing but does not last in the washing machine. It will start to lift off the garment if it is a small text logo and it will wrinkle really bad if the image is large (note I wash all garments that I press on delicate and hang dry)

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Kyrie, we've had our UltraColor Max independently wash tested to 50+ wash dry cycles without lifting or wrinkling. We'd love to help out- please submit a resolution in your account dashboard and we'll be able to help out with more details.

@ACraftyConcept Жыл бұрын

What is the shelf life for your DTF transfers? Like how fast do I have to use it?

@transferexpress Жыл бұрын

That's a great question! We have some prints from when we first released UltraColor Max in January of 2022 that still print perfect. When stored in a climate controlled environment away from any moisture heat transfers will last quite a long time. We do recommend keeping the silica gel packs that ship with the transfers to control moisture when storing. While based on our screen printed transfers we have some great storage tips that still apply here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/sLpxmtSGyrvXiKs.html

@jennimaieron723 Жыл бұрын

In terms of durability and quality which one is better when compared? Goof Proof or ultra color max?

@transferexpress Жыл бұрын

Great Question Jenni! Goof Proof and UltraColor Max are both independently tested to 50+ wash cycles to meet the industry standard for durability. So, It would just depend on your artwork and quantity: For 1-2 color artwork Goof Proof would be recommended and any artwork with more colors would be better suited for UltraColor Max. Personally (Dave here), I love the look and feel of Goof Proof as it is almost identical to a traditional screen printed shirt.

@peter_shadow7559 2 жыл бұрын

Hello. In the price catalog, what is Elasti Prints?

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

Elasti Prints are our screen printed transfers made for 100% polyester. These are more athletic-based with outstanding stretch and rebound and apply great to uniforms, jerseys and performance wear like Under Armour.

@axishinedetail6775 Жыл бұрын

With the stretching what is the cracking effect?

@transferexpress Жыл бұрын

Both of these transfer types have outstanding stretch and rebound without cracking. The UltraColor Max (direct to film) has a little bit more give to it, making it perfect for printing on super-stretchy fabrics like spandex too!

@YOQishere 2 жыл бұрын

wondering if it would be worth it living in Canada.

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

It'd totally be worth it. 😉

@andrea37508 4 ай бұрын

Can you print pictures that you took on your phone into the shirts ? Obviously many many colors in a photo?

@transferexpress 4 ай бұрын

Absolutely! You'd want to use UltraColor Max Direct To Film Transfers for those photos: www.transferexpress.com/heat-applied-transfers/ultracolor-max

@catchwreck928 Жыл бұрын

How would you compare DTF to DTG or htv?

@transferexpress Жыл бұрын

Great question, thanks for asking! DTF is most comparable in feel and capabilities to Direct To Garment prints. It has a smooth feel and is a lightweight print, so it wears nice and moves with the fabric well. DTF can apply to 100% cotton, cotton/poly blends, tri-blends and 100% polyester- so you're not limited to cotton-only garments like DTG. While very similar inks, DTF has a little bit more stretch than DTG too (because of the adhesive), so you'll notice less cracking in the print with extended washing and wear. Compared to vinyl, DTF is lighter on the garment than most HTV, and allows for full color images, free floating text and elements all without cutting and weeding. We'd love to send you a free sample of our UltraColor Max DTF prints so you can try it and compare: www.transferexpress.com/marketing-tools/free-samples

@EvanHolland23 2 жыл бұрын

Will Ultra Color max work on 100 % Polyester Jackets? Or Nylon?

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Evan, UltraColor Max will apply great to 100% polyester jackets. For nylon, it is not recommended (Our UltraColor Stretch transfers are specifically formulated for Nylon, Lycra, Spandex and other synthetic fabric)

@EvanHolland23 2 жыл бұрын

@@transferexpress Thank You so much for the reply. This helped alot

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

@@EvanHolland23 Our pleasure, we're always happy to help!

@djlive408 2 жыл бұрын

I love the goof proof product, but recently I tried using the Ultra Color Max and I get charged $20 just so an artist can review my artwork, although my artwork is all vector based; why would you guys want t to charge a fee for someone to look my artwork, that should be by default and not get charged for it.

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

Hey DJLive, This is mostly because of the process of how these transfers are produced. With just 6 cents per square inch pricing for the UltraColor Max, print-ready artwork is required. Because Goof Proof is screen printed, our designers have to set each order up for the screens themselves, so artwork review is included in the process. If you're uploading vector artwork, you should be able to "approve as is" and not pay the additional proofing fee- The last step of the ordering process in easy view is an accurate proof of how your final transfers will turn out. If it is defaulting to "approve for artist attention" and not allowing you to proceed as-is, give us a call so we can review your artwork and see what's going on.

@djlive408 2 жыл бұрын

@@transferexpress I ordered the ultra color max and you guys sent me pixilated graphics even though I had submitted vector artwork, on top of that you guys charged me $20 to reprint a mistake that wasn’t mine.

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

@@djlive408 I'm sorry to hear that- It definitely sounds like something went wrong- We should have completely covered the reprint on that one. DM us on IG/FB so we can look up your account and see what we can do for you.

@LIONKING1103 2 жыл бұрын

@@transferexpress I uploaded a vector piece and finalized a 2 color piece. No final image is showing. Triple checked the colors I wanted and still showing original when I placed order. I too was told I needed to pay $20 for a proof. Hoping my order comes as designed error free!

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

7BLACK5LION, That sounds real strange, like no image was showing on that final proofing setup in the designer from your uploaded artwork?

@lovelove0068 Жыл бұрын

1 day turn around 11 am Eastern Standard Time

@transferexpress Жыл бұрын

You can check all turnaround and shipping times here: www.transferexpress.com/shipping-delivery

@bhebhe15 2 жыл бұрын

Do I need to have company to order... I am just crafter hobby..🤷‍♀️

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Joyce, absolutely not! Signing up for an account is fast, free and easy- There is a section on the registration form that is for a TaxID, but you can still create an account and order, we just have to charge sales tax on your orders.

@bhebhe15 2 жыл бұрын

@@transferexpress looking forward to used your service.

@everyoneisonsteroids2720 2 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately in our experience screen printed transfers are nowhere near as durable as real screen printed shirts. We had a lot issues with screen printed transfers coming off of shirts after washing with our customers. If you have a heat press operator that is not paying attention to time, pressure, peeling process you can run into a lot of issues that are simply not there with screen printing and running a shirt through the conveyor oven.

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Maurice, I'm sorry to hear that, you can definitely run into a lot of issues with any press operator (be it heat press or screen printing presses) if they're not paying attention. If a plastisol screen printed shirt is not cured correctly it will wash off and/or crack regardless of it was printed direct to the fabric or a transfer. We have all of our transfers independently wash tested to 50+ cycles. Heat transfers are much less complicated than screen printing, where time, temperature and pressure are all you have to worry about vs screen mesh, screen tension, squeegee durometer, squeegee angle, squeegee pressure, screen off contact, ink viscosity, registration, flashing, conveyor temperature, over-under curing and belt speed... not even mentioning emulsion and exposure. The same goes for equipment too- a $75 speedball screen printing kit won't yield the same results as a MHM S-Type press, just like a $200 Amazon heat press can't maintain the temperature and pressure of a higher quality heat press. We'd love send you some free samples of our plastisol transfers for you to see, feel and wash them for yourself: www.transferexpress.com/marketing-tools/free-samples

@ghostgear5104 9 ай бұрын

I have used screen print transfers and never had one issue....I also silk screen print....the longevity on both are the same for us.

@puzzleetpuzzles7951 2 жыл бұрын

You need to have a good volume in order to make worth it. 100+ transfers. Otherwise its like 1-2$ per transfer.

@transferexpress 2 жыл бұрын

Definitely, the screen printed transfers are more economical at higher quantities.

@arnoldfukumoto7551 9 ай бұрын

Will you please not smiling so much! Anyone that smiles that much is somewhat suspect.

@transferexpress 9 ай бұрын

When you do what you love, you won't work a day in your life. 😊

@arnoldfukumoto7551 9 ай бұрын

Dave, I'm glad you do what you love. All I'm saying is with all that gesturing and twitching, head and body movement, and seemingly forced smiling works against your effectiveness@@transferexpress