There isn’t a hotter trend in the apparel printing and decorating space than DTF, direct to film printing. If you print garments and you haven’t started printing DTF already, then you’ve likely thought about it. Today, Andy will go through the top 5 reasons why you should buy an Epson DTG printer to print your DTF film instead of purchasing a DTF-only roll to roll machine.
The benefits of DTF printing are well known: versatility on all kinds of fabrics and materials, crisp image quality for fine details, great color vibrancy, and the ability to print ahead and inventory your transfers. There’s a lot to like about DTF printing!
Like any great innovation- the early adopters can get out ahead and reap the benefit from a new development before everyone else catches up. But the flip side of that coin is that if you’re on the bleeding edge… you’re going to bleed a little. With DTF printing being “not quite mainstream”, and still a little like the wild west, this video aims to help you benefit from the DTF trend without being burned by picking the wrong equipment.
So what are the top 5 reasons we think you should choose an Epson DTG printer to print your DTF film transfers instead of buying an all-in-one roll to roll DTF-only printer:
Reason # 1: Epson’s DTG printers are made to use Epson’s DTG inks. The print heads were built for the more viscous DTG inks and the heads are laminated with films that are compatible with DTG inks. Contrast this with other DTF printer solutions, many of which boast that they use Epson print heads. Not all Epson print heads are alike, and the heads that Epson makes available to third party printer manufacturers are not made for the DTG inks that are used in DTF printing. These print heads are repurposed overseas and used for inks they were never intended to jet.
This incompatibility often leads to reliability issues and that brings us to Reason # 2: Service availability and on-site technical response. When you buy an all-in-one DTF printer from an unknown manufacturer you are rolling the dice on the reliability of that printer, but you’re also most signing up to be your own service department. At this early stage the manufacturers of roll to roll DTF all-in-one printers don’t have the infrastructure or organization to offer timely service, and certainly not on-site. Epson is a $10B company and staffs a large technical support call center in California. When on-site repairs are needed they have next day on-site service response to make sure your printer is back up and running quickly. You can save yourself a lot of headache and downtime by trusting a leading company like Epson.
Reason # 3: The third reason we recommend using an Epson DTG printer for your DTF film printing is the scalability. If you’re looking to grow your business, it’s important to think a step ahead. With an all-in-one roll to roll DTF printer you are buying a printer, a powder application chamber and a curing unit as a single in-line package. If you need more print capacity, you will need to buy another full package- which takes a lot of space and a lot of capital. Contrast that with printing DTF on an Epson DTG printer. In the Epson workflow you have an offline powder application chamber and tunnel dryer. When you need more print capacity you can quickly add 1, 2, 3 or even 4 additional Epson DTG printers to feed your powder chamber and heat tunnel. The ability to scale up your operation efficiently is a benefit of printing DTF transfers on Epson DTG.
Reason # 4, printing cut sheet film transfers reduces your time cutting out and separating transfers. In a roll to roll workflow that roll of film needs to be cut down to each image file before anything is transferred. That takes time. In a cut sheet workflow as found on the Epson DTG printers, you can reduce the amount of cutting and finishing that needs to be done. We can help you source custom sized sheets to fit the products your printing now. What about a single 16×20 film sheet that is perforated so that you can tear away into smaller individual prints after its been printed and powdered? We’re just spitballing here, but a well-designed cutsheet workflow offers efficiency verses roll-to-roll printing when it comes to cutting out transfers.
Reason # 5: The fifth and final reason to choose an Epson DTG printer for DTF film printing is production flexibility. With a DTF-only roll to roll printer setup your are only able to print DTF transfers. If you use an Epson DTG printer for DTF film you have the flexibility to move back and forth between DTG and DTF printing effortlessly. With the click of a button your DTF workflow can become a DTG workflow, and vice-versa. This flexibility is a benefit if you want to offer both DTG and DTF garments to your customers.
To summarize, here are five of the reasons we think you should use an Epson DTG printer for DTF film printing: Reliability, Service support, Scalability, Efficiency, and Flexibility.
Still have questions regarding the EPSON SureColor DTG or Dye-Sub Solution? Call 1-800-771-9665 and ask to talk to one of our commercial sales specialists or visit our website https://www.itsupplies.com.
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