THIS WEEK! We went head to head with Sublimation VS Direct to Film Printing. We have get a lot of comments about the differences between the two, so we did a 1 to 1 breakdown of both systems.
TOOLS
Both are converted Epson Inkjet Printers
DTF Transfer Printer A3 L1800 Printer: [ Ссылка ]
DTF Transfer Film PET: [ Ссылка ]
DTF Powder Digital Transfer Hot Melt Adhesive: [ Ссылка ]
Sublimation Epson EcoTank ET-2760: [ Ссылка ]
A-SUB Sublimation Paper 8.5x11: [ Ссылка ]
Printers Jack 400ML Sublimation Ink: [ Ссылка ]
DTF – CMYK + W ink, Heater, Heat Press
Sublimation – CMYK – no white, Heat Press
WHAT IS IT?
DTF Process
Print CMYK + White ink onto a PET film Polyethylene Terephthalate
Adding powder adhesive to the back
Melt powder adhesive
Heat Press dtf film onto chosen Substrate
Sublimation Process
Print sublimation CMYK ink onto sublimation paper
Heat Press onto chose substrate.
Ink transitions from solid to gas and adheres to fabric at a molecular level
SET UP
DTF
Set Up Printer
Fill Inks, Pull Ink Through Nozzle
Install RIP Software
90 Minutes
Sublimation
Set Up Printer
Fill Inks
30 Minutes
TRANSFERS
DTF
PET Film – Polyethylene Terephthalate - $80 for 100 Sheets 11 x 17
DTF Powder Adhesive - $25 for 17.5oz or 500g
Store – 1yr in dry, dark, sealed package
Sublimation
A-Sub Sublimation Paper - $20 for 110 sheets
Store – 1yr in dry, dark, sealed package
MATERIALS
DTF
Cotton, Canvas, Linen, Fleece
Will do wood, metal, plastic, acrylic
Sublimation
Restricted to synthetics like poly & nylon
Will do cotton, wood, metal but must be pretreated
TEXTURE
DTF
Soft Vinyl feel
Not as thick as Cricut
Will last 50+ washes
Sublimation
Ink bonds to fibers so only feel the shirt
Will last lifetime of the shirt
COLORS
DTF
More vibrant
More Detail
Light & Dark Fabrics
Sublimation
Less vibrate
Loses detail
MAINTENANCE
DTF
Daily Head Cleaning
Weekly Nozzle Flush
White Ink Separates, If it sits for a few days pull new ink through nozzle
Sublimation
Periodic Head Cleaning
QUANTITY
DTF
More steps per transfer so it takes a little longer
Quick press time of 10 seconds
Large 11 x 17 size
Sublimation
Can create transfer in one easy print step
Can print more faster
Press times vary from 1min to 5min depending on substrate
Limited to 8 ½ x 11 size
COST
DTF
Higher cost of entry - $2800 for printer, heater & ink
Cost of ink about the same for both
~ $1.50 per print
Sublimation
Cheaper cost of entry - $250
Limited size 8 ½ x 11
~ .60 per print
CONCLUSION
Both are great
Depends on the business and purpose
If we were doing mostly koozies, tumblers & ceramics, we’d use the sublimation printer
But we wanted to print on wood, t-shirts and the ability to wholesale prints for our customers, so we’ve purchased the DTF printer to meet those needs.
But we are happy we have both so that we can use the best tool for the job.
Stuff We Used:
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FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. We have just enough woodworking skill to make some basic furniture. Safety first!
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