How to apply Direct to Film DTF Prints to a garment
To ensure your Direct to Film prints adhere to the garment properly, please follow these instructions.
What you will need:
Heat Press (Not iron). (Cricut Easy press will be ok, but you will need to apply a LOT of pressure.
Baking Paper.
Pressing Pillow/s.
Heat Tape.
Preparation:
If you have multiple designs on your sheet, cut the desired image from the combined sheet.
It is always preferred to use a pressing pillow. A pressing pillow raises the garment surface above the height of collars, pockets, seams etc. and ensures full pressure is applied to the garment and print, ensuring that the print adheres to the garment properly.
Place the pressing pillow in between the two layers of the garment, ensuring that only the surface that the print is being pressed onto is raised, collars and seems should be off the surface of the pressing pillow.
Align your image and tape to the garment.
Pressing the DTF Transfer:
Have your press set to 140-150c and press at medium/high pressure for 15 seconds +/- 2 seconds for cotton.
Have your press set to 130-140c and press at medium/high pressure for 9 seconds +/- 2 seconds for polyester.
Allow the film and garment to return to room temperature (cold peel) then remove the film in a constant speed.
Place baking paper over the garment and press again for 5 seconds at the same temperature for the material with medium pressure. The purpose of this is to:
- Remove any fine specs of powder that have adhered to the film.
- Embed the Direct to Film transfer into the fibres of the garment.
Your garment is finished.
Pressure of Heat Press:
Please do testing before applying to expensive garments for best results.
Pressing garments with too much pressure on some materials leaves a patch of discolouration where it has been pressed, this goes away after washing but is not ideal for sending a finished product to the customer.
Pressing with too little pressure will not adhere the adhesive melt powder to the fibres of the garment leading to premature release/failure of the print.
To find your ideal pressure press a test fabric with extreme pressure to see the result described above, then release pressure to a level where the print is adhered well and does not leave the discolouration/flattening of the fabric for best presentation and adherence.
Notes:
This is a guide and a lot of heat presses have varying temperatures and results. Please work out the most efficient and best process to suit YOUR heat press and trial your prints and transfer process.