Softest Prints?
Are you looking to have a premium feel DTF print for your customers. Prints that feel soft and flow beautifully with the shirt. We can help you out. Read on and follow these tips to get the best ever prints on you DTF order.
Avoid Square Images
Having full images (ie. family pictures) in a standard box shape will require much more ink and adhesive. This leaves the finished result feeling stiff. This is also true of prints done in other methods such as screen print. Whenever possible, try to avoid printing full images.
Finishing Press
A finishing press (or second press) makes all the difference in the final product. This needs to be paired with the right type of finishing sheet. Never second press a shirt without a finishing sheet. The metal from the heat press directly on a dtf transfer will turn the print shiny and stiff.
Texturizing Sheet
There are many different types of finishing sheets. The goal is to press the DTF into the fibers of the garment so it doesn't feel like plastic on top of a shirt.
The best result would probably be using a fiberglass texturizing sheet. This can be easily found online. Others use parchment paper, butcher paper, teflon sheets, even a sacrificial shirt on top during the second press.
People often experiment to find their favorites.
Color Knockout
The lighter the print, the better it will feel.
Consider knocking out (removing) the color in the print to be replaced by the color of the shirt. If printing an image that has black colors on top of a black shirt, consider removing black parts of the image to make the print "breathe". This will drastically improve the feel of the shirt.
Color Matching?
For customers who need more accurate color matching, Houston Print does offer printed color swatches matched to our machine’s color profile. This allows you to choose colors based on how they actually print on our equipment, helping us get as close as possible to your desired color before placing an order.
DTF does not print true neon, fluorescent, puff, reflective, glow-in-the-dark, metallic, glitter, or other specialty ink effects. These types of colors/effects in your artwork will be converted to the closest printable color and may appear different or less bright than what you see on screen. We print files as submitted and cannot guarantee exact screen-to-print color matching.
The Secret to Standout Prints: Trial & Error
High-quality DTF printing is a learned skill. If you are just starting out, understand that there is a learning curve involved in getting your artwork perfectly optimized for the press.
Continuously improving your files and tweaking your designs will elevate your product and set you apart from the competition.
While learning often comes at the cost of making a few mistakes along the way, those lessons are what build true expertise.
At Houston Print, we print files as submitted, but we also want to help our customers better understand DTF printing. Houston Print is planning on adding tutorial videos in the future to help teach our customers what we have learned by trial and error so far.