Sublimation VS Direct to Film Transfer Printing

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 – 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:

We love to Do It Ourselves. You love to Do It Yourself. Let's Do It Together. New DIY Videos Every Week!

Follow us on social:

Visit our website:

\\\\\ MUSIC \\\\\
■

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!

FTC Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored video. All opinions are genuinely our own. This post may contain affiliate links and we earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. It doesn't cost you any extra. Thank you for your continued support to keep Making It!

[KainTheMoon]

I ran an apparel company back in 2008 and believe me that the fact that you cannot print sublimation on 100% cotton t-shirts will be an annoying hurdle that your apparel startup may never get past. This alone should steer you away from sublimation if your main goal is apparel. You could print sublimation to 50/50 cotton-poly blends, but the ink will still wear off in under 5 - 6 washes. If you want to sell cheap-o tees for a one off event or make matching shirts for the family trip to Disneyworld then cotton printing will be fine. But when it comes to buying wholesale inventory, quality shirts out there will be 100% cotton and even at a low retail price, people buying your shirts will expect to have the image not completely fade away in a few washes, and if you do print to 100% cotton, it will wash off completely within 1 - 2 washes. It will have a soft hand for sure, but the longevity just is not there. Also, when using a regular inkjet printer with sublimation ink, the colors will often not match up as well as other methods, so the colors you see on the screen will not 100% match what actually prints, which can often make or break a design that you likely spent time creating. Sublimation ink is just not a language that your Canon inkjet was created to fluently understand, so there will be some misinterpretations. And depending on what app you're printing from, like Photoshop, you'll have to play with the color management a lot to get it to be as close to your on-screen image as possible, because monitor settings also vary and colors can completely change on screen depending on your contract, brightness, etc settings. And of course, the fact that you cannot print to black/dark shirts can be a deal breaker all in itself. I was able to make some black ink to olive green shirts, but that's about it and even then it's still barely visible.

And in regards to 'maintenance ', sublimation ink actually WILL dry up over time. It is recommend to do at least one print a week for proper ink flow. I have had $5, 000 printers turn into large paperweights because of not being used often enough and having the ink within turn to stone. I suggest routine DIY cleaning as well using an OTC solution called Simple Green. And know that if you plan to purchase an inkjet printer and use sublimation ink instead, this will only work if you put in the sublimation ink first and ONLY. Whatever type of ink you put into that printer when taking it out of the box - that is the only type of ink you can use from there on out. If you've already used it with regular ink then try to use sublimation ink instead, your tubes are going to get clogged and depending on the severity, you'll either have to get the tubes professionally cleaned out or worse, replaced completely, which is costly. So don't think you can use that old inkjet you've got sitting around the house and just change inks, because that won't work. Regarding size, you are certainly not limited to 8 x 11 with sublimation. Print size depends only on printer size, and larger Epson printers for example can net you 36+ inch wide images. Though remember that you will also need a larger heat press for larger images, and if you're doing an 'all-over' print, using a smaller press and trying to get the top and bottom to match up using several presses is not going to work out well for you.

[fatenmhn]

I was lost among them.. and you saved me, thank you🌸

[pennycollier]

I really appreciate y’all taking the time out to do this video and y’all are so cute together. I’m new to this small business and I am doing my homework on every bit of these processes. I am leaning toward DTF. Thanks again

[Gillyx]

Amazing video! Thank you!!! Also yall need to mention.. sublimation printing doesn’t work on 100% cotton (which is better than polyester shirts) and that it releases a lot of fumes. DTF is more versatile and worthwhile.

[Oneklickmedia]

So I want to make more tshirts that is better than my current method: printing laser printer on vinyl iron on and iron on transfer. Don’t like thickness and easy cracking.

So I got into looking at ordering DTF transfer prints or making my own prints at home with Eco Tank sublimation.

Your video helped me give a clear ideas of pro and cons, and that the route with sublimation will limit me on product I can offer BUT def a easier and more affordable start up! Thanks again

[ashok]

Thanks guys great comparison ❤🎉 love from INDIA❤

[monicav]

Great video, thanks! but I wish the video had more info about how safe is to use DTF method, specially when you have to heat that powder. I would stick to sublimation. Safety is my number one priority.

[melsmedia]

I love your explanation of sublimation! Thank you for explaining the chemistry. Sublimation = transformation from a solid state directly to a gaseous state

[charleneweege]

Sublimation for me. I like the ease and I like that the ink blends in with the t-shirt better than the DTF

[T-RigFalgout]

Man you guys are awesome, Love the way y’all give the whole run down in everything y’all do .

[EJ.]

You guys are super good when it’s about explaining things thank you keep it keep it up 👍🏻👍🏻

[candacelinville]

Yayyy!! Happy Friday!! You guys help make these processes “make sense” that’s why I love you guys! Thanks for everything you do! (My Google review for this Fridays video 😆 but it’s so true! )

[LoneBagels]

Thank you so much for this awesome video. DTF is awesome but its machines still not matured enough. I would start with Sublimation for now, and may be in few years DTF will become easier to maintain and faster in terms of the extra step with powder, baking, etc.

[devany]

You guys really helped me! Thank you so much for your time and dedication on your videos!

[KingslayersDubai]

Glued on your channel. Thanks for all the information, start to end, very informative. Keep it going.

[dgomez.]

this helped me understand the difference between the two. thank you. 🙂

[vlab]

Thank you! This really clarified everything for my decision

[JaQuanRPhillips]

This was very helpful. I am still a little lost but I will be starting with the Sublimation. I just wish I had found this video before I put the ink into the printer. Wasted money. But aye.

[reffa]

I thought sublimation printing was referred to as DTF- direct to film and what yall call DTF is actually DTG- direct to garmet.

Im try to learn all this, not because Im use it, but because Im trying to suprise my girlfriend for Christmas and I need to do sone research.

[nelmarieluna]

This was really helpful and spot on. Keep posting. 😊