DTF printing vs screen printing vs DTG

Updated on 15 September 2026

Textile printing has made enormous technological progress in recent years, particularly with the development of new printing processes such as DTF printing (direct to film). Compared with traditional processes such as screen printing and DTG printing (direct to garment), DTF printing offers many advantages in terms of colour accuracy, design complexity, range of materials and durability. However, which process suits your order best depends on the run size, the design, the textile and the feel you want. In this article, we compare the three processes and show you when each one is worthwhile.

DTF, screen printing and DTG at a glance

The table shows you the most important differences at a glance, as a first guide for your choice.

How economical and durable a print is in the end also depends on the size of the design, the number of colours, the run size and the quality of the textile. Before a larger series, a test on the real textile is therefore always worthwhile.

Screen printing

In screen printing, the ink is printed onto the textile through a fine-mesh screen. This process allows inks to be applied in very high quality and is particularly well suited to designs with few colours. Screen printing is also very durable, as the ink is printed directly onto the textile and forms a strong bond. One of the disadvantages of screen printing, however, is that a separate screen is required for each colour in the design, which increases the costs for designs with many colours. DTF printing, on the other hand, can reproduce a wider range of colours and finer details without needing a separate screen for each colour in the design.

Because every screen has to be set up before printing, screen printing is mainly worthwhile for large quantities with an unchanging design. Photo designs and fine colour gradients are time-consuming.

DTG printing

DTG printing is a modern textile printing process in which the design is printed directly onto the textile. It is particularly well suited to designs with many colours and fine details. DTG printers use special inks and print heads to apply the design directly to the textile. This process is very precise and produces high colour fidelity, with the print result coming very close to the original design. Another advantage of DTG printing is that it does not require screens or elaborate set-ups, which lowers the costs. However, DTG printing also has some disadvantages, such as the need for specially prepared textiles and the limited number of textiles on which the process can be used.

Because it prints directly onto the textile, DTG printing is also called direct printing. Dark fabrics often need a chemical pretreatment for this, and DTG printing is only possible to a limited extent on polyester.

Compared with DTF printing

By comparison, DTF printing offers a wider range of applications and materials. DTF printing can be applied to many textiles, including polyester and blends. Leather can work too. However, you must always test special materials like these on an offcut first, and we cannot give a binding promise or refusal for them. DTF printing is also faster and requires less manual work than screen printing, as no screens have to be set up.

Your design is first printed onto a transfer film, in colour in CMYK and backed with opaque white. A hot-melt adhesive is applied on top and cured. You receive the finished transfer and press it onto the textile with your heat press, and the adhesive bonds firmly with the fibre. You do not need a chemical pretreatment of the textile as with DTG printing. We explain the process in detail on our page about the DTF printing process.

For cotton and blends with at least 70% cotton, you use Standard DTF, and for dyed polyester and blends with at least 40% polyester, we recommend Blockout DTF. You can read more about dye migration, also known as resublimation, in the article Blockout DTF transfer for critical textiles. Our article on suitable textiles for DTF printing shows you which transfer suits which fabric and on which materials DTF does not adhere.

Durability and feel

Another strength of DTF printing is its durability. Compared with DTG printing, where the ink is printed directly into the textile, in DTF printing the adhesive of the transfer bonds firmly with the fibre during pressing. DTF printing is considered more durable and more wash-resistant.

Pressed correctly and washed at 30 °C, our DTF transfers last at least 60 washes. Our article Most common mistakes and how to fix them shows you how to wash correctly and what helps if a print comes off. You will find everything about durability and care in How long does a DTF print last?

When it comes to feel, DTG printing is ahead: because the ink soaks into the textile, it feels soft on cotton. With screen printing, the feel depends on the ink. A DTF transfer sits on the textile as a layer. The larger and more solid the colour area, the more noticeable it is, and on large areas it can reduce the breathability of the textile. For sportswear and large back designs, designs broken up with open areas are therefore often more comfortable to wear.

The best way to find out how our transfers feel is to try them yourself. Our Sample Pack includes test prints with DTF Standard adhesive and with Blockout adhesive, which you can touch and press onto your own textile.

Complexity of the design

Another important factor when choosing the right printing process is the complexity of the design. If the design has only a few colours (1 to 2 colours) and is very simple, screen printing is a good choice for large quantities. For more complex designs with many colours and fine details, however, DTF printing is better suited, as it can reproduce a wider range of colours and finer details without increasing the costs. DTG printing is also a good option for complex designs, but there are limitations on the number of textiles on which the process can be used.

To make sure your design comes out cleanly in DTF printing, pay attention to three points:

• Fine lines should be at least 0.4 mm thick. Thinner lines offer too little area for the adhesive.
• Colour gradients within a design are fine to use. Gradients that fade into transparency, however, cannot be printed as they look on screen, because every colour is backed with white.
• Gold, silver and neon cannot be produced, as we print exclusively in CMYK. So create your file without spot colours such as Pantone or HKS. For exact corporate or club colours, our DTF colour chart with 964 CMYK swatches helps you. All 964 colour values are also available for reference as a PDF download.

Run size and cost per piece

In terms of costs, DTF printing offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional textile printing processes. DTF printing is faster and requires less manual work than screen printing, which lowers the costs. With screen printing, the effort of setting up the screens only pays off with large quantities. Compared with DTG printing, DTF printing does not need the pretreatment that is often necessary on dark textiles.

At DTF-King, you can order from a single piece and without a minimum order value, there are tiered prices for many products, and if it needs to be faster than standard production of 1 to 3 working days, many transfers are also available as an express version.

You are charged by format, length or area. This is how DTF suits one-offs, personalised orders and series:

• A4 and A3 for individual designs, tests and small repeat orders.
• Half metre, by the metre and custom length for series and many designs on one gang sheet, each 600 mm wide. With custom length, you choose a length between 10 cm and 3 m, and you are charged for exactly the length you set up.
• Single design for a logo or design you need several times: you upload one design and set the quantity, and you are charged for the design area multiplied by the quantity.

Conclusion: which process suits your order?

All in all, DTF printing offers an excellent way to produce personalised garments in high quality and at a good price. Especially for small and medium runs, it is faster and more cost-effective than traditional printing methods such as screen printing, and it offers a wider range of applications than DTG printing. DTF printing is considered more durable and more wash-resistant than DTG printing and can be used on many types of textiles, which makes it an ideal process for a wide variety of products, from T-shirts and sweatshirts to bags, caps and workwear. It is a promising textile printing process that will become increasingly important in the future. With its clear advantages in terms of colour accuracy, production costs, design complexity, range of materials and durability, DTF printing is a technology of the future.

Nevertheless, every process has its strengths. This is how you find the right one:

• DTF printing for one-offs, small and medium series, changing designs or names, many colours and photo designs, for cotton and polyester and for light as well as dark textiles. You can order the transfers in advance and store them for up to 6 months under optimal conditions.
• Screen printing for large quantities with an unchanging design and few colours.
• DTG printing for one-offs and small runs on cotton, if a soft feel is particularly important to you.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between DTF and DTG?

In DTG printing, the ink is printed directly into the textile, and dark fabrics often need a pretreatment for this. In DTF printing, a transfer is first created on film, printed in colour in CMYK and backed with opaque white. You press it onto the textile, and the adhesive bonds firmly with the fibre. You do not need a pretreatment, and polyester can be decorated with it too.

From what quantity is screen printing worthwhile?

Screen printing is usually only worthwhile for large quantities with an unchanging design and few colours, because a separate screen is set up for each colour. For one-offs, small series or changing designs, DTF is the more flexible choice.

How long does a DTF print last?

Washed at 30 °C, our DTF transfers last at least 60 washes. How long a print continues to look good beyond that depends mainly on the heat press settings, the quality of the textile and the care.

Can I press DTF onto polyester?

Yes. For dyed polyester, we recommend Blockout DTF, and with white polyester, Standard DTF often works too. You can read why this is and how to classify blends in our textiles article.

And what about flex, flock or sublimation?

Flex and flock films have to be weeded, and photo designs and colour gradients are not possible with them. With a DTF transfer, there is no weeding. For light textiles with at least 80% polyester and coated blanks such as mugs, there is also sublimation: the ink passes into the material and no noticeable layer remains. White is not printed, and white areas stay blank. Sublimation can therefore only be used if your design fits this rule. We explain how sublimation works in Sublimation explained: how sublimation printing works.

Not sure which process or which transfer suits your order? Our customer service will be happy to help, by phone on +49 2163 9518930 (Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 16:00 German time) or by email at info@dtf-king.de.

View Standard DTFView Blockout DTFView the Sample Pack

Also useful: Heat press settings, Setting up print files correctly and FAQ.

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Wishing you every success with your projects,

DTF-King Team