This is a complete DTF printer buying guide to help you choose the right printer for you or your business among the Best DTF Printers available in the market. Direct to film printing is a very lucrative business at the moment with huge potential for growth. You can leverage the different social platforms to reach potential customers who want to get custom designs printed on any fabric. If you are a designer and create custom designer clothing articles and accessories then you can print these designs on t-shirts, caps, bags, etc using a DTF printer.
A DTF printer is very simple to use and even one person can print any design of their choice on any material or fabric without needing any help from another person, this brings down operational costs as fewer people are required to complete prints. This article also explains what you need to look for when you are buying a new DTF printer so you can make an informed decision and buy the one that is best suited to your needs.
Table of Contents
What is DTF Printing?
Direct to Film is a printing technology that allows you to print any design on a number of different materials and fabrics. DTF requires very little equipment and even a single person can manage all the printing steps all by themselves. This way of printing graphics on cloth and other materials is very cost-effective which is excellent for people looking to start a fabric printing business.
DTF can be used to print a number of hot selling products such as clothing articles, caps, shoes, trousers, bags, other clothing items, and accessories. Most articles of clothing can be printed using the flat heat press but others might require specially designed components if you buy a heat press kit then you will find presses for caps, mugs, plates, etc included already because these products are printed the most using a DTF printer.
List of Best DTF Printers
We have compiled together a list of our top pics for the best DTF printers that you can buy for your business, take a look.
Epson SureColor P600
The Epson P600 printer has a maximum print size of 13 x 19 inches but you can also create panoramas with it by using a roll stand. The best resolution that you can achieve with the printer is 5760 x 1440 dpi and you can use any ink of your choice with the printer. Epson SureColor P600 offers a 3.5-inch LCD display that you can use to monitor the proper functioning of the printer. It has multiple connectivity options along with cloud printing capability after it is connected to the internet.
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550
Just connect the Epson ET-8550 with an Ethernet cable and control it using any printing software of your choice. The printer comes loaded with connectivity features such as Wi-Fi direct, a USB thumb drive, etc that you can use to remotely give the printer instructions to print. The online printing software can be used on almost all operating systems including Android, iOS, Windows, and more. You can top up the ink tanks of Epson ET-8550 with the standard process colors and let the printing algorithm do its job and you can use any ink of your choice with this printer which brings down the cost per print.
Epson SureColor P700
The Epson P700 has multiple connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet among others. You can connect the printer to the web and use google cloud print or dedicated Epson apps to send prints directly to the printer. Epson P700 does not require color-switching while printing black-and-white documents. It is one of the best printers to get if you intend on creating more black-and-white prints.
Epson Artisan 1430
Make DTF prints on any paper of your choice using the Epson 1430. No matter if the paper is glossy, photo luster, matter, or PET, you can create prints on all of them using the Epson 1430 printer. This printer has a maximum resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi which means you get very good details in the prints made by this printer. Epson 1430 can be controlled using any smart device of your choice using the provided Epson printing app, given the printer is connected to the internet.
Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000
The Epson XP-15000 offers very accurate and detailed color reproduction on prints. The maximum print size is 13 x 10 inches. The printer has a large tray that can hold more than two hundred PET sheets at once. One major downside of using the Epson XP-15000 is that you can only use cartridges from Epson for printing, if you put aftermarket ink into the tanks then you risk damaging the whole printer.
Epson Stylus Photo R2000
The Epson R2000 has multiple connectivity options including USB 2.0, 100 MB Ethernet port, and wireless communication over wireless802.11n. The printer can automatically select between different inks with the help of dedicated printing software which helps it reproduce a contrast-rich image on any PET film. The printing resolution of Epson R2000 is 5670 x 1440 dpi which is very sharp in this price range. The printer also has a high-capacity feeder system which keeps the printing running smoothly.
Epson SureColor P400
Print excellent quality photos with great color reproduction using the Epson P400 DTF printer. It has all the features you would expect from a business-friendly printer such as multiple connectivity options, roll-paper controls, top-loading, resume features, and much more. The printer only comes in black color and has no display but this keeps the cost down of the printer. You can fit about thirty sheets of thick photography paper in the top tray of Epson P400 or about 120 regular sheets.
L1800 DTF Transfer Printer
Get more than 1500 prints at once without needing a refill on the L1800 DTF printer, thanks to its large ink tanks that you can fill with any ink of your preference. L1800 has a reliable track record and you can high-resolution pictures with the maximum 5760 dpi that it offers. The printer has a maximum printing speed of up to 15 prints per minute and you can print a 4P borderless image in about forty-five seconds using L1800. If you want a fast printer that consistently delivers high-quality results then you can not go wrong with this printer.
As you can deduce from this list, most of the DTF printers in use are made by Epson. This is because of the fact that they make reliable products and their printer generally perform better for DTF printing tasks, thanks to the large ink tanks that can be repurposed on these printers to hold special ink used in Direct To Film printing.
What To Look For In A DTF Printer?
Selecting the right equipment for your business is very important for you to make the most out of your investment, likewise, you need the right printer for your DTF printing business if you want to maximize the quality of your prints and maximize profits at the same time. We have compiled a list of all the important parameters that are of most significance while you are using the printer for its intended purpose.
You can judge a DTF printer on the basis of these parameters and make an educated decision on which printer to go with depending on your requirements. Here is the list of things you need to look for while buying a DTF printer, take a look.
Price
A DTF printer is usually the most expensive piece of equipment in a DTF printing business as it is the most technical. While investing in a printer for your business, you need to take into account the price of the printer as the money you are investing will only make sense if the product
Print Size
The maximum size of documents that can be printed determines the biggest size of print that you can achieve with your printer. You can not increase the largest print size of your printer, at least not in both dimensions so it is an important factor to consider.
Print Speed
The speed of a business is determined by the slowest link of the assembly so make sure the maximum printing speed of the printer you have in your mind can keep up with the demand and is not holding you back by being the slowest link.
Reliability
The printer you have in mind needs to be reliable enough to sustain the work of your business and run smoothly for a long time without breaking down. Every minute the printer is not working, your business is not producing products and you are losing money so go with a printer that has a track record of being reliable.
Conclusion
This was our list of best DTF printers along with a complete guide on how to choose the Best DTF Printers for your business and what to look for while buying a DTF printer. We hope this information was helpful to you and gave you the details you were looking for to help you make an informed decision on what printer to go with depending on your requirements. If you have any questions regarding the DTF printers mentioned here then use the comment section below to reach us with your queries and we will do our best to answer them.
looking for an inexpensive printer to so some home products. which is the least expensive to start out with on a tight budget?