Digital printing on fabric bags

DTF TRANSFER – a brief description of

the technology DTF is a new printing technology in which a special film (PET film) is printed on a printer; the print is then dusted with powdered adhesive, which is melted using heat, thereby creating an ‘iron-on transfer’ ready to be applied to a cotton bag. This technology therefore allows printing even on coloured and dark substrates.

Advantages of DTF printing

• Full-colour digital printing
• Colour accuracy, vibrancy and durability

• Smooth and flexible print with a long lifespan

• Printing on both dark and light-coloured bags

• Ideal for printing photographs, colourful patterns, graphics and fine art

• Low production costs

Disadvantages of DTF printing

• Cannot print shadows, bleed edges or very fine details

Print files for DTF printing:

Suitable print files

• Format: Preferably vectors (PDF, AI, EPS) or PNG with a transparent background
• Resolution: At least 300 DPI at actual print size
• Colours: CMYK mode (RGB may result in colour shifts after printing)
• Background: Must be 100% transparent (no white ‘squares’ around the logo)

Unsuitable print data

• Shadows and ‘fade-out’ gradients: A DTF printer applies a layer of white ink beneath each colour, to which the heat-activated adhesive bonds. If a colour is semi-transparent (e.g. a smoky shade), the printer will still attempt to apply white beneath it, creating a white background, edge or patterns

• Low resolution: Pixelated images from the web (72 DPI) will appear blurry and of poor quality on the fabric

• Excessively fine details and thin lines: Lines thinner than 1,5 mm are risky for DTF printing

Direct-to-Garment (DTG) Digital Printing – A Brief Description of the Technology

Printing on a fabric bag using DTG technology involves the digital transfer of pigment directly onto the fibre. The print head moves just above the fabric and deposits microscopic droplets of ink. Once printed, the bag is placed in a heat press. The high temperature ensures a permanent bond between the ink and the cotton fibres.

Advantages of DTG printing

• Prints curves and halftones

• Not limited by data resolution (can print even very fine lines)

• Can print shading and colour gradients

Disadvantages of DTG printing

• Cannot print white ink

• Cannot print on coloured bags, only on natural and white ones

• Colour distortion caused by the substrate (the ink soaks into the fibres rather than forming a continuous, opaque layer on top, resulting in a less vivid finish on substrates other than pure white)

Data for DTG printing:

Suitable print data

• Ideally 300 DPI at a scale of 1:1 (actual print size)

• Curves (vectors)

Unsuitable print data

• Low resolution

**Vector and raster

graphics**Raster (bitmap) graphics

Have a fixed resolution (number of pixels). If you zoom in on a raster image, you will see individual squares (pixels). In short, the image loses its sharpness and becomes ‘pixelated’. You’ll find this type of graphics in photographs and images saved in formats such as .JPG, .PNG, .TIF, .GIF, etc.

Vector graphics (curves)

Unlike raster graphics, vectors do not use pixels. Instead, the image is defined by mathematical formulas. It can be enlarged or reduced infinitely, and the image will always remain perfectly sharp. Vector graphics are typically found in formats such as .PDF, .AI, .CDR, .SVG, …