What is DTF Printing? A Plain-English NZ Guide

DTF stands for direct to film. It is a way of printing full-colour designs onto a thin clear film, then heat pressing that film onto a garment. The design lifts off the film and bonds to the fabric. The result is a soft, bright print that works on cotton, polyester, blends and plenty of other materials.

If you run a small brand, a club, a school fundraiser or a print business in New Zealand, DTF transfers are one of the simplest ways to get good-looking prints without big minimums or setup costs. This guide explains how it works, what it is good for, and where it is not the right fit.

How DTF printing works

A DTF print goes through a few simple stages. You do not need to do any of the technical steps yourself if you are ordering transfers, but it helps to know what is happening.

Print onto film. A special printer lays down coloured ink onto a PET film, followed by a layer of white ink. The white layer is what lets colours pop on dark garments.
Add adhesive powder. While the ink is still wet, a fine hot-melt powder is applied. It sticks to the ink only, not the clear film.
Cure. The film is heated so the powder melts into a smooth adhesive layer. At this point the transfer is finished and can be stored or shipped.
Press. The transfer is placed on the garment and heat pressed. The adhesive bonds the ink to the fibres.
Peel. The film is removed, leaving only the design on the fabric.

Mocked Up prints on hot peel DTF film at 300 DPI. Hot peel film is designed to be peeled while still warm, which speeds up pressing. Always follow the press and peel instructions supplied with your order.

What DTF transfers are good for

DTF has become popular because it removes many of the limits of older methods. Here is where it shines:

Full colour with no extra cost per colour. Gradients, photos and fine detail all print in one pass. There are no screens to make for each colour.
Short runs and one-offs. You can print a single design or fifty different designs on one sheet. There is no minimum order at Mocked Up.
Many fabrics. Cotton, polyester, poly-cotton blends, fleece, canvas and more.
Light and dark garments. The white underbase means designs look solid on black tees as well as white ones.
Print on demand. Transfers can be stored and pressed later, so you can keep stock of printed designs rather than printed garments.

Where DTF is not the best choice

No print method suits every job. DTF has a few trade-offs worth knowing:

Very large solid areas can feel heavier than a screen print, because the design sits on top of the fabric as a thin layer.
Huge runs of one simple design, such as 500 tees with a one-colour logo, can work out cheaper with screen printing once the setup is paid off.
A premium stitched look needs embroidery. DTF is a print, not a stitch.

For a side-by-side comparison, read DTF vs screen printing, embroidery and vinyl.

Buying DTF transfers in NZ

Most people buy DTF transfers on a gang sheet. A gang sheet is one big piece of film that you fill with as many designs as will fit. You pay per sheet, not per design, so packing it well saves money. Our guide on what a gang sheet is covers how to fill one without wasting film.

At Mocked Up you build your sheet online. Upload PNG, JPG, SVG or WEBP files, or pull them straight from Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Canva, iCloud and more. The builder checks your image resolution and warns you about overlaps. Auto Build packs your designs for you, and you can save a sheet and come back to it later.

A few practical details:

Sheets start at 21 x 27cm for $18 and go up to 42 x 500cm, all prices in NZD.
Gang sheets are typically dispatched within 1 business day. Orders after 2pm or on weekends count from the next business day.
Tracked courier NZ-wide, usually 1 to 2 business days to urban addresses and 2 to 5 to rural. Free shipping on orders over $200.
If a print is faulty and you tell us within 7 days, we reprint it free.

Do you need a heat press?

To apply DTF transfers yourself, you need a heat press. A household iron does not give even enough heat or pressure for reliable results. If you do not have a press, or you would rather skip the pressing, you can order finished garments instead. Our custom apparel designer lets you put your design on tees, hoodies and singlets, and we print and send them to you.