DTF Heat TransferAny Color. Any Fabric. One Shirt.
Full-color graphics that bond to cotton, polyester, blends — even hats and tote bags. Pressed right here in our Panama City Beach shop, with no minimum and no setup fees. Order one shirt or fifty.
The Method That Finally Prints on Everything
For years, custom apparel came with a catch. Screen printing meant ordering dozens of shirts and limiting your colors. Direct-to-garment gave you photo detail, but only on cotton. Neither one could touch a polyester jersey, a performance tee, or a hat.
DTF changed that. Your artwork is printed in full color onto a transfer film with a white ink layer behind it, then heat-pressed onto the garment right here in our shop. Because the ink lands on film first, it bonds to nearly any fabric — cotton, polyester, blends, moisture-wicking performance wear, canvas, denim, hats, tote bags. And it comes out softer and more flexible than the thick vinyl transfers you may remember.
For a beach town full of charter crews in performance shirts, restaurant staff in blended polos, and teams in polyester jerseys, that versatility matters. There’s no screen to set up, so one shirt is a perfectly normal order. Bring artwork, or let our in-house design team build it from an idea.
Art to Shirt in Four Steps
Artwork
Send a high-resolution file with a transparent background, or bring us an idea and we’ll design it.
Printed on Film
Your design prints in full color with a white ink layer behind it, so the colors stay bright on dark garments.
Pressed In-House
We heat-press the transfer onto your garment right here in the shop — heat, pressure, and a cold peel.
Ready to Wear
A soft, flexible, full-color print that’s bonded to the fabric and ready to wash and wear.
Sizes, Files & Fabrics
- Max transfer size: up to 22″ wide and up to 120″ long — left-chest logos to full-front and full-back prints
- Color: full CMYK with a white ink layer, so colors stay bright even on black garments
- Fabrics: cotton, polyester, blends, performance and moisture-wicking, canvas, denim, hats, tote bags
- Artwork: high-resolution PNG with a transparent background works best — or we’ll build it for you
- Minimum: none. No screens, no setup fees — a single shirt is a normal order
- Care: wash inside out, tumble dry medium or low, iron inside out — never steam the print
When DTF Is the Right Call
You need one shirt, or a handful
Screen printing charges per screen, per color, so short runs get expensive fast. DTF has no setup, so small orders make sense.
The garment isn’t cotton
Polyester jerseys, performance tees, blended polos, hats, and bags — DTF bonds where direct-to-garment can’t.
Your design has lots of colors
Gradients, photos, and unlimited colors cost no more than a one-color design. No screens means no per-color charge.
You’re in a hurry
Because we press transfers in our own shop, DTF is usually our fastest route from artwork to finished garment.
Ordering two hundred shirts in one or two colors? Screen printing will beat DTF on price. We’ll tell you honestly which way to go.
DTF Work From Our Shop
Not Sure DTF Is Right?
We decorate four ways and we’ll steer you to the one your job actually needs — not the one that’s easiest for us.
DTF Questions, Answered
What is DTF printing?
DTF stands for direct-to-film. Your artwork is printed in full color onto a transfer film with a white ink layer behind it, then heat-pressed onto the garment. Because the ink sits on film first, it bonds to fabrics that other methods can’t handle.
What fabrics can DTF be printed on?
Almost anything. Cotton, polyester, blends, performance and moisture-wicking fabrics, canvas, denim, and even hats and tote bags. That versatility is DTF’s biggest advantage over direct-to-garment printing, which really only works on cotton.
Is there a minimum order for DTF shirts?
No minimum at all. We’ll press one shirt for you just as happily as fifty. There are no screens to set up, so a single custom tee costs the same per piece whether you order one or a dozen.
How does DTF compare to screen printing?
DTF wins on full color, photos, small runs, and unusual fabrics with no setup cost. Screen printing wins on price once you’re ordering large quantities of a few spot colors. For most jobs under two dozen shirts, DTF is the better choice.
Does a DTF print crack or peel after washing?
Not when it’s pressed correctly and cared for. Wash the garment inside out, tumble dry on medium or low, and avoid steaming the print. Done that way, a DTF transfer stays vivid and flexible through years of wear.
How big can a DTF transfer be?
Up to 22 inches wide and as long as 120 inches, which covers everything from a small left-chest logo to a large full-front or full-back print. Send high-resolution artwork with a transparent background and we’ll size it for your garment.
One Shirt or Fifty.
Send your artwork or bring an idea — we’ll design it, size it, and press it in our Panama City Beach shop. No minimums, no setup fees, no color limits.
“Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT