How DTF Transfers Might Be Hurting Your Profits

Browse Video Categories

Transfer Application  |  Artwork & Apparel  |  Easy View Tutorials  |  Webinars   |  Ordering Tips  |  Business  |  Heat Presses

Hey friends, Dave here with Transfer Express, and today we’re talking about something that may surprise you: how Direct to Film transfers, or DTF, could be cutting into your profits more than you think.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re running a full production print shop, maximizing your profit margins is key to growing your business. DTF transfers are popular, no doubt—but are they always the best option?

Let’s dive in and find out.

So, there’s no denying it, DTF transfers are incredibly versatile. You can print full color designs, fine details, and print on just about any type of fabric all with vibrant inks and incredible stretch and rebound, which of course, is awesome!

If you’re familiar with our channel, you’ll know how much I love about UltraColor Max™ direct to film transfers. But the thing is, a lot of decorators are using DTF as their go-to transfer for every order.

Now, DTF might be great for certain jobs, especially those with complex artwork, or those jobs in small quantity, but let’s look at where DTF can start costing you and hurting more than it’s helping.

When it comes to cost, DTF transfers are typically priced by the square inch, which means the more design space you fill, the more expensive each transfer becomes. DTF is great for small little left chest prints, but we all know as apparel decorators, that’s not all of the jobs we’re printing.

For example, say you’re printing a 12” x 12” design. If you’re being charged by the square inch, those costs can add up fast, as a single image or on a gang sheet. Not to mention, if your design only has a one or two colors in it, you’re looking at $8.64 per print. Not bad for a couple one offs, but pricey at higher quantities.

So, what’s the alternative? Screen printed transfers.

Screen printed transfers, like the Goof Proof® screen printed transfers we’ll be using today, are an excellent, cost-effective solution, especially for apparel decorators looking to maximize profit margins, and here’s why: unlike DTF, which charges by the square inch, screen printed transfers are priced by the number of colors in your design and total quantity.

For designs with fewer colors—like team logos, workwear, band merchandise, one-color prints, or simple text designs—screen printed transfers are significantly cheaper at volume.

Let’s break it down with some numbers in a real world scenario: Our first example will be for a 100-piece order with 3 colors in the artwork, and a print size of 11 by 16.4 inches.

For Goof Proof screen printed transfers, the cost per print with our vector artwork file is $6.10, sized to the jumbo sheet. So, for 100 pieces, that’s $610 total.

Now, let’s compare that to UltraColor Max, which is a DTF transfer priced at 6 cents per square inch. For the same artwork, you’re looking at $10.86 per print—so for 100 pieces, that’s $1,086 total.

That’s nearly double the cost with DTF! Think about it—what would you do with that extra $476?

Would you pocket it as pure profit? Maybe reinvest it in your business for more equipment or supplies? Or, how about lowering your prices to stay more competitive? The choice is all yours.

Now, let’s say we’re using a single-color design for the same 100-piece order and same print size. Goof Proof really shines here: where you’re looking at just $2.44 per print, bringing the total to $244 for 100 pieces.

But with UltraColor Max DTF, you’re still paying that $10.86 per print. That’s $1,086 total—again, much higher than Goof Proof.

That’s an $842 difference! Imagine how much more competitive your business could be if you were paying less for transfers. You could use that saved money to offer lower prices, making your customers even happier while still increasing your bottom line.

Ok, 100 quantity is great, but What about smaller quantities? Here’s a 50-piece order with a 12 by 11.75-inch, single-color print. For Goof Proof, you’re paying just $1.19 per print with the single-image pricing,  which adds up to only $59.50 for all 50 pieces.

For UltraColor Max, though, it’s still $8.46 per print, totaling $423.

That’s a huge difference, especially if you’re running multiple small orders. Plus, with Goof Proof, the application time is only 4 seconds with a single color print compared to 15 seconds for DTF, so you’re not just saving money, you’re saving time.

What could you do with all that saved time? You could produce more shirts, take on more orders, or even enjoy some well-earned downtime.

Now, I don’t want to say DTF is always the wrong choice—it’s fantastic for low quantities and high-color count artwork.

For example using the artwork from our first example with that jumbo sized print- if you’re only printing 12 pieces of that 3-color design, Goof Proof screen printed transfers would cost you $18.37 per print. At 18 pieces, it’s $13.72, and for 24, it’s $11.63.

But once you hit 36 pieces, Goof Proof drops to $9.65 per print, which is just under that UltraColor Max price at $10.86 per print.

Of course, there’s many more scenarios that you could run through, varying the number of colors in your design and size. We could be here all day running through them all, but the main takeaway from this video here for you is I want you to maximize your profits as an apparel decorator by limiting your costs where you can.

One easy way to take guesswork out of the costing and get quick pricing comparisons is using the free, Easy View® Online Designer. So much more than just a gang sheet builder, Easy View is a powerful design tool that can help you in more ways than one!

Here, by just swapping the transfer type in the lower left corner and entering your quantity, you can see real time pricing between different transfer types, giving you the edge to be competitive with your pricing and profit!

While we mainly focused on limited color artwork here, too, I don't want to forget to mention UltraColor Pro™, a hybrid digital screen print transfer, perfect for those full color prints at higher quantity.

Ok, to wrap us up here, while DTF is great for versatility, it might be costing you more than you realize—especially on those larger orders.

With Goof Proof screen printed transfers, you’re saving on cost, reducing application time, and ultimately increasing your profit margins.

So next time you’re pricing out a job, be sure to compare and see if screen printed transfers can save you money.

Thanks for watching and be sure to catch more heat printing tips and tricks, small business education and profit-packed advice, just like this video that we’re dropping every single week. But, until next time, I’m Dave, happy pressing!