DTF Printing for Uniforms and Workwear
Full colour logos on any fabric, with no minimum order and no setup cost per colour. Printed in our Ajman factory in 3 to 4 days, up to 7 on bulk runs.
minimum order on DTF
days under 100 pcs, 3 to 7 on bulk
maximum print size, 420 by 594 mm
Why DTF Printing Changed Small Uniform Orders
DTF stands for direct to film. Your artwork is printed onto a film with a white ink underbase, bonded with adhesive powder, then heat pressed onto the garment. Because there are no screens to make, there is no setup cost per colour and no minimum quantity.
That solves the problem every small business runs into. Screen printing needs 100 pieces to make sense and embroidery starts at 10, but a startup ordering five branded polos for a trade stand had no good option until DTF. It also handles artwork that thread and screens cannot: photographs, gradients, fine detail and unlimited colours at one flat price.
Choose DTF printing when
- You need fewer than 100 pieces
- Your logo has photographs, gradients or many colours
- The garment is polyester, a blend or technical fabric
- You are printing a one off sample or event batch
- Different designs are needed across the same order
Choose something else when
- You are ordering hundreds with a simple flat colour logo, where screen printing costs less per unit
- You want the premium stitched look of a corporate left chest logo
- The garment is light coloured polyester sportswear, where sublimation gives a better finish
- You are branding certified flame resistant workwear
How DTF Printing Works
Print to film
Your artwork is printed in reverse onto a PET film, with a white ink layer laid behind the colours so they stay opaque on dark garments.
Powder and cure
Hot melt adhesive powder is applied to the wet ink and cured, which is what bonds the transfer to fabric later.
Heat press
The film is pressed onto the garment under heat and pressure, then peeled. Placement is set against your approved mock up.
Check and deliver
Every piece is checked against the sample before packing, then delivered across all seven emirates.
What DTF Printing Will Not Do
DTF sits on top of the fabric rather than inside it. You can feel the transfer under your fingers in a way you cannot with sublimation, and on a large full back print that difference is noticeable. It is a bonded layer, so it will not last as long as thread or sublimated dye under heavy abrasion and repeated high temperature commercial laundering.
For a hotel or hospital laundering garments daily at industrial temperatures, embroidery is the more durable answer. For a light polyester sports jersey, sublimation gives a permanent finish with no added weight. We will tell you when one of those is the better fit rather than take the DTF order.
Fabrics DTF prints on
- Cotton and poly cotton
- 100 percent polyester, without the dye migration risk that affects screen printing
- Blends and technical performance fabric
- Dark garments, thanks to the white underbase
- Nylon and coated fabrics, subject to a test press
What We DTF Print
Popular garments
DTF Printing in Dubai, Sharjah and Across the UAE
We run DTF in house on Beirut Street, Industrial Area 2, Ajman, and deliver to all seven emirates. Because there is no minimum, a Dubai agency ordering ten event shirts gets the same 3 to 4 day turnaround as a bulk uniform contract, and manufacturing outside the Dubai free zones keeps the unit price below a reseller quote.
DTF Printing FAQs
What is the minimum order for DTF printing?
There is no meaningful minimum. DTF uses no screens, so there is no setup cost to spread across a run and a single sample costs very little to produce. This is the method to ask for when you need five or fifty pieces rather than five hundred.
How much does DTF printing cost?
Pricing is driven by the printed area rather than the number of colours, so a full colour photographic logo costs the same as a two colour one at the same size. Send your artwork, garment and quantity for a firm quote.
How long does DTF printing take?
Orders under 100 pieces are produced in 3 to 4 days, including artwork setup and a digital mock up. Bulk runs of around 1,000 pieces take 3 to 7 days, and express is 3 days.
Is DTF better than screen printing?
Neither is better in the abstract, quantity decides it. Under 100 pieces, or with complex artwork, DTF wins on cost and quality. Above 100 pieces with a simple flat colour logo, screen printing gives a lower cost per garment and a slightly thinner hand feel.
Will a DTF print crack, peel or fade?
A correctly cured and pressed transfer holds up well through normal washing. It is a bonded layer sitting on the fabric, so under repeated industrial laundering it will wear before embroidery or sublimation does. Wash inside out, avoid bleach, and do not iron directly over the print.
Can you DTF print on dark and polyester garments?
Yes to both. The white ink underbase keeps colours opaque on dark fabric, and DTF avoids the dye migration problem that turns white screen prints pink on red and navy polyester.
How large can you print?
Up to A2, which is 420 by 594 mm. That covers full back prints as well as standard left chest, sleeve and cap placements.
Do you sell DTF printers or transfers?
No. We are a uniform manufacturer, not an equipment supplier. We print and press onto garments for businesses across the UAE, either on uniforms we make or on garments you supply.
Send your artwork, however small the order
No minimum, no setup charge per colour, and a free digital mock up before we press anything.