Running costs
The printer is
The printer is
the cheap part.
Film, ink, powder, power, waste and your own time decide whether DTF makes money. Work those out first and the machine choice becomes obvious.
Film, ink, powder, power, waste and your own time decide whether DTF makes money. Work those out first and the machine choice becomes obvious.
Any supplier can quote a machine price. These are the lines that decide your margin per garment.
Driven by how efficiently you gang artwork onto the roll. Poor nesting can double film cost per design without anyone noticing.
White is used far faster than colour. Budget on white consumption, not on an average across all channels.
The oven and press draw the most. Worth checking the circuit before installation rather than after tripping it.
Fifteen to thirty minutes a day of cleaning and circulation. Real labour cost, and skipping it is more expensive still.
Misprints, failed transfers and test prints. A realistic plan assumes a few percent, not zero.
A clogged head on a deadline day costs more than any consumable. This is what UK support and spares availability buy you.
| Requirement | Why |
|---|---|
| Ventilation | Curing adhesive powder produces fumes and fine airborne particles. Extraction is not optional in a small room. |
| Stable temperature and humidity | Both film behaviour and ink performance shift with the room. A cold damp unit in January will not behave like it did in July. |
| Bench space | Printer, shaker-oven, press and a clean area to lay transfers out. Cramped benches cause contaminated film and wasted prints. |
| Power | Oven and press together draw real current. Check the circuit rating before the machine arrives. |
| Storage | Sealed, dry storage for film and powder, away from heat and direct sun. |
Publishing a single figure would be misleading — it changes with print size, garment mix, nesting efficiency and volume. TODO: confirm current consumable pricing. Send us a typical design and a weekly quantity and we will work the real number out with you.
Send a typical design, garment types and weekly volume. You will get a cost per print you can actually plan around.
Send the details