DTF or DTG: the real cost per print at each quantity
Published 2026 ranges put DTF at $3–$8 a print and DTG at $5–$15 at low volume. Where the two cross, and what changes on light garments.
Production · 158 articles
Production: Getting it printed, right first time.
Ink, mesh, cure, changeover — the decisions made at the press. 158 articles.
Production articles
DTG or DTF: deciding per order instead of by habit
Fabric, colour count, quantity and hand feel. A decision table you can put on the wall, plus what each one actually costs per print.
Plastisol or water-based: choosing ink per job
Plastisol cures in 20–60 seconds at 320°F. Water-based needs closer to three minutes and a dryer that can deliver it. Which to use, and what each demands of your shop.
Mesh counts, and what each one is actually for
110 for bold and white, 156 for general work, 230 for detail and halftones. Three screens cover most shops — here is which job goes on which.
Wash testing: the check that prevents reprints
A print that looks perfect leaving the shop can fail on the third wash. A ten-minute routine that catches undercure before your customer does.
DTF gang sheets: pricing, nesting and when to buy them in
Gang sheets run $0.014–$0.025 a square inch at the budget end and $0.04–$0.08 standard. How to nest them properly and whether to print your own.
Production scheduling that survives a bad week
Every shop schedules optimistically and then firefights. How to build a plan with slack in it, and what to do when it breaks anyway.
Quality control before it ships
Every garment leaving the shop has your name on it. A checking routine that catches faults in minutes rather than at the customer.
Reprints, spoilage and how much to allow
Every run loses a few. What a realistic allowance looks like, how to order for it, and when spoilage is telling you something.
Cutting changeover time between jobs
Most shops are not short of press capacity. They are short of press time, because too much of the day goes on switching between jobs.
Set up in an afternoon. From what you already do.
Free for 14 days · no card · pick what you make and we preload the methods, products and price tables.