Glossary

DTF & production terms, defined

The vocabulary of a custom print shop — from gang sheets to dye migration — in plain language. Each term links to a deeper guide where one exists.

Adhesive powder (TPU)
The thermoplastic polyurethane powder dusted onto wet DTF ink; when melted it forms the glue that bonds the transfer to fabric. Sold in fine, medium, and coarse grades, and in white or black. Choosing film and powder
Bin consolidation
A fulfillment method where each pressed item of a multi-item order is scanned and routed to an assigned bin, and the order only ships once every item has been scanned in — making incomplete shipments structurally impossible. Multi-item order packing
Blank
An undecorated garment before printing. Shops buy blanks wholesale (e.g. from S&S Activewear) and decorate them to order; blank cost and inventory discipline are core to pricing.
Curing
Heating a powdered film so the TPU adhesive melts into a continuous layer, done with a curing oven or the dryer stage of a shaker unit. Under-cured powder causes transfers that print fine but fail to stick.
DPI (dots per inch)
A measure of artwork resolution at final print size. For DTF, 300 DPI is the quality target and 150 DPI is a workable floor; below that, prints look soft. Effective DPI = artwork pixel width ÷ print width in inches. DTF DPI requirements
DTF (Direct-to-Film)
A garment decoration method in which a design is printed onto a coated PET film, dusted with adhesive powder, cured, and then heat-pressed onto a garment. DTF works on almost any fabric and color, prints in full color, and needs no garment pretreatment. DTF vs. DTG vs. sublimation
DTG (Direct-to-Garment)
Inkjet printing directly onto a garment. DTG gives the softest hand on 100% cotton but needs pretreatment and a white underbase on dark garments, and prints one garment at a time.
Dye migration
When a garment's own dye bleeds up through a print under heat — turning whites pink or gray — most common on polyester at high press temperatures. Prevented by lowering the press temperature for poly fabrics. Why transfers fail
Gang sheet
A single sheet of transfer film with multiple designs arranged ("ganged") onto it, so one print run produces many transfers at once and less film is wasted. What is a DTF gang sheet?
Heat press
The machine that applies controlled heat and pressure to bond a transfer to a garment. Clamshell and swing-away styles are standard; consistent temperature and even pressure decide whether transfers last. DTF press settings
Hot / warm / cold peel
When the PET film is removed after pressing. Hot-peel film comes off seconds after pressing (fastest workflow); cold-peel film must cool first (more forgiving, flatter matte finish). Peeling a film at the wrong temperature lifts edges. DTF press settings
Hot folder
A watched directory: any print-ready file dropped into it is automatically queued for printing by the RIP, with the settings assigned to that folder. The standard automation entry point for RIPs like NeoStampa. RIP hot folder workflow
HTV (Heat Transfer Vinyl)
Colored vinyl that is cut to shape, weeded by hand, and heat-pressed onto a garment one color layer at a time. Strong for simple single-color designs and specialty finishes; labor-heavy for multi-color work. DTF vs. HTV
Idempotent intake
Order intake designed so the same order delivered twice — for example a Shopify webhook retry — never creates a duplicate. Essential for reliable e-commerce order processing. Shopify integration
Mockup
A preview image of the design placed on the garment. In production it doubles as a verification aid — an operator compares the mockup to the raw artwork before pressing to avoid printing the wrong design on the wrong shirt.
Nesting
The automatic arrangement of designs onto a gang sheet to consume the least possible film. Good nesting rotates pieces to fill gaps and packs the queue in seconds. Gang sheet nesting
PET film
The coated polyester transfer film DTF prints onto. Choices that matter: peel type, finish (matte or glossy), thickness (commonly ~75µm), coating quality, and roll width (13″, 17″, 22″, 24″). Choosing film and powder
Pretreatment
A liquid applied to a garment before DTG printing so ink bonds and white ink stays bright. A DTG requirement on dark garments; DTF needs none, which is a major reason DTF spread so fast.
RIP (Raster Image Processor)
Software that converts artwork into the exact droplet instructions a printer lays down — handling color management, ink limits, white-ink underbase generation, and halftoning. Every production DTF printer runs behind a RIP. RIP hot folder workflow
Sublimation
A process that turns solid dye into gas under heat so it bonds into polyester fibers. It leaves zero hand feel and is effectively permanent, but only works on light-colored, high-polyester fabrics.
Unit-level tracking
Giving every physical garment its own identity (typically a QR code) at order creation and carrying it through every stage — nested, printed, pressed, binned, packed, shipped — so any item can be scanned to reveal its order, status, and next step. The DTF production workflow
Utilization
The percentage of a gang sheet's area actually covered by designs. Hand-packed sheets often run 60–80%; tight algorithmic nests reach 85–92%. It translates directly to film cost. Film savings calculator
White underbase
A layer of white ink printed under the colors so a design stays opaque and vivid on dark garments. DTF builds this into the transfer automatically; DTG has to lay it down on the garment.

Want the deeper reads? Browse the guides →

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