40 images OCTOBER 2026 www.images-magazine.com MARKET INTELLIGENCE outperforms DTG in wash tests, colour accuracy and vibrancy – but particularly cost of production and maintenance.” One solution to the debate is a hybrid DTF/ DTG system, which Folker says is “particularly attractive for smaller producers who need flexibility, for startups, and for companies printing on a wide range of materials and applications. For larger, high-volume production environments, however, dedicated [rollto-roll] systems are still more common.” Automation advances While there have been a number of machine launches over the past 12 months – the DTF Magic Vega-8 from The Magic Transfer Company (TMTC), the Mimaki TxF330-800, the Brother GTX300 and DTRX machines, the Epson G9000, the Mutoh STS XPD924D, the Roland VersaStudio BY2-20, the ColDesi 24H5 and 30H2 systems, and the Filmjet Mini DTF and Filmjet Powderless from Polyprint – the most notable developments highlighted by respondents this year have actually been in areas such as automation, productivity, media, consumables and workflow. “Automation, in particular, is becoming increasingly important: manufacturers are working to reduce manual steps and make the entire workflow more efficient and easier to control,” explains Folker. “The aim is to achieve higher productivity whilst minimising manual intervention, errors and production downtime.” As Iva from Azonprinter notes: “Overall, the market is moving from ‘Can DTF do this?’ to ‘How efficiently and reliably can we do this at scale?’” Automation is a particularly interesting area for Epson, says Phil, because the company designs and manufactures its own robotic technologies as well as printing systems. “We are investigating how that expertise might potentially help address some of the manual processes involved in DTF production. There are several stages of the workflow where reducing operator intervention could potentially improve productivity, consistency and efficiency. “We are not announcing specific products or solutions at this stage, but as DTF moves towards higher-volume production, we believe automation and the integration of different stages of the workflow will become increasingly important.” Bottlenecks The main bottlenecks in the DTF workflow – and the most labourintensive part – is cutting up the transfers and applying them. “A wide variety of manufacturers are working on solutions to minimise this problem. From hardware solutions such as multi-station heat presses with cameracontrolled or image-processing-assisted positioning right through to automatic peeling, these can already reduce the amount of manual labour required and improve the error rate,” says Folker. Automated cutting with a flat bed cutter in-line to the printer can make a bigdifference, believes Colin. “Having this set-up means one operator can print and cut, reducing the labour cost by 50%.” As Sarah points out though, “it’s important to recognise that this final application stage also reflects one of DTF’s greatest strengths. The technology is ideally suited to personalisation, one-off orders and short production runs, all of which continue to grow in popularity. Unlike traditional production models that rely on long runs to achieve efficiency, DTF enables businesses to respond quickly to customer demand for customised products.” Not everyone agrees that automatic cutters are needed, however. “In regards to processing printed and cured transfers we are very much in the school of good professional sharp scissors! DTF transfers don’t need to be profile cut!” states Jim Nicol, MD at The Magic Transfer Company. “Every automated option we have considered to date has not given us reason to suggest to customers to justify the investment. The introduction of laser cutting DTF transfers is an option but as yet still requires some real testing and evaluation.” B-Flex is set to introduce a range of special adhesives designed for more demanding fabrics, lower application temperatures and a softer hand Indie Ink says its sales are up 25% year-on-year A DTF print produced by Resolute in dedicated spot red and spot blue, showing “flat, solid, perfect colours”, says Colin
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