44 images OCTOBER 2026 www.images-magazine.com MARKET INTELLIGENCE Sluggish sustainability advances One accusation often levelled at DTF is its environmental impact. While there are some advances – Soyang launched a paper-based alternative to the more usual PET DTF film in July – progress is still sluggish. “Looking back to a year ago, InkTec expected the DTF market to have made greater strides in sustainability than we’ve actually seen so far this year,” says Sarah. She notes an increasing number of enquiries of about InkTec’s environmental accreditations, however, saying it is apparent that sustainability awareness is growing. Folker of Brother also highlights “a growing demand for more sustainable solutions”. These include reducing material waste, improving the environmental footprint of films, inks and adhesives, and developing processes that consume less energy and fewer resources. Hopefully next year will bring more positive news. Looking ahead As for what is next in the DTF world, Iva of Azonprinter is clear: “From our perspective, the biggest opportunity for DTF over the coming year is industrialisation. The technology has already demonstrated that it can produce high-quality transfers; the next challenge is making the process as efficient, predictable and scalable as possible.” Encarna of Roland says she expects to see “continued advances in finishing integration and increased automation, particularly automated transfer application onto garments, which can help high-production environments increaseefficiency, and reduce manual intervention”, while Diego of B-Flex expects the fastest evolution will be on the adhesive side: “Speciality powders and glues designed for specific and more demanding fabrics, lower application temperatures and a softer hand. We ourselves are about to introduce a range of special adhesives that goes exactly in this direction.” Dominic of David Sharp expects the increased use of SFTP servers for artwork, “enabling quicker artwork pulling, with QR codes being introduced more, enabling quick and efficient packaging, without introducing human error”. The prediction from Jamie is concise – and will inevitably be popular: “More price cuts!” As for Colin of Resolute, he’s keeping quiet about what is in the pipeline, but as usual Resolute is one to watch when it comes to innovation in DTF. “There are some significant new products our R&D department are working on. I think the market will see several new launches in 2027 that will once again boost the DTF stronghold on the textile decoration market.” The era of flinging new products out into the market and hoping they stick is over. When decorators invest in the latest systems now, the risk is much lower. Launches that have instead been designed with quality, productivity and efficiency in mind are a sign that the sector has finally moved into a more thoughtful and mature phase. New, refined powders combine with half-tone images for durable prints with “outstanding” feel, says Jim of TMTC high temperatures, and some have even chosen to stop production temporarily during the hottest days,” says Andy of Indie Ink. “Air conditioning is still a luxury that many smaller garment decorators simply don’t have. “DTF printing can be sensitive to environmental conditions, so significant changes in temperature and humidity canaffect the behaviour of inks, films and the overall printing process. “The important thing is recognising that the environment is part of the process. Maintaining as stable a temperature and humidity as possible, storing consumables correctly and allowing materials to acclimatise can make a significant difference to consistency.” Quality control As Iva of Azonprinter says, as with any relatively young printing technology, there are still areas that require attention. “Consistency and reliability over long production periods remain important issues. DTF is a process consisting of several interconnected stages — printing, powder application, curing, transfer and application — so a problem in one stage can affect the entire workflow. “We have, therefore, focused heavily on system stability, ink compatibility, powder management and improving the overall workflow rather than looking at the printer in isolation. “The industry is also becoming much more aware that successful DTF production depends on the complete system. Using the right combination of printer, ink, film, powder, RIP software and curing equipment is critical.” Quality consumables are a musthave, with poor products affecting the industry as a whole. “The main issue has been the flood of low cost material with inconsistent quality, which has hurt the reputation of the technology with some end users: batch to batch variation, washfastness problems, poor storage stability,” says Diego of B-Flex. “As a manufacturer, our answer is strict supplier qualification and systematic testing of every batch before it reaches our distributors or endcustomers. It is less glamorous than launching new products, but it is exactly where a serious supplier earns its role.” Customers are focusing on solutions that support their businesses, says Joe of Sabur
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