In our fourth annual report on the DTF market, major players talk to us about the current state of the sector and the innovations that are on the horizon…
There is much hyperbole bandied around when it comes to DTF (direct-to-film) systems and their increasing share of the garment decoration sector, but it’s not without foundation, reports Alex Franklin of AM Custom Clothing.
“Since 2020, search interest in DTF printing has skyrocketed, transforming what might have initially seemed like a fad into a lasting trend. The percentage growth in search interest from 2020 to 2024 is a staggering 7,420%.”
Although web searches don’t necessarily translate into orders, the upwards trajectory is hard to ignore.
While DTG (direct-to-garment) printing remains more searched for in the UK, explains Alex, globally DTF printing searches have surpassed DTG in popularity. Earlier this year, he noted that DTF printing was averaging 22,800 monthly global searches compared to 20,400 for DTG.
“The slight edge of DTF printing over DTG printing in global search volume implies a competitive and dynamic market where both technologies are vying for dominance.”
Timing-wise, it has emerged at the right moment to fulfil precisely what consumers are currently demanding. “While it is great for mass production, it is adding a new dimension to short, unique pieces, such as garments,” says Sarah Hall, sales executive at InkTec.
“This is proving incredibly appealing to the Gen Z who are keen to celebrate and show their individuality, but are also expecting it instantly.”
Colin Marsh, MD at Resolute, which introduced the first commercial DTF system to the UK market and which is “still 18 months ahead with new developments in the DTF process”, says demand is growing in two areas.
“As our first systems now reach four years in the field, these customers are benefitting from upgrading to our newer, faster systems. The knock-on effect is a natural association to reliability for new customers looking to get into the DTF market.”
InkTec is looking at developing new DTF products, such as an environmentally sustainable film
Embroidery digitiser David Sharp launched its DTF transfer service earlier this year
Maturing market
The rapid growth of the market seen in the initial couple of years was always unlikely to be sustained, and the past year has proven this, with a slight slowdown as the market matures, reports Sean Barker of AJS, which offers the Niji DTF system.
“The expectation was for a more significant focus on colour management and workflow optimisation – areas still under-exploited. Now, in summer/autumn 2024, while the market has indeed slowed slightly, it remains buoyant, with solid demand for newer-generation machines. The reality has largely matched expectations, with a few months left in the year to continue pushing these advancements.”
According to Sean, 90% of the current demand comes from existing users seeking to replace or upgrade their machines, with only 10% coming from new entrants. “This trend reflects the market’s maturation and the growing need for reliable and efficient equipment among established users,” he says.
Jamie Turner, MD at 1ClickPrint, is seeing a different split: “Our customers are 50% buying a DTF printer for the first time and 50% upgrading from those awful Ebay desktop abominations.”
He adds: “This year we’ve had our engineers installing printers all over the UK, Europe and as far away as the Caribbean. We hit the ground running at the beginning of 2023 and, as our hardware brand recognition has grown, 2024 has seen a 500% year to date increase in hardware sales.
“Many medium to large companies are fairly price-insensitive to a few thousand pounds but that certainly isn’t the case for most of our customers. By making professional print hardware accessible to smaller companies we’ve tapped a huge market that shows no signs of slowing down.”
TheMagicTouch (TMT), which offers its DTFMagic range of DTF systems as well as Mutoh and Roland options, is finding that the majority of installations continue to be for established garment decorators and companies bringing transfer and garment decoration production in-house.
“The cost per transfer remains a massive lure for those with production and volume needs,” says MD Jim Nicol. “DTF is perfect for users that have the demand for transfers almost every day, ensuring the printers and equipment are regularly used and maintained to the recommended specifications.”
Adelco’s sales director Luke Smith notes that the company is seeing an even split between people buying new systems and the company’s existing DTF users purchasing additional machines. “We are also seeing long-term customers replace high-end DTG systems partially or completely with DTF, being that system costs are much lower, versatility of fabric type is higher, and print costs are far lower.”
It’s a trend matched at Xpres, which offers the Mimaki, Epson and Roland DTF systems. “We’re seeing many existing customers finally making the move to DTF now that the bigger hardware brands have entered the space,” states Matthew Housley, product manager at Xpres.
“Even larger businesses that have traditionally outsourced all their prints are starting to get onboard as the options become more stable and reliable.”
Over at Sabur Digital, which offers the Sabtex range of DTF systems along with the Neolt Factory XY DTF Cutter, new customers are making up most of the sales, although MD Aaron Burton comments: “Customers are increasing their capacity by coming back for a second or even third printer once they’ve seen just how much difference DTF is making to their production.”
Embroidery digitiser David Sharp launched its DTF transfer service earlier this year, and has seen a big uptake, confirms director Jamie Hood. “We are producing three times as many DTF transfers as we expected to by this time. The hunger for DTF seems unwavering, with a huge advantage over other printing methods.”
…Discover more industry insights into DTF in our October 2024 issue here
