Made this retro Irish halftone hoodie design for the Atomm Halftone Maker Contest. I wanted it to feel less like a novelty Irish graphic and more like an old memory: a loyal pub dog, warm lights, wet cobblestones and a bit of Irish social-club nostalgia.
Printed as a hoodie and tee concept using a distressed halftone-style finish.
#atomm #xtool #halftonemakercontest
I work with DTF printing every day, and one thing I’ve noticed is that many people use halftones without really understanding what problem they’re trying to solve.
In my experience, halftones can be especially useful for large solid areas where the print would otherwise feel heavy or plastic-like. But I’ve also found that simply converting an image to dots isn’t enough. Dot size, spacing, image resolution, transparency, and the characteristics of the artwork can completely change the final result.
One of the biggest mistakes I see is using very small dots because the image looks better on screen. After printing, some of those details may not transfer consistently, especially depending on the printer, powder, film and press settings.
Another interesting problem is balancing visual quality with breathability. Larger empty areas can improve the feel of the print, but removing too much information can noticeably affect gradients and details. I’m curious about how other DTF printers handle this.
Do you use halftones mainly to reduce the plastic feel, for visual effects, or both? And what minimum dot size have you found reliable in real production?
S&S is dropping Bella Canvas, and SanMar just acquired them.
Add alphabroder and a few other acquisitions over the past couple of years, and it feels like the blank apparel industry is getting smaller.
Maybe it’s good. Maybe it’s not.
Am I the only one wondering if having fewer major players will eventually mean fewer choices for print shops?
I hope this is the right place to ask. I got a design printed at a shop a few days back but then i got caught in the rain and cyan paint ended up leaking from the print. Does anyone have advice on how to remove it ideally without removing the print itself (although if i have to do that to save the shirt thats fine). The stain has dried up unfortunately so keep that in mind. I already used a stain remover and washed by hand which faded out the stain a bit but idk if it will be able to cleanly get rid of it.
UV Printing: Prints directly onto hard surfaces like acrylic, wood, metal, glass, and plastic.
DTF: Prints onto a transfer film first, then uses heat to transfer the design onto T-shirts, tote bags, hoodies, and other soft materials.
UV DTF: Prints onto a transfer film that can be applied directly to hard objects without heat, making it great for cups, bottles, and other curved surfaces.
DTG: Prints directly onto T-shirts and other cotton garments, resulting in a softer, more natural feel.
Did I get this right, or am I missing something?
What resources/YT channels have helped you learn about DTF before getting into it?
Considering starting a little side business making some shirts and exploring some options of the DTG printers. The one I’m looking at is a Epson F2100. Most posts and feedback that I’ve come across people are always saying they don’t print well on anything thats not 100% cotton.?? The printer I’m looking at is a used Epson F2100 and the person says that if you just use a different pre-treatment geared towards poly then you can print on polyester or poly/cotton blends and it turns out just fine. Anyone help me out here on personal experiences, bonus points if you’ve used the Epson F2100.
Not necessarily looking for the cheapest supplies, however, the cost of the ink Xtool sends and sells. It’s considerably more expense. Wanting to know if anyone has worked with other inks and if they have any insight. Thank you!
Who had the best or most consistent gang sheet transfers?
Merch studio
Supa color
Dtfmasters
613 originals
Those seem to be the top ones i hear people talk about. Or is there another I should be checking out? I've had trouble with companies being consistent with colors in the past and the prints wrinkling after a few wash/dryer cycles. Still on the hunt for my go to supplier.
Hello I’m new to this group
I am looking to buy a new dtf printer I have a Procolored right now and I will never go back I have had nothing but problems….wondering if you guys have any recs
Ive pressed a few comfort colour shirts now at different temps, times and pressure and they keep cracking after the first wash.
I currently am pressing 310 for 15seconds medium to firm pressure (around 130lbs) doing a pre press and a second press with a Teflon sheet and still always the same results happen.
Hi everyone, I need some help with my Epson R1390 DTF printer.
The problem started after we replaced the printhead flat cables/ribbon cables.
After replacing the printhead flat cables, at first the carriage was moving all the way to the left side and kept trying to go left. We checked and reconnected the cables/sensors, and that issue seems to be fixed now.
The current problem is that when we press the power button, the printer turns on for a moment, then the power light goes off and only the ink light keeps blinking. The printer does not respond to the buttons after that.
We have checked that the flat cables are connected correctly, everything seems to be in place, and the fuse is not blown.
I’m attaching a video of what it does now.
Does anyone know what could cause this after replacing the printhead ribbon cables? Could it be a damaged/incorrect cable, bad connection, carriage sensor, motherboard issue, or something else?
Any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you!
Has anyone here used UV DTF decals on outdoor flower pots?
How long did they last? Did they start peeling or fading after being outside?
I used PPD transfer paper (for dark fabrics) to make a small design/logo to put on a pair of sweatpants. I did the usual- cut them with Cricut, then pre heat and put them on the pants and iron them on. They seemed fine, but I just wore the pants on a really hot/humid day, and my pants got really sweaty. The transfer started to peel a lot.
Is there any solution to this (like changes to heat settings), or are transfer paper designs best for just casual wear? If the material just can’t withstand the moisture, I’ll understand. Thanks
The first picture shows the result from today, while the second picture shows a print from a few months ago. The older print turned out great, but today's one (the Demon Slayer design) didn't come out very well. What could have caused this?
Customer requesting a heavyweight boxy tee, first time with this request. We went through some of the samples I have for relaxed/oversized fit and she said the Bella Heavyweight was the closest and the Hanes Beefy would be second but neither were truly hitting the fit she was going for. Any recommendations?
Maybe it’s just us, but over the last year we’ve noticed way more customers asking for heavyweight blanks for DTF transfers.
A while back almost every order was G5000 or 64000.
Now we’re getting a lot more requests for:
Shaka Wear
Comfort Colors
Bella+Canvas heavyweight
AS Colour
Honestly, DTF transfers seem to sit really nicely on heavier shirts too.
Is anyone else seeing the same trend?
I own a small tourist shop where I mainly sell printed T-shirts. Up until now, my workflow has been fairly simple: I buy blank T-shirts and ready-made DTF transfers from wholesalers, and then I apply the transfers myself using a heat press that I already have in the shop.
Lately, I've been seriously considering investing in a DTF printer for a few reasons:
* To reduce the cost of producing the T-shirts I already sell at retail.
* To start supplying other local shops, either with DTF transfers only or with finished printed T-shirts.
* In the future, to expand into online sales through eBay and possibly Temu.
At the moment, my retail sales volume is around 15–20 T-shirts per day, depending on the season.
My initial budget is approximately €5,000, although I could stretch it slightly if there is a strong reason to do so.
The problem is that after researching DTF printers , I'm honestly overwhelmed. There are so many options (epson, different Chinese brands, shaker bundles, etc.) that it's becoming difficult to determine what is actually reliable and suitable for my situation.
What I'm looking for:
A reliable machine that won't become a maintenance nightmare.
Something suitable for a small but growing business.
Reasonable availability of spare parts and print heads.(really important, Im located in EU)
Ideally a setup that can handle both my own retail production and some small-scale wholesale work.
Hey all, I've been having this problem with my past 3 prints where after curing in the oven cracks and splotchy areas appear on the print like in the pictures above.
I'm not sure what's causing it whether it's a temperature thing or a problem with the ink if anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated!
EDIT: There was supposed to be a picture showing the back of the print but it didn't appear i apologise for that. It looked like small cracks. Imagine poking holes in a piece of paper with a chopstick and gently folding back the flaps that fold out when you poke the hole.
So I've been trying to recreate the theme of one of my favourite T-shirts made by REEF using design elements from Kittl.
I've already half toned it and I am planning to print on a grey T-shirt but can't decide between the navy blue or the black for the detail lines and background items.
What do you think?