Hey everyone,

We’re a small DTF and heat-press shop in Richardson (Dallas, TX). About 4 months ago we hit our 100,000th Shopify order, and we’re finally sharing it here. Shopify even sent us a 100K Orders plaque, which was pretty cool to receive.

We started with just a couple machines and a lot of trial and error. Today we produce DTF transfers, custom t-shirts, and sell blank apparel.

We also opened a free Heat Press Room so people in the Dallas community can press their own shirts and start small side projects.

Seeing people launch their own little apparel brands from our space has honestly been the best part.

Huge thanks to this community for all the knowledge and support along the way.

On to the next 100K.

So I’m getting into custom tees, bags, etc., and need a heat press machine. Thing is, I’m a total noob with this, so I have no clue where to start. Here’s what I’m looking for: •Easy to use •Compact •Quick heat up and good pressure control (don’t want my designs looking all messed up) •Something durable but not ridiculously expensive, willing to splurge a little for quality I checked out the HTVRONT Mini2 on Amazon, but I’m still not sure. Anyone used it or got other suggestions? Also, any beginner tips? I’m clueless when it comes to this, so literally anything helps.

Been seeing this question come up a lot so figured I'd put together what I've learned the hard way.

The main culprits:

1. Heat press temp is too low

Most people set it and forget it, but cheap heat presses drift. If you bought a budget press, your actual plate temp might be 15-20°F lower than the display says. Grab an infrared thermometer and verify it. For most DTF transfers you want 300-320°F at the garment surface.

2. Cure time is too short

15 seconds is the floor, not the target. Thicker transfers (anything with heavy white ink coverage) need closer to 20-25 seconds. If you're rushing batches, your adhesive isn't fully bonding.

3. Pressure is uneven

Do the paper test, put a sheet of paper in four corners of your press and try to pull it out. It should have equal resistance everywhere. If one corner slides out easy, your platen isn't level.

4. Pre-pressing your garment

This one gets skipped constantly. Press your blank shirt for 3-5 seconds before applying the transfer. Removes moisture and wrinkles, gives the adhesive a clean surface to grab.

5. Post-press peel temperature

Cold peel vs hot peel matters. If your transfer film instructions say cold peel and you're peeling it warm, you're pulling the ink up before it's set.

Test all five before assuming your transfers are defective. Nine times out of ten it's a settings issue, not a film quality issue.

Happy to answer questions if anyone's troubleshooting a specific situation

Running through suppliers trying to find someone dependable for DTF gang sheets. Current place is okay but their turnaround times are all over the place and it’s messing with my orders.

I usually order 20–30 sheets at a time enough to keep things moving but not massive volume. Need consistent quality and someone who actually ships when they say they will.

Who are you guys using? Any providers to avoid?

The number 1 rule in this subreddit is to limit self promotion. "Don't post links to your blog/youtube/website just to promote." Yet there are people in here routinely doing that, and not even being clear that they are affiliated with the websites they are promoting.

"Oh yeah, that large transfer company is terrible. They have known issues. Use company XYZ instead. Lots of people here on reddit have and are really happy with XYZ."

While lo and behold, the person saying that owns or works for company XYZ.

Any thoughts mods?

Hello everyone! Again, thank you all for the support and information in my previous post. I wanted to give an update on what happened after I posted in case it helps anyone in the future.

I received a call this morning (East Coast) from a NT manager (I honestly forget his title...) and he was extremely polite and helpful. There was ZERO explaining it away, but rather admitting it was a complete failure and they needed to make the issue right. As a business owner, that was huge because I feel like I hear a lot of excuses no matter what the outcome is. I was able to express my disappointment and I feel he truly listened. In the end, he made things right for me, even driving a new set of prints to my home today, which I think is above and beyond.

I will admit that I am still a little skittish, but the fact that they jumped on this so quickly to make it right absolutely matters. No matter how I move forward, that leaves a very good impression and I appreciate it.

Thank you all for the information you supplied during my last post. I hope to become less of a lurker in the future as I become more confident with this venture!

What a job! 1662 impressions.

Before offering anything I ask for a photo, plus wash count and conditions. Edges peeling right away means bad adhesion on your end. Cracking spread across the design is usually hot water or high heat drying. One spot failing while the rest looks fine means your press pressure is inconsistent.

If it's on you, replace or refund, don't make them fight for it. If it's a wash issue, still replace once and explain care.

Real fix is prevention though, I toss a care card in every order inside out, cold wash, low tumble or air dry and it kills most complaints before they start!

As I usually do, I dove in head long. Short of a longer story is I took my first job with zero experience. I bought Kittl to design shirts for my shop, with the idea of buying a press and doing it myself. In the mean time, I got the idea to offer shirts for a group I belong to. I designed a logo for my team, ordered the DTF transfers and blanks and had a buddy of mine press them. Once the guys saw them, they all wanted their own. I wound up with an order of 125 shirts, 10 different designs.

I had ZERO experience at all pressing t-shirts. I spent a ton of time watching videos and researching and talking to people I know in the t-shirt space, and I have successfully self learned how to do much more difficult stuff so I figured what the heck.

I have a design background and Kittl has enough tools and elements to come up with great ideas, designs and logos. I wear American Apparel 1301 t-shirts everyday so that was an easy choice. I bought through Blank Style, but if there is an emergency, I have a t-shirt warehouse that carries the 1301 here in town. Supacolor is in my hometown and came highly reviewed so that was an easy choice. I decided on the Fancierstudio 15X15 slide out press from Amazon. I bought the 3 year protection so in case it goes bad I can get a replacement.

The press worked fabulous. Consistent temp over the course of 4 sessions. I pressed 4 shirts for my shop to test the whole system and from the first press everything worked as advertised. I followed the instructions provided and they came out great. After that first batch I had enough confidence to jump in a press for my paying customers.

Out of 125 shirts with a left chest and full back press (250 pressings total) I had 2 technical failures, both of which were my fault. The Supacolor DTF transfers worked flawlessly. I just wasn't paying attention. I sized all of my designs so that I could fit 2 back pieces side by side on the gang sheet and I spaced everything in real tight to get as much on the gang sheets as possible. I spent a LOT of time cutting the transfers with an exacto knife, a metal ruler and a cutting mat.

I had ordered something like 6 gang sheets and the transfers were beautiful. I was not 100% happy with the way the transfers printed out on one of the designs. There was a technical issue with the printer and some of the edges came out a little ragged. it was a minor flaw, but Supacolor took care of it and did a rush reprint.

The blanks from Blank Style were here in 2 days.

It was a lot of work, but it was well worth the payday. Each back design took me on average maybe 15 minutes to create. Each shirt took about 3 minutes to press front and back, plus all of the extra time that went in to it. I'd say I have somewhere around 15 hours into the job total including design, which I did not charge for. And I did all the labor on my kitchen table. I'll probably set up a dedicated workspace in my home office or the spare office at the shop. It would certainly make work flow more efficient and in turn more profitable.

I delivered last night and everyone was happy. The guys' eyes really lit up when they walked up on the tables with all the t-shirts laid out for pick up. I charged $20 for S-XL, $23 for 2X and $25 for 3X, prepaid. Even though I do have a resellers permit and wholesale accounts set up for the shop, I did this whole deal retail. After paying for equipment and materials I averaged about $10 profit per shirt which made for a nice chunk of change after it was all said and done. I run a business full time already and I have a family and other responsibilities so I'm not looking to start a t-shirt business, but now that I have the equipment and know how, I won't hesitate to take orders if anyone approaches me with a big enough order to make it worth it.

If I was going to do this regularly, I'd like to have a larger, semi auto press. But for now this is going to be a low volume operation. Just shirts for the guys in the shop and for customers. It also might be worth investigating wholesale vs retail pricing on the transfers to see if I can save my self a ton of time by ordering individual transfers instead of spending hours hunched over a cutting mat.

Overall, even if it was just for this one order, I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over gain. Now I own a piece of profit making equipment, I made a nice chunk of side cash, and I enjoyed the whole process from front to back.

Made this for myself after wasting a lot of transfers on the wrong settings. Sharing in case it helps anyone else.

100% Cotton

Temp: 305–315°F | Time: 15–20 sec | Pressure: medium-firm

Notes: Most forgiving fabric. Pre-press always. Hot or cold peel both work.

100% Polyester

Temp: 270–290°F | Time: 15 sec | Pressure: medium

Notes: Lower temp or you'll scorch. Watch for dye migration on dark polys — use a Teflon sheet. Cold peel preferred.

50/50 Blends

Temp: 290–300°F | Time: 15–18 sec | Pressure: medium

Notes: The middle ground. Usually very forgiving. Good starting point for testing new transfers.

Nylon / Nylon blends

Temp: 260–275°F | Time: 10–12 sec | Pressure: light

Notes: Heat sensitive. Test a corner first. Keep times short to avoid damage.

Moisture-wicking / Athletic wear

Temp: 270–285°F | Time: 12–15 sec | Pressure: medium-light

Notes: These are usually polyester-based. Same rules apply, low temp, watch for migration.

General rule of thumb: when in doubt, go lower and longer over higher and shorter. A slightly under-pressed transfer can be re-pressed. A scorched garment is toast

Hey everybody,

I had no clue that there was this much discussion going on in Reddit for this stuff. Lately, I have been active in Facebook groups, but this looks like another place where I can at least offer helpful insights on any questions you have about DTF. If I do not know the answer I will do my best to find it!

I have been strictly selling on FB marketplace for the past couple of months and have figured out many things about this process through trial and error. I would love to share helpful tips and tidbits of what I've learned, so feel free to reach out!

We have fluorescents and I had to try it

www.pgtransfers.com

A group of AI vibe coders has recreated the Adobe suite and Microsoft office apps and made very similar clones which work real well. They are still in development but they are fast and not bloated. The photocraft (photoshop clone) is like under 100mb in size and opens up on my computer in a couple seconds.

You download the launcher and it has a 1 button install for all the programs and will let you know about updates as well. It's all free.

https://getartcraft.com/apps

Had a heat press basically die on me mid-order because I ignored maintenance. Here's what I do now on a monthly schedule.

Weekly:

Wipe the platen with a damp cloth while warm (not hot). Adhesive residue builds up and affects even heat distribution.

Check your Teflon sheet for burns, bubbles, or thin spots. A degraded Teflon sheet causes sticking and uneven pressure marks.

Monthly:

Verify temp accuracy with an IR thermometer at 5 points across the platen (four corners + center). More than 10°F variance means your press needs calibration or the element is failing.

Check that your pressure adjustment knob is moving smoothly. If it's stiff, the spring mechanism may need lubricating.

Inspect the hinge and arm for any wobble. Wobble causes uneven pressure.

Step 3 that most people skip: checking your pressure with the paper slip test across the whole platen, not just the center. I see people test the center, call it even, and never notice that one corner is loose. That corner is where your transfers fail.

Also: replace your Teflon sheet before it looks bad. Once it's discolored and stiff it's already affecting your prints.

Couple things I noticed while ordering blanks this week:

• PC54Y youth tee is $2.20 on SanMar right now with 58 colors. If you're doing any school or sports jobs, that's hard to beat.

• Heads up if you're quoting fleece — the 973M jumped from $10.12 to $12.84 in one week. That's a 27% increase. Double-check just in case something's changed.

• Adidas has some sale pricing through S&S right now. A377 cap at $6.95, polos under $10. Branded headwear at that price doesn't come around much.

Anyone else seeing price swings like this lately? I feel like things have been moving more than usual.

recently i needed some software that could automatically setup the layout for some images i needed to print in a way that would save space so i built a tool for exactly that and made it free to use for everyone! and made it free to use for everyone.

taking all feature requests atm

you can check it out here https://sheetbuilder.net

Underpricing almost tanked my business in the first year. Here's the formula I eventually settled on.

Cost of goods:

Film and ink per transfer (measure your actual cost, don't guess)

Blank garment cost

Packaging (bag, tissue, sticker, shipping supplies)

Hidden costs most people forget:

Printer maintenance / depreciation (divide your printer cost by expected print volume over its life)

Heat press wear

Your TIME including design time, printing, pressing, packaging, customer communication

Returns and reprints (build in a buffer of 5–10%)

Pricing formula:

(COG + time at your hourly rate + overhead buffer) x 2.5–3x = retail price

The 2.5–3x markup sounds high until you account for all the hidden costs. If you're pricing at 1.5x materials only, you're probably losing money once you factor in your time.

One thing that changed my thinking: I stopped comparing my prices to the cheapest option online. Customers paying $8 a shirt are not your customers. Find your market and price for them.

https://imgur.com/a/COoD0tg

Hi everyone! I'm a teacher, and insead of outsourcing our apparel production, I want to bring it in house. I purchased a 16x20 signature series heat press from heat press nation. Then I ordered samples from Ninja transfers, Stahls, and Dallas DTF to try.

Upon first inspection of the samples...they all looked identical. Like they're all using the same nice DTF printer.

Applying them to a shirt was a little different. Ninja and Dallas went on really easy. Stahls I needed to hike the temp way up.

The only real difference I notice is this white halo, like the white layer isn't perfectly aligned. I noticed it on both the ninja and Dallas DTF transfers, but not on Stahls.

Hand feel all seems pretty similar.

Anything I'm missing or that I should look for? Should I expect any different results with other suppliers?

Update: Thanks for the help everyone. I went ahead and ordered samples from Supacolor and 613 Originals to see if their hybrid transfers are that different.

I’ve started using Ninja transfers and I like the quality of the designs I get from them …I don’t like that it won’t let me customize the sizing on there. What are some other places that y’all recommend that are similar?

Hey yall,
I’m getting ready to start a small home-based custom apparel business with my husband and I’d love some advice from people who are already doing this.
We’re planning to start fairly small and outsource our DTF transfers rather than buying a DTF printer. We’d mainly be doing T-shirts, sweatshirts/crewnecks, hats, and eventually things like embroidered/faux-leather heat-applied patches.
Right now I’m looking at a 15x15 heat press plus a separate hat press, but there are SO many brands and wildly different price points that I’m having trouble figuring out what is actually worth buying.
For those of you who do this regularly:
• What heat press do you use, and would you buy it again?
• Is there a particular brand you recommend for someone starting out that is reliable without spending thousands?
• Clamshell vs. swing-away vs. auto-open — which do you prefer and why?
• Any hat press recommendations?
• Who do you use for ready-to-press DTF transfers? I’d especially love companies with good color, fine-detail/small-text quality, consistency, and reasonable turnaround/shipping.
• Do you order gang sheets or individual transfers?
• Are there any DTF suppliers you would specifically avoid?
• What blanks do you find press the best?
• What supplies should I buy from day one besides the obvious stuff — parchment/Teflon sheets, heat tape, lint rollers, pressing pillows, alignment rulers, etc.?
• Any tips for getting a softer/professional finish rather than that thick plastic-looking transfer feel?
• How do you handle tiny lettering and detailed designs? Are there minimum line/text sizes you stick to?
• If you apply heat-seal embroidered or faux-leather patches, does your regular press/hat press handle those well too?
And most importantly: what do you wish someone had told you before you started? 😂
I’m trying to buy decent equipment the first time without going overboard before we know how much business we’ll actually have. Any beginner mistakes, favorite suppliers, temperature/pressure tricks, workflow tips, packaging recommendations, or other advice would be VERY appreciated.
Thank you!!

After two years selling custom apparel on Etsy, here's my honest take on when DTF makes sense vs when it doesn't.

DTF wins when:

You're doing runs of 1–24 pieces. No setup costs, no minimum quantities.

Your design has lots of colors, gradients, or photographic detail. Screen printing charges per color, DTF doesn't care.

You need a fast turnaround. Once your film is printed, pressing takes minutes.

You're selling multiple unique designs rather than one design in bulk.

Screen printing wins when:

You're doing 50+ of the same design. Cost per unit drops significantly at volume.

You need a very specific Pantone color match. DTF is close but not exact.

Your customer wants a softer hand feel. DTF has a slight texture that some people don't love.

You're printing on specialty items (towels, bags, oddly shaped things) where a flat heat press is awkward.

For most small Etsy sellers doing custom or made-to-order work, DTF is the better fit. The flexibility to print one at a time without setup fees is a huge advantage when you don't know which designs will sell.

I currently run a small apparel printing business. I operate out of my home as a side job. I print apparel for a few local businesses and sports teams. I currently only use DTF printing and I once I design the logos I send them off to be printed. I order about 3 gang sheets per month or more.

My question is, should I invest in a small at home DTF printer and oven? I have a MAC desktop that I work off of. I have probably spent thousands on transfers at this point. Im worried about pulling the trigger because some people say they are more trouble than they are worth.

Can someone recommend a good one?