Indoor Air Quality Concerns For Direct-to-Film (DTF) Printing

WHAT IS DIRECT-TO-FILM (DTF) PRINTING

Textile printing is the practice of bonding patterns or images to fabric using color pigments. If done properly, printed textiles will not fade from friction or washing. Unlike dyeing, where a surface is uniformly covered in the same color, textile printing applies color specific to an image or design. DTF is the newest evolution of heat-transfer printing and has quickly gained popularity due to its versatility and ease of use. As this method becomes more widely adopted, direct-to-film printing fume extraction has become a necessary focus for many shops to maintain safe indoor air quality.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TEXTILE PRINTING

Transferring an image or pattern to fabric dates back to ancient China, where designs were carved into woodblocks and color was applied to “print” an image onto the cloth. Other methods followed such as copperplating, rubber-stamping, stenciling, and silk-screening. Textile printing combines design, art, and engineering.

Today, the most common methods of fabric printing are screen printing, block printing, roller printing, and heat transfer. With DTF being the most recent innovation in heat transfer technology.

HOW THE DIRECT-TO-FILM PRINTING PROCESS WORKS

Direct-to-film (DTF) printing is a heat-transfer technology that copies an image or artwork onto a special film using water-based inks. DTF differs from traditional one-step direct-to-garment printing in several ways. Unlike other garment printing methods, DTF images can be printed on a regular inkjet printer by replacing paper with PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film. The direct-to-film printing process is a two-step process. First, an image is covered in a thermo-adhesive powder and then heated before transferring it to a particular surface or material. 

Furthermore, DTF printing can transfer any kind of image including photographs, artwork, print logos, designs, and more to a wide variety of surfaces. DTF printing can create these images not only on clothing and apparel, but also on a wide range of surfaces such as luggage, bags, upholstery, even wood and leather, glass, and metal. With such versatility, it’s more important than ever to monitor direct-to-film printing air quality in diverse production environments.

DTF EMISSIONS & SAFETY CONCERNS

DTF is relatively new, and its the long-term health impacts are not yet fully established. As with all printing methods that use inks, adhesives, and powders, maintaining clean indoor air quality is vital to workers’ good health and safety.

Common DTF Emissions Include: 

• Adhesive powder particles (fine, air borne dust during handling and curing)
• Fumes released during the curing stage
• VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from inks or heated materials 
• General smoke haze produced by high-temperature transfer steps

These Emissions Can Cause: 

• Respiratory irritation
• Eye and throat discomfort 
• Potential long-term exposure risks in poorly ventilated, high-output environments

Because of this, effective direct-to-film printing fume extraction is crucial in enclosed spaces.

FUME EXTRACTION SOLUTIONS FOR DTF PRINTING

It is always recommended that people wear appropriate PPE such as a face shield or mask and goggles. Better yet, DTF users should utilize an air cleaning system to collect and filter any emissions before they enter a worker’s breathing space.

Luckily for printshop owners and industry workers, air cleaning products such as our 400 model and 987 line of fume extractors are designed to remove printer emissions through consistent airflow, superior filtration, and a compact portable design. After only one use, our customers noticed a substantial improvement in their air quality after using our fume extractor for DTF printing.

Contact an AIRSInc clean air specialist today to find out which air-cleaning solution is right for your print shop needs.