Sumo resources99 terms8 topics

The DTF glossary

Every direct-to-film word you will meet in a builder, on a heat press or in a supplier email, explained in plain English. Bookmark it, search it, share it with your staff.

99 terms in 8 topics

DTF basics

The process, the film, the ink and the powder: what happens before a transfer reaches your press.

DTF (Direct-to-Film): A printing method where artwork is printed onto a PET film, coated with hot-melt adhesive powder, cured and then heat-pressed onto fabric. It presses onto cotton, polyester and blends without weeding or pretreatment. How to print with DTF →
DTF Transfer: The finished, ready-to-press sheet: your design printed in CMYK plus white ink on film, powdered and cured. You place it on the garment, press, peel the film and the print stays behind.
PET Film: The clear or matte polyester carrier sheet the design is printed on. It holds ink and adhesive until pressing, then peels away. Film quality affects peel behavior and edge sharpness.
DTF Ink: Water-based pigment inks in cyan, magenta, yellow, black and white, made for printing on PET film rather than straight onto fabric.
White Underbase: In DTF printing generally, a layer of white ink printed behind the colors of a design to give them a solid base. Any pixel in a file that is not fully transparent can print, so a clean transparent background matters. White ink insights →
Hot-Melt Adhesive Powder: Fine thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) powder applied to the wet ink. When cured it becomes the glue layer; under the heat press it melts again and bonds the print to the fibers.
Curing: Heating the powdered film (typically in an oven or under a heat tunnel) so the adhesive melts into a smooth, dry layer. A properly cured transfer looks matte and feels slightly textured, never sticky.
Substrate: Whatever you press the transfer onto: a t-shirt, hoodie, tote, cap or, for UV DTF, a hard surface like a tumbler. Each substrate has its own heat, time and pressure window.
RIP Software: Raster Image Processor: the print-shop software that converts a file into printer instructions, manages color and controls ink density and the white ink layer.
Gang Sheet: One long sheet of film that carries many designs at once — different sizes, names or logos — so you pay for the length of film, not per design. The fuller the sheet, the lower the cost per print. What are DTF gang sheets? →

Ordering at Sumo

Words you will see in the builder, in the cart and on your order confirmation.

Gang Sheet Builder: Sumo's free online tool for building a DTF gang sheet in the browser: upload artwork, resize, duplicate, rotate and auto-arrange on a 22-inch-wide sheet from 1 ft to 30 ft, then add it to the cart. Open the builder →
Upload Gang Sheet: The ordering path for customers who already have a finished, print-ready gang sheet file. Upload a 22-inch-wide, 300 DPI transparent file (PNG, PDF, AI, TIFF, PSD or EPS) and it prints as built. Upload a print-ready sheet →
DTF by Size: Order single designs at exact dimensions and let us arrange them on film. You pay per square inch, and the price per square inch drops as the quantity goes up. Order by size →
Names & Numbers: Team-style text transfers such as player names, jersey numbers and roster sets, laid out together on one gang sheet so a whole team fits on one order. Names and numbers →
Print-Ready File: Artwork that can go straight to the printer without edits: transparent PNG (or PDF), 300 DPI at the final print size, no hidden white box, no stray semi-transparent pixels.
Cutoff Time: The daily point after which an order moves to the next shipping day. Orders placed before the weekday cutoff ship the same business day; the countdown at the top of the site shows the time left.
Express Shipping: Faster UPS services (Next Day Air, Next Day Air Saver, Next Day Air Early) offered at live rates in checkout for deadline orders. Standard shipping is UPS Express, 1 to 3 days. Shipping policy →
Priority Production: An add-on chosen in the gang sheet builder that moves your sheet ahead in the production queue. Useful when a team, event or market date is fixed.
Package Protection: An optional cart add-on priced by cart value. If a protected order is lost, stolen or damaged in transit, we reprint and reship it once for free; claims are approved within 1 business day. How it works →
Tax Exempt: An account status for resellers who upload a valid resale or exemption certificate. Once approved, orders check out without sales tax; accounts usually go tax-free within minutes. Tax exemption form →
Sample Pack: Sumo's free sample pack: a DTF sheet, a UV DTF sheet and a user manual, so you can test film, peel and feel on your own blanks. The pack is free; you pay shipping. Get the sample pack →
Pre-Cut: A service where your printed designs are cut apart for you, so every piece is ready to press. Choose it in the gang sheet builder; it is priced per piece. Pre-cut in the builder →
Royal Membership: Sumo's monthly membership: 25% off DTF, UV DTF and ready-to-press transfers. The discount does not apply to machines & supplies, blank apparel, pre-made gang sheets, cup wraps, pre-cut and the sample pack and does not combine with other discount codes. See the membership →
Local Pickup: Collect your order in person instead of shipping it. Pickup is available at the Sumo Dallas Store, 11969 Plano Rd, Suite 190, Dallas, TX 75243. Contact and pickup →
Ready-to-Press Transfers: Pre-designed DTF transfers sold as single designs or pre-made gang sheets, so you can press seasonal or popular designs with no design work of your own. Ready to press designs →
DTF Roll: One long DTF print, 22 inches wide, sold by length. Sumo sells a half roll (165 ft) and a whole roll (330 ft) on the DTF upload page, at a lower price per foot than any gang sheet. Upload the artwork as transparent 22-inch-wide files in 360-inch segments. Order a DTF roll →

Transfer types and peel

Hot, warm and cold peel, UV DTF and the finishing press that changes the result.

Hot Peel: Removing the film right after the press opens, while the transfer is still hot. Sumo DTF transfers are hot peel: one smooth, low motion right away. Hot peel or cold peel? →
Cold Peel: Letting the transfer cool to room temperature before removing the film. Some films require it; peeling a cold-peel film hot can lift ink. Sumo DTF transfers are hot peel.
Warm Peel: Waiting a few seconds after pressing until the film is warm, not hot, then peeling. A middle ground some printers use on stretchy or slick fabrics to reduce ghosting. Cold vs hot peel →
Peel Timing: When and how you remove the carrier film relative to pressing. Wrong timing is a top cause of lifted edges and ghosted outlines; the right timing is consistent and matches the film type.
UV DTF: A transfer for hard surfaces such as tumblers, glass, metal, plastic and wood, printed with UV-cured inks and applied by hand with no heat press: peel, stick, rub, remove the top film. UV DTF gang sheet builder →
Halftone: Breaking solid areas or gradients into tiny dots so the print breathes: softer hand feel, less ink and smoother fades. Common in distressed, vintage and photo-style designs.
Second Press: Re-pressing the design briefly with a cover sheet after peeling the film. It drives the adhesive deeper into the fibers, softens the hand and helps the print last. Second press explained →

Heat press and application

Equipment and settings. Sumo publishes the time and temperature for each press type in the press guide.

Heat Press: A machine with a heated upper platen that applies even temperature and pressure for a set time. Sumo's press guide lists the setting for industrial, manual, Cricut and hat presses. Press guide →
Platen: The flat heated (upper) or padded (lower) plate of a heat press. Platen size sets the largest design you can press in one go; smaller interchangeable platens fit sleeves, pockets and youth garments.
Clamshell Press: A heat press whose upper platen hinges open like a clamshell. Compact and affordable; check that pressure is even front to back, since the hinge side can press harder.
Swing-Away Press: A press whose upper platen swings to the side, giving full access to the garment and a straight-down, very even pressure — preferred for thick items, hoodies and precise placement.
Pressure: How hard the platens squeeze the garment. It should be even across the whole design: enough for the adhesive to bond with the fibers, not so much that the print flattens and shines. Pressure calibration →
Pre-Press: Pressing the blank garment for a few seconds before placing the transfer. It removes moisture and wrinkles, the most common cause of poor adhesion, and flattens seams.
Dwell Time: The seconds the press stays closed on the transfer. Sumo lists the time for each press type in its press guide. Too short leaves edges unbonded; too long can scorch or over-flatten. Press guide →
Temperature: Platen heat, set in degrees Fahrenheit. Sumo's press guide gives the setting for industrial, manual, Cricut and hat presses. Check with a surface thermometer, because dials drift. Press guide →
Cover Sheet: Parchment paper or a Teflon/PTFE sheet laid over the transfer before pressing and during the second press. It protects the platen, spreads heat and gives the print a matte, even finish.
Heat Press Pillow: A foam insert placed inside the garment to raise the print area above seams, zippers and buttons so pressure lands evenly on the design instead of the bumps around it. Pads, pillows and shims →
Heat Tape: Heat-resistant tape that holds the transfer in position on the garment so it cannot shift when the press closes — the easiest insurance against ghosted, double-image prints.
Hat Press: A press with a curved platen shaped for caps. Hat designs run small and press best on a curved surface; a flat press on a crown lifts at the edges. Sumo's hat setting is in the press guide. DTF transfers for hats →
Ghosting: A blurred shadow or double outline next to the design, caused by the film shifting during peel or while the adhesive is soft. Prevent it with heat tape, a steady peel and consistent timing. DTF on polyester →
Scorching: Yellow or shiny marks on fabric from too much heat or dwell, most common on polyester and light colors. Lower the temperature, shorten the time and always use a cover sheet.

Artwork and files

How to prepare a file that prints exactly the way you designed it.

Transparent PNG: The preferred DTF file type: a PNG with a genuinely transparent background so only your artwork prints. Any white box or checkerboard left in the file prints as a white rectangle. File prep for DTF →
DPI: Dots per inch: the pixel density of your file at its print size. Sumo prints at 300 DPI, so a 10-inch-wide design should be about 3,000 pixels wide. Upscaling a small file does not add detail. Design tips and limits →
Effective Resolution: Pixel width divided by the inches you print it at. A 3,000-pixel image printed at 10 inches is 300 DPI; stretched to 15 inches it drops to 200 DPI and starts to soften.
Vector Artwork: Shapes and text defined mathematically (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF) that scale to any size without pixelation. Export vectors to a 300 DPI transparent PNG at final size for upload.
Raster Artwork: Pixel-based images (PNG, JPG, PSD). Quality is fixed by pixel count, so design at the final print size from the start. JPGs have no transparency and should be converted first.
Safe Margin: A small gap kept between designs and from the sheet edge so pieces are easy to cut apart after printing and nothing is trimmed. The builder keeps this spacing for you. Gang sheet spacing rules →
Knockout: Removing parts of a design so the garment shows through — for example hollow letters or a distressed texture. Knocked-out areas must be truly transparent, not white, or they print white.
Anti-Aliasing: The soft, semi-transparent edge pixels that make curves look smooth on screen. In DTF they can print as a faint halo; keep edges crisp and avoid large feathered or glow effects.
Minimum Line Thickness: How thin a line or letter stroke can be and still transfer cleanly. Hairlines may not bond or may break in the wash, so keep strokes and small text bold. Minimum text and line thickness →
Semi-Transparency: Pixels that are partly see-through (drop shadows, glows, low-opacity fills). The printer must decide whether to lay white under them, which often produces a grainy, pale result — flatten to solid colors instead.
Mirroring: Flipping artwork horizontally before printing. DTF files are NOT mirrored — the print is made on film and flips when pressed — so upload text reading normally, exactly as it should appear on the shirt.
Canvas Size: The full pixel dimensions of your document, including empty space. Trim the canvas to the artwork: a 3.5-inch logo sitting in a 5-inch transparent box still occupies 5 inches on the sheet. Match mockup size to transfer size →
Auto-Nesting: The builder function that packs your uploaded designs onto the sheet as tightly as possible, rotating and arranging them to use the least film length — usually the biggest single saving on a gang sheet.
Orientation: Which way a design faces on the sheet. Rotation does not affect print quality, so turning designs 90 degrees to fill a gap saves film; just rotate them back before pressing.
File Formats: Accepted uploads: PNG, PDF, AI, TIFF, PSD and EPS. Vector art (AI, PDF, EPS) gives the best results; raster art should be at least 300 DPI. JPG files are accepted too. Export settings for DTF →
Mockup: A rendered preview of the design on a garment, used to sell before you press. A mockup is not a print file — always upload the artwork itself, not the shirt image.

Color and quality

Why screen and fabric disagree, and the defects you can prevent before pressing.

RGB: The red-green-blue color model screens use to display light. RGB files are accepted, but some vivid neon and electric tones sit outside what ink can reproduce and will print slightly softer.
CMYK: Cyan, magenta, yellow and black — the ink model printers physically use, plus white in DTF. Designing or soft-proofing in CMYK shows you the realistic result before a transfer is printed.
Color Gamut: The range of colors a device can reproduce. Screens show a wider gamut than CMYK ink, so some neon and electric tones print slightly softer than they look on screen.
Rich Black: Black built from several process inks (for example C40 M30 Y30 K100) instead of 100% K alone. It comes from offset printing; for DTF artwork, plain 100% K is the common choice for solid black.
Color Profile (ICC): A file that describes how a device reproduces color. Embedding sRGB in your PNG keeps colors predictable; exotic or missing profiles can shift tones between your screen and the print.
Dye Migration: Garment dye bleeding into the transfer under heat, turning white areas pink or gray — common on red and dark 100% polyester. Lower heat, shorter dwell and a cool-down before handling reduce it. Stop dye migration on hoodies →
Vibrancy: How saturated and punchy colors look after pressing. It depends on the ink density, the file's color setup and the fabric color; a second press with a cover sheet evens out the sheen.
Soft Proof: Previewing a design on screen through a CMYK profile to see how inks will render it. A quick soft proof catches out-of-gamut neons and muddy darks before you order the sheet. Proofing with swatches →

Fabrics and garments

Blanks, fibers and fits, and how each one changes the way you press.

Cotton: The most forgiving DTF fabric: 100% cotton takes the standard press settings and gives the best wash results. Ring-spun and combed cottons have a smoother surface for fine detail. Best shirt blanks for DTF →
Polyester: Synthetic performance fabric that prints well but is heat-sensitive: keep a cover sheet on, do not over-press, and let it cool to avoid scorching and dye migration.
Cotton/Poly Blend: Mixed-fiber fabric such as 50/50 or 60/40. Pre-press well and watch darker blends for dye migration; the standard settings for your press are a good start.
Tri-Blend: A soft, drapey mix of cotton, polyester and rayon. It prints beautifully but stretches and scorches more easily; press gently and use a heat press pillow for an even surface.
Ring-Spun Cotton: Cotton yarn twisted and thinned for a smoother, stronger thread. The flatter surface shows fine lines and small text more clearly than open-end (carded) cotton tees.
Fleece: The thick, brushed fabric of hoodies and sweatshirts. It needs a firm pre-press to flatten the nap so the adhesive reaches the fibers; a pillow helps around pockets and seams. Fleece and hoodies →
Performance Fabric: Moisture-wicking, stretchy synthetics used for athletic wear. Treat like polyester: gentle heat, no extra time and a test press on a hidden area first. DTF on performance wear →
Nylon: Slick, heat-sensitive synthetic found in jackets and bags. DTF can bond, but nylon melts and shines at cotton heat; always test on a scrap first. DTF on nylon and spandex →
Leather / PU: Real or synthetic leather used for patches, bags and hat panels. Use gentle pressure and test first; high heat can melt PU coatings.
Pre-Shrunk: Fabric washed or treated before cutting so the garment shrinks less after purchase. Non-pre-shrunk cotton can shrink a few percent, shifting print placement slightly after the first wash.
Fabric Weight (GSM / oz): How heavy the fabric is per square meter or square yard. Heavier tees feel more premium and hold large prints flat; lightweight tees show seam texture more, so pre-press well.
Blank Apparel: Undecorated garments such as tees, hoodies and hats, ready for printing. Sumo carries Gildan, Bella+Canvas, Comfort Colors, Next Level and more; blanks ship separately from transfers. Browse blank apparel →
Crewneck: A round, close-fitting neckline: the standard t-shirt. Most placement guides, including Sumo's print size guide, are written for adult crewneck tees. Placement and size guide →
Unisex Fit: A straight-cut garment sized for both men and women. Because the chest is wider than a fitted cut, the same logo can look smaller on unisex and larger on fitted styles.
Youth Sizing: Children's garment sizes. Scale prints down: Sumo's ready-to-press designs run 8 inches wide for youth and 7 inches for toddler, versus 10 inches for adult S and M. Mixed youth and adult orders →
Neck Tag: The brand label inside the collar. Tagless blanks let you press a small DTF neck label with your logo, size and care icons instead of a sewn tag. Sumo prints custom neck labels. See custom neck labels →

Care, storage and business

Keeping prints looking new, storing unpressed transfers, and the language of selling.

Wash Durability: How many wash cycles a print survives without cracking, peeling or fading. Pressed and cared for correctly, Sumo transfers are tested for 100+ washes. Caring for DTF prints →
Wash Care: Turn the garment inside out, wash cold on a gentle cycle, skip bleach and harsh detergents, tumble dry low or hang dry, and never iron directly on the print. How to care for DTF shirts →
24-Hour Rest: Waiting about a day after pressing before the first wash so the adhesive fully sets into the fibers. Washing too soon is a common, avoidable cause of early edge lift.
Air Drying: Hang-drying printed garments instead of machine drying. Repeated high dryer heat is the fastest way to crack a print; if you must tumble dry, use low heat.
Transfer Storage: Keep unpressed transfers flat, cool, dark and dry — a drawer, box or sealed sleeve at room temperature. Heat, sunlight and humidity, not time, are what degrade film and adhesive. Storing DTF transfers →
Shelf Life: How long an unpressed transfer stays usable. Stored flat, cool, dark and dry, transfers keep well; sticky, clumped powder or brittle film means they were exposed to heat or humidity.
Humidity Control: Keeping moisture away from stored transfers. Humid air makes adhesive powder tacky and can pre-cure it, so use sealed bags or bins with a desiccant packet in damp climates.
Print-on-Demand (POD): Producing each item only after it is sold, with no inventory. DTF suits POD because there is no setup cost and no minimum, so a single shirt is as easy to order as a batch. Order transfers for print on demand →
Cost per Design: Sheet price divided by the number of designs on it. Packing a sheet tightly, rotating pieces and filling gaps with small marks is how gang-sheet users get single prints down to cents. Smart gang sheet organization →
Markup: The amount added to your cost (transfer, blank and labor) to reach a selling price. Know your all-in cost per shirt before you set a price. Start a t-shirt business →
Refund & Reprint Policy: Sumo's policy for problems with an order: if something is wrong because of our error, or items are missing or damaged, report it within 48 hours; replacements are handled case by case. Refund policy →
Copyright & Licensing: The legal right to reproduce artwork, logos and characters. Only print designs you created, licensed or have written permission to use — trademarked team logos and brand marks need a license.

Still stuck? Ask the Sumo team. If a term is missing, tell us and it goes in.

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