Crafter Notes | Know Your Materials #3 | Heat Transfer Paper & DTF Transfers

[OliviaZzz]

Hello Community!

New to crafting? With so many materials out there, it’s not always clear which one to use—or how.

This series breaks down popular DIY materials: what they do, how to use them, and what to watch out for.

Today we’re looking at two for printing on fabric:
Heat Transfer Paper and DTF Transfers

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Heat Transfer Paper

Heat transfer paper is specially made for cotton or cotton-blend fabrics. It works best on garments with at least 60% cotton content and can be used on both light and dark fabrics.

Features
Designed for most inkjet printers
Easy to use: print → cut → press
Stretchy and durable—holds up to repeated washing without fading or peeling

Things to keep in mind

• Don’t wear or wash the finished garment for 48 hours
• Always follow press settings for best results

How to use

1. Print your design (no mirroring) on the blank side of the transfer paper
2. Cut by hand or with a cutting machine; peel away your design
3. Press with the design side up, cover with parchment paper; press at 155–165°C for 15–20 seconds
4. Finish by removing the parchment or heat-resistant sheet

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DTF Transfers

DTF (Direct to Film) transfer is a printing method where designs are first printed onto a special film, coated with adhesive powder, and then heat pressed onto fabric. It’s great for full-color, vibrant prints with lots of detail.

Features
Great for full-color designs with clear layers
Quick process, fewer production steps
Wash-resistant and UV-resistant with good durability

Things to keep in mind

• DTF prints have a slightly raised, rubbery feel—less breathable, so not ideal for large solid prints
• Always test print samples before bulk production

How to use

1. Load DTF film into the DTF printer with the printable side facing up
2. Design & mirror your image on the computer
3. Print the mirrored image onto the DTF film
4. Apply hot-melt adhesive powder evenly
5. Cure the powdered film in an oven at 266℉ / 130℃ for 120 seconds, until the powder melts
6. Press the design onto fabric at 302℉ / 150℃ to 320℉ / 160℃ for 15 seconds, then peel the film after cooling.

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Next up: Sublimation Blanks & Sublimation HTV—how sublimation printing works and where it shines.

Missed earlier posts? Catch up here:
Know Your Materials #1 | Adhesive Vinyl & Printable Sticker Paper
Know Your Materials #2 | Heat Transfer Vinyl & Cardstock

[Marino]

Thanks for the infos👏🏻

[timmytation]

Thank you for this. Can you also share the print settings for the Heat Transfer Paper? Should it be simply standard print on Plain paper? Or is there like a specific media type like Epson Matte then High settings to get a more vibrant print or would this be too much and cuase the ink to smudge?

[BellethehowtoGuru]

This is great thank you

[BellethehowtoGuru]

Would really depend on your printer. Typically when you use the matte setting it applies more ink to the paper than the glossy setting. As the ink gets absorbs more into matte paper than into glossy.

[timmytation]

In macbooks, the epson printer doesn’t include print density in the settings unlike in windows laptops. I wish they had the same settings in different devices

[redhada]

Great notes! Very usefull specially for those overwelmed by the variety of techniques.

[OliviaZzz]

Just to share what the tech team suggests : it’s usually best to set the paper type to Inkjet Paper. If you see any smudging and aren’t sure how to tweak the ink settings, switching to Matte Paper works well too. For print quality, Standard is safer than High, as High could cause smudging.

[misshaven]

Thank you for the information!

[timmytation]

Thanks so much for this

[prinsesaian]

thank you for these notes

[ZekeAndSofiPrints]

This is helpful. Thank you!