Direct-to-Film (DTF) printing is a versatile decoration method that allows you to print full-color designs onto transfer film before applying them to garments and other products. DecoNetwork provides flexible configuration options so you can price DTF appropriately whether you produce transfers in-house, outsource them, or sell transfers directly.
This guide explains how to configure a DTF decoration process, create suitable pricing tables, and apply those pricing rules to customer orders.
In This Article
- Prerequisites
- Why configure DTF correctly?
- Step 1: Configure General Settings
- Step 2: Create a DTF Price Table
- Step 3: Configure Size-Based Pricing
- Step 4: Review Designer Settings
- Step 5: Assign the Price Table
- Best Practices
- Troubleshooting
- FAQs
- Additional Resources
Prerequisites
- You have Administrator access.
- The DTF Printing decoration process has been enabled.
- You understand how your business produces DTF orders (in-house, outsourced, or transfer-only).
Why configure DTF correctly?
Choosing the correct pricing model ensures your decoration charges accurately reflect your production costs while remaining simple for customers to understand.
Proper configuration allows you to:
- Accept the artwork formats best suited to DTF printing.
- Charge flat-rate or size-based pricing.
- Account for transfer media usage using the artwork's bounding box.
- Apply quantity discounts automatically.
- Calculate pricing consistently across identical artwork used multiple times.
Step 1: Configure General Settings
- Go to Admin → Decoration Processes.
- Select the DTF Printing decoration process.
- Open the General Settings tab.
- Configure:
- Minimum Order Quantity.
- Accepted Artwork Types.
- Any artwork limitations required by your business.
- Save your changes.
DTF generally supports a wide variety of artwork formats, so most businesses allow customers to upload nearly any supported image type. Since DTF works well for one-off production, many shops also configure no minimum order quantity.
Configure the order minimum and accepted artwork types for the DTF decoration process
Step 2: Create a DTF Price Table
- Open the Price Tables tab.
- Click New Price Table.
- Give the table a descriptive name.
- Select the pricing model that best matches your workflow.
The best pricing method depends on how your business produces DTF orders.
| Workflow | Recommended Pricing |
|---|---|
| Printing transfers in-house | Flat-rate pricing for simplicity. |
| Outsourcing transfer production | Size-based pricing to reflect supplier costs. |
| Selling transfers only | Usually size-based pricing. |
Unlike some decoration methods, DTF always prints a white underbase, so garment color typically does not affect production cost. In most cases, a single price regardless of garment color is sufficient.
Create a pricing table that matches your production workflow
Step 3: Configure Size-Based Pricing
If using size-based pricing, configure the table to calculate prices using the Bounding Box rather than the graphic's actual printed pixels.
DTF transfers consume film across the entire printed area, including empty space surrounding the artwork. Using the bounding box ensures media usage is accurately reflected in your pricing.
- Select a size-based pricing method.
- Choose Bounding Box as the measurement method.
- Create your quantity breaks.
- Define the size ranges you wish to charge.
A common setup uses three print sizes:
| Print Size | Typical Area |
|---|---|
| Left Chest | Up to 4 × 4 in (16 sq in) |
| Full Chest | Up to 12 × 12 in (144 sq in) |
| Oversize | Anything larger than 144 sq in |
Once the size ranges have been defined, enter your pricing for each quantity break.
Configure quantity breaks and print size ranges for DTF pricing
Step 4: Review Designer Settings
The default Designer Settings are generally suitable for DTF, but you can customize them if required.
You may choose to adjust:
- Available artwork types
- color palette options
- Text capabilities
- Image upload behavior
- Other designer restrictions
Review the Designer Settings and override the defaults if required
Step 5: Assign the Price Table
Creating a price table does not automatically make it active. You must assign it within the decoration pricing settings.
- Open the Decoration Pricing tab.
- Select Advanced Pricing in the Pricing Mode section.
- Locate the DTF Printing Pricing section.
- Choose Price Table from the Pricing Method dropdown.
- Choose the DTF price table you created from the Pricing Table dropdown.
- Save your changes.
You can also configure pricing to calculate quantity discounts using the total number of identical artwork impressions, even when that artwork appears in multiple decoration locations (such as a left chest and full chest). This allows customers to receive quantity pricing based on the total number of identical prints rather than each decoration location separately.
Assign the DTF price table and configure how quantity pricing is calculated
Best Practices
- Use flat-rate pricing if simplicity is more important than recovering exact media costs.
- Use size-based pricing when transfer costs vary by print size.
- Measure using the Bounding Box for more accurate DTF media costing.
- Keep size ranges simple (Left Chest, Full Chest, Oversize) unless your business requires additional tiers.
- Review your pricing periodically to ensure it reflects current transfer costs.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Pricing is not being applied. | Verify the price table has been assigned in the Decoration Pricing settings. |
| Artwork is priced incorrectly. | Confirm the price table uses the intended sizing method and correct size ranges. |
| Large designs are undercharged. | Use Bounding Box measurements instead of graphic area when pricing DTF transfers. |
| Quantity discounts aren't applied as expected. | Check the quantity calculation method configured in Decoration Pricing. |
FAQs
Should I use flat-rate or size-based pricing?
Flat-rate pricing keeps ordering simple, while size-based pricing more accurately reflects transfer production costs.
Why should I use the Bounding Box instead of graphic area?
DTF film is consumed across the entire printed transfer area, including empty space surrounding the artwork. Bounding Box measurements more accurately represent actual material usage.
Does garment color affect DTF pricing?
Typically no. Since DTF prints include a white underbase regardless of garment color, most businesses use a single pricing structure.
Can quantity pricing be shared across multiple decoration locations?
Yes. Decoration Pricing can calculate quantity pricing based on the total number of identical artwork impressions, even when the artwork appears in multiple locations.
Additional Resources
- How to Enable a Decoration Process
- DTF Printing Production Settings
- DTF Printing Designer Settings
- Printing Price Tables (DTG, SUB, TRF, RHS, DTF, UV)
Still have questions? Use the Search Tool at the top of the page to find more related guides. Need help? Click the to submit a support: our Client Services team is ready to assist!
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