Thinking about buying a DTF printer for your shirt business? Before spending, compare two paths: order ready-printed designs or print them yourself.
A DTF transfer is a design printed on a sheet. Heat moves that design onto a shirt. When you order transfers, another business does the printing. You still need suitable equipment to apply the designs to the shirts.
Path 1: order the printed designs
You pay for the designs you need. You do not look after your own printer. But you depend on another company’s prices and delivery times. Count shipping and ask whether there is a minimum order.
Start with a sample. Check the colors and how it works on your fabric. Ask which file to send and how to apply the transfer. Try it before ordering a large batch.
Path 2: do the printing yourself
The machine is only part of the bill. You also need ink, film, other materials, cleaning, space and work time. Ask what the price includes and what costs extra.
For a real machine reference, Epson lists the SureColor G6070 at a US$14,995 list price on its US website. It handles film up to 35.4 inches wide. Ink is sold separately. That price does not mean your whole workshop will be ready for that amount.
Automatic care features do not remove the need to check and look after a printer. Read its instructions. For heat presses, compare the usable size: Hotronix Auto Clam comes in 11 × 15, 16 × 16 and 16 × 20 inch versions. These are real product references, not a choice that suits every business.
A simple way to compare costs
Imagine these numbers. They are a practice example, not a quote. Ordering one transfer costs US$4.80. Printing it yourself costs US$3 for each transfer’s materials and work. The difference is US$1.80.
Now imagine owning the printer adds US$300 in monthly bills. You need 167 transfers a month to cover that amount with a US$1.80 difference: 300 ÷ 1.80 = 166.67, rounded up.
That only covers the US$300 monthly amount in this example. It has not yet paid back the equipment purchase.
When would the purchase pay for itself?
Suppose the whole setup costs US$20,000 and you make 500 transfers each month. These are practice amounts. The difference on those transfers is 500 × 1.80 = US$900. Take away the US$300 monthly bills and US$600 remains toward the purchase.
20,000 ÷ 600 = about 33.3 months. This simple calculation leaves out borrowing costs, tax, breakdowns and slow months. Fewer orders would make it take longer.
Before you decide
- Count orders you already have, not just orders you hope to get.
- Get written prices for both paths.
- Count your time, shipping, materials and equipment care.
- Try the calculation for a slow month.
- Find out who can help if the machine stops working.
If you do not yet know how many shirts you will sell, a small transfer order can help test the idea. If you already have regular orders, compare using your own numbers. Choose a path your work and budget can support.
Keep planning your next order
- How to Price Your T-Shirts: A Simple Cost Example
- How Much to Charge for 25 T-Shirts: Step by Step
- US$100 a Day Selling T-Shirts? See How Many You Need to Sell
Where the reference numbers come from
Reference pages checked on October 31, 2026. Prices may change. Our practice numbers are examples, not recorded business results.
Free worksheet to fill in
Open the CSV file in a spreadsheet app, such as Excel or Google Sheets. It is a table with example numbers and instructions. Replace them with your own costs. It does not do the calculations automatically.