Film, white ink and powder: three consumables behind every transfer
A direct-to-film printer prints a design onto a clear film with a layer of white ink behind the colors, covers it with an adhesive powder, cures it, and the finished transfer is pressed onto almost any fabric — cotton included, which is where it differs from sublimation. Print width is published for the film the machine accepts, and roll or sheet feeding decides whether long runs are unattended. White ink is the part of this technology that needs care: its pigment settles, so a printer with a circulation or stirring system keeps the lines clear, and one without asks for a daily routine. Powder and curing are either manual — shaken on and melted in an oven or under the press — or handled by a shaker unit sold with the printer; the listing names which. The RIP software that lays down the white underbase is often a license, sometimes included and sometimes not. Then the consumables, which are the real cost: film, white and color inks and powder, each with a published price per unit. Printing gives off fumes during curing, and the ventilation the maker specifies belongs in the plan. We compare print width, feeding, white ink management, powder and curing, software license and consumable costs.
13 in DTF printer · L1800 head · oven · white ink circulation · Vacation Mode every 12 hours · G7 color claim
A 13-inch entry DTF printer with an oven, one-touch white ink circulation and a vacation mode that cleans every 12 hours, plus 24/7 phone help.
Best for: A hobbyist or starter business with moderate volume.
≈ $1799
13 in DTF printer · white ink circulation · 100 m PET film · 6 × 250 mL ink · 500 g powder · oven · RIP software
A 13-inch DTF kit with an oven and a large consumable pack: 100 m of film, 250 mL of each ink and 500 g of powder, with RIP software.
Best for: A budget starter who counts consumables in the price.
≈ $1699
A3 DTF printer · L1800 head · 5760 × 1440 dpi · white ink circulation and agitation · oven · Windows only
An A3 DTF kit with an L1800 head at 5760 × 1440 dpi and both circulation and agitation for white ink. It runs on Windows only.
Best for: A Windows user who wants L1800 quality with a white ink system.
≈ $2199
13 in DTF printer · LiteHead · smokeless oven · white ink circulation · auto cleaning · infrared head guard · touchscreen
A 13-inch DTF bundle with a smokeless oven, LiteHead technology, an infrared guard against film warping, and a visual touchscreen.
Best for: A buyer who values head protection and an easier interface.
≈ $2799
DTF printer bundle · M1630 head · auto-cut · Holiday Mode · sheets or rolls · pre-installed DTF computer
A DTF bundle with an M1630 head rated at double the speed of L1800 models, auto-cut, Holiday Mode and a pre-installed computer.
Best for: A business that has outgrown L1800 speeds.
≈ $3099
A3+ DTF printer · 14 in · F1080 head · white ink circulation · CISS · Holiday Mode · shaker and laptop bundle
An A3+ DTF bundle with an F1080 head, shaker and laptop, white ink circulation and a holiday mode, for starting a small transfer business.
Best for: A new business that wants a whole DTF line in one purchase.
≈ $3899
Printing on film, powdered then cured, and transferred afterwards onto fabric. The published specifications describe each step provided for.
It settles at rest. Published white ink management describes the arrangement provided by the manufacturer.
The type of adhesive powder provided for and how it is applied, according to what the manufacturer announces.
The step where the powder is melted onto the film. What the machine integrates or not is published.
The published software license specifies it. The RIP is sometimes sold separately.
They are what the manufacturer announces. This site reports them and never estimates a cost by itself.
Published feeding says so. It decides the possible production rhythm.
That is the usual argument for the technique. This site publishes machine specifications and guarantees no transfer result.
Ask how the white ink is managed, what the RIP license covers and where curing fumes go, before comparing widths.
Four machines in five must publish the value before a column is raised. Below that, it would be comparing absences.
| Model | Price | Head | White ink |
|---|---|---|---|
| PUNEHOD R1390 | $1699 | — | Circulation |
| InkSonic R1390 | $1799 | L1800 | One-touch circulation |
| Senortian L1800 | $2199 | L1800 | Circulation and agitation |
| Procolored K13 Lite | $2799 | Procolored LiteHead | Circulation |
| Lancelot M1630 Pro | $3099 | M1630 | — |
| InkSonic H13 F1080 | $3899 | F1080 low-temperature | Circulation with one-click siphon filling |
Specifications: manufacturer sheets for maker machines and tools and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.
Most recent revision in this category: November 1, 2026.
A price quoted in the text of a MakerVerdict page dates from the day that page was written; the live figure beside each product is fetched while you read and replaces it.
