COMING SOON:  Key Print Co X Digital Factory by CADlink

Since the release of our DTF Series a few weeks back, we have received a great deal of insight and interest in the printing method, and with the implementation of a new process in any shop, there are bound to be questions. We feel very lucky and grateful that our customers are ready and willing to share their concerns with us so that we may attempt to troubleshoot them, as that is our highest motive here at KPC Headquarters. With that being said, we have taken your questions and found a solution. Coming in 2022, we will be releasing a series of amazing products! One of which will feature the Digital Factory for Apparel Production and the add-on DTF Module by CADlink. It's a new apparel printing frontier here at Key Print Co, and we are so excited about it all, that we just had to give you all a sneak peek with this project!

The Digital Factory for Apparel Production is an apparel printing software similar to the programs that come with your DTG printer. However, this software is much more than meets the eye. We will do a more in-depth video on the entirety of it, (with our powerhouse product release in tow) very soon, so stay tuned for that! But for this project, we will be giving you all sneak peek in the meantime!

If you are familiar with the DTF/DTG transfer process already (if not, catch up on our series here!), then you may have run into the issue of some designs having too much ink on them, thus causing the ink to spill over the sides of the design and rendering the transfers unusable. But that, along with several other hurdles, have now been hopped right over with the program's DTF Module. When installed, this program turns your DTG printer into the ultimate DTF machine, capable of printing excellent, quality DTG transfers every time! Because it is a program installed directly on to the software connected to the printer, it regulates exactly how much ink to use, what settings are most ideal, etc. And, you can even set specific dry times in between the CMYK and white layers when printing! So, as you'll see in the video above, too much ink on your print is eliminated. Along with this, the transfers cure much faster and more effectively after being coated with adhesive powder because the ink is now the perfect thickness while still remaining opaque when pressed. And in the case of designs appearing duller when printed then they were during the design process, the program also takes into account the true colors of the design, and adjusts them accordingly to print out as vibrant as they were intended to be.

With many of our DTF concerns (and yours!) being resolved with the DTF Module, we decided to put it to the test by using it to fulfill an order for 35 white nylon/polyester lanyards. The designs our customer gave us were relatively simple, but small and very fine-line; something that the previous DTF process occasionally struggled to handle according to our feedback from you. The thinner and smaller the lines are in a design, the more ink is concentrated in one spot, therefore proving printing DTG transfers with those designs sometimes difficult. But this order would require us to make three and a half sheets of DTG transfers, so we knew we could put the DTF Module through the wringer with it. And lo & behold, it handled the job with flying colors! The whole process not only saved us costs and supplies, as DTF does, but spared the most important thing to any print shop: TIME! We were able to complete the entire order, from printing the transfers to peeling off the film from the freshly-pressed lanyard, in under an hour! And the best part? The speed and ease of making custom, high-quality DTG transfers means you can now offer ordering transfers as a service in your shop without hesitation!

To see Digital Factory and the DTF Module in action, check out the video above! And stay tuned for 2022! You will NOT want to miss what's coming!

Products Used in This Project:

Captain Platen Kit for Heat Press

To check out our whole series on DTF, and why you need it as a production process in your shop, click here!