DTF vs screen printing: what a Montreal printer can actually tell you

Anyone pricing shirts for a team runs into the same question: DTF or screen printing. The catch is that the page answering it in French for Canada was written by a company that sells printers.

As of August 2026, the top result for that question in Canada is xTool. xTool sells laser cutters and UV printers. Their page compares the two methods, then invites you to book a showroom visit.

I print DTF in Montreal and I do not screen print. That is a bias, and it is better said upfront. What I can do is give the numbers other pages leave out, and say plainly when screen printing is the better call.

What DTF actually does to a shirt

DTF is film printing. The design goes onto a film with a layer of adhesive powder, then onto the garment under a heat press. There are no screens to make, and the file goes straight from the computer to the printer.

Screen printing works differently. Every colour in the design needs its own screen, built by hand for that specific order. That is a fixed cost incurred before the first shirt is printed, and it accounts for most of the price gap between the two methods at low quantities.

The wash question, and why nobody has the answer

Everyone wants to know how many washes it survives. Here is what the pages ranking on page one in Canada were saying in August 2026.

Look at the two middle rows. T-Shirt Elephant says screen printing outlasts DTF. Button Bros says the reverse, with the numbers flipped as well. Both companies decorate apparel, both rank on the same query, and neither one shows a test.

Sherpa is the most interesting entry. They sell DTF film, so a big number would suit them, and their page refuses to give one. It says real-world durability depends on too many variables to reduce to a figure.

I have not run that test either. Until I do, I am not adding a tenth number to that list. What I can describe is what wrecks a DTF print, because that part I see.

Hand feel, and the question behind "it feels like a sticker"

This is the most common complaint about DTF and there is something to it. On printer forums the phrasing comes back word for word: it feels like a sticker sitting on the shirt.

The distinction the sales pages skip is that hand feel tracks coverage area, not method. A four-inch left-chest logo, you will not notice wearing the shirt. A fourteen-inch solid block across the back, you will, and the fabric drapes worse.

A company logo is almost always the first case.

Polyester, and the problem nobody mentions

Here is what I went looking for across every top-ranking page and never found. Printful does not mention it. Printify does not either. The topic is missing from buyer-facing content entirely, while printer groups discuss it constantly.

Dye migration is the garment colour bleeding up through the print, either off the press or after a few washes. On a red polyester shirt with a white logo, the white turns pink. It shows up weeks later, once the order is already handed out and nobody is thinking about the print any more.

One French supplier sells a film made specifically to fight it, which tells you the trade knows. The person ordering forty shirts for their gym does not read printer forums, and no consumer-facing page warns them.

That is part of why I work in cotton for business orders. If you need polyester, especially in red or navy, write to me before ordering rather than after.

When screen printing is the right call

There are cases where screen printing beats DTF outright.

• Very large runs, where the screen cost spreads across hundreds of pieces and stops mattering.
• Large solid colour areas, where screen ink gives a flatter finish.
• Orders that repeat identically for years, because the screens get reused.
• Certain technical fabrics that DTF handles poorly.

I do not screen print. If your order lands in one of those cases, a shop that specializes in it will serve you better, and I would rather say so before you pay.

What this means for an order of 12 to 100 shirts

Printful, whose page on this question ranks second in Canada, states outright that their screen printing is built for orders of 500 pieces and up. In Quebec, TonAtelier starts screen printing at 24 units and Studio Intik at 25.

So for 12 to 100 shirts the question often settles itself. Below a certain volume most shops either turn the screen-printing order away or bill the screens separately.

That gap is what DTF fills. At Couleva the minimum is 12 shirts, the price starts at $24.99 per unit and steps down to $16.99 at 100. There are no setup fees, because there are no screens to make. The price shows online, with no quote to request.

How to wash it, in a Quebec house

The best French-language DTF care page comes out of France. It advises washing at 30 or 40 degrees and skipping the dryer. Sound advice, except washers here are not marked in degrees and the dryer is part of the routine in most homes.

Translated into how laundry actually works here: wash cold, shirt inside out. A low-heat dryer cycle is fine. What kills a DTF print is an iron placed directly on it, and very high dryer heat.

A restaurant or gym uniform going through a commercial wash, hot and with bleach, is a different conversation. Tell me before you order, because it changes which garment I will recommend.

Frequently asked questions

How many washes does a DTF print survive?

Published claims run from 40 to 150 washes depending who you ask, and not one of those sources shows a test. I have not run one either, so I do not quote a number. What kills a print is an iron placed directly on it and very high dryer heat.

Does DTF work on polyester?

Yes, but the garment dye can bleed up through the print after a few washes. On red polyester with a white logo, the white turns pink. Write to me before ordering if your garment is dark coloured polyester.

Do you do screen printing?

No. I print DTF only, in Montreal. If your order calls for screen printing, a shop that specializes in it will serve you better than I will.

What quantity does this make sense at?

The minimum is 12 shirts and the per-unit price steps down to 100. The price shows online, no quote request needed.