Choosing Your Transfer Type: DTF or Hybrid?

If you're not choosing the correct heat transfer type for each job, you could be spending more money than you need to. Reduced production costs mean increased business profits. So getting the production phase of every job correct, is integral to pricing and profit.

First of all, we need to look at the qualities you require for your job.

Ask yourself: 

• Are you working in low quantities of 1-5?
• Do you need bulk pricing?
• Do you need a Low Temperature option?
• Are you fighting dye-migration?

DTF (Direct To Film heat transfers) exploded onto the UK scene in 2021 with the launch of Stahls' UltraColour Max Heat Transfers. Custom heat transfers had never been so easy and so accessible before. UltraColour Max DTF Heat Transfers are a low quantity, full colour, hot peel and quick solution for full-colour heat transfer orders.

Over the years, this heat transfer type from Stahls' has only improved in its efficiency. These days, you can order just 1 sheet, order all sizes from tiny to 1 metre, and get same day despatch making it the number 1 choice in the UK for last-minute rushed heat transfer orders.

But putting aside all its incredible convenience features, is this heat transfer right for your job?

UltraColour Hybrid Heat Transfers transformed the Full Colour transfer scene with their photo-realistic capabilities and their low temperature. The clear carrier makes placement simple and the option for a subli-blocking backer combined with their low fuse temperature makes them the #1 choice for printing 100% polyester garments.

And on top of all of this, they're made from water-based inks making them an eco choice for your business and they're the most cost efficient choice for transfers on the market.

So if your answers to the above questions are:

• I require a high quantity of transfers
• I would like bulk pricing
• I need a low temperature option
• Subli-blocking abilities are appreciated

Then, as appealing as the convenience of DTF transfers seems, you don't need them and the hefty price tag that comes with ordering them in bulk. You actually need UltraColour Hybrid heat transfers. And don't worry, they're just as easy to order and use.

Similarly to DTF, UltraColour Hybrid is a full colour clear carrier heat transfer. It applies in 12 seconds and you can order it online in seconds. Thanks to the price breaks from Stahls', it's the most profitable heat transfer on the market.

For orders of 500 sheets of A7, UltraColour Hybrid is the most profitably priced heat transfer choice for your business at just £0.76 per sheet.

But stay with us, the pricing gets even better when you gang sheet your designs.

What is gang sheeting?

This is when you add multiple designs onto one sheet. When you buy Stahls' UK heat transfers, you pay per sheet price not per design, which opens up a unique opportunity to significantly reduce your transfer price. 

The largest size offered in UltraColour Hybrid is an A3 sheet size. So first of all, lets compare the pricing of 1x A3 Sheet of Hybrid to 1x A3 Sheet of DTF.

As you can see from the table, 1x sheet of DTF is £16, and 1x sheet of Hybrid is £6.36 when purchasing 10x of them.

But we can reduce this transfer cost even further when we gang sheet our designs.

How many A7 designs can you fit into an A3 sheet?

The answer is 16 designs.

By fitting multiple designs onto each sheet, you can divide your sheet price to get the cost of each transfer.

This works with any size design. 

2x A4 designs fit onto 1x A3 Sheet

4x A5 designs fit onto 1x A3 Sheet 

8x A6 designs fit onto 1x A3 Sheet 

16x A7 designs fit onto 1x A3 sheet 

And you can fit even more onto 1x A3 sheet if you're looking at printing smaller designs such as left chest logos and neck labels.

So moving forward with 16 A7 designs per A3 sheet.

Ordering 1x Sheet of DTF will give you 16 A7s for £1 per transfer design.

Ordering 10x sheets of Hybrid will give you 160 A7s for £0.39p per transfer design.

Ordering 25x sheets of Hybrid will give you 400 A7s for £0.22p per transfer design.

As you can see, the price difference by gang sheeting your A3 sheets is truly enormous. It gets even better as you increase your quantities for those nationwide bulk workwear orders.

Ordering 100x sheets of Hybrid will give you 1600 A7s for £0.12p per transfer design.

So what have we learnt? Buying 1x A7 DTF heat transfer will set you back £8. But gang sheeting a Hybrid A3 Sheet will fit 16 A7 designs onto it which will bring your transfer cost down significantly when you require quantitites over 10 sheets.