Cheap A3 DTF Printer

Source: https://achievement.co.za/cheap-a3-dtf-printer

• published: 2025-03-31 12:42:09
• modified: 2025-03-31 12:43:06

What this page is

This is the "Cheap A3 DTF Printer" post on achievement.co.za, one of AM.CO.ZA's company sites. The original post only points to a3dtf.co.za with a short introduction. This Knowledge Base version explains AM.CO.ZA's A3 DTF printer and its combo sets using the Buythis product data, the a3dtf.co.za site, AM.CO.ZA's own articles and its A3 DTF videos, and links to the detailed pages for each topic.

Original text: "Start your home business with the A3 DTF Printer and Powdering Machine Combo — the cheapest DTF printing business machine on the market. This compact and affordable DTF Printer is perfect for entrepreneurs looking to launch or scale. Get high-quality results with the best cheap DTF Printer for professional and personal printing needs."

What the A3 DTF printer is

DTF means direct-to-film. The printer prints a design in reverse onto PET film with water-based pigment inks, then a white layer over it. Hot-melt adhesive powder is put on the wet ink and baked, and the finished transfer is heat-pressed onto the garment. It works on cotton, polyester, blends and dark or light fabric, with no weeding as in vinyl cutting.

AM.CO.ZA's A3 DTF printer (F-DTF/A3) is the smallest and lowest-cost DTF printer in the range, made for home offices and start-ups. It uses one Epson XP600 printhead, prints up to 300 mm wide from a 300 mm film roll and runs on a normal 220 V household plug. Bigger 300 mm, 600 mm and 1200 mm DTF machines are compared in DTF and UV-DTF printers.

Specifications

The am.im product data and the a3dtf.co.za site list these for the A3 printer:

• Printhead: one Epson XP600. The barebone unit ships without a head; the sets include a sealed XP600 head (EPSON-XP600/SEALED).
• Print width: 300 mm, rolled 300 mm DTF film.
• Speed: bi-directional printing, about 0.5 m² per hour in 12-pass quality mode.
• Ink system: negative-pressure continuous ink supply (bulk ink), CMYK plus white.
• White ink care: white ink stirring and circulation, so the titanium dioxide pigment does not settle.
• Head care: automatic cleaning, anti-blocking, auto flash and moisturising, and automatic lifting ink capping.
• Power: 220 V household supply, about 30 W on stand-by and 400 W at most.
• Size: about 30 kg, packed size about 75 × 42 × 40 cm.
• Warranty: 1 year on the printer. The printhead is a consumable and has no warranty, because it can clog and is sensitive to voltage fluctuations. The A3 oven lists 6 months.
• Software: PrintExp drives the printer; artwork goes through InkRIP, AM.CO.ZA's own RIP software, which makes the white layer and handles colour. See InkRIP site guide.

The combo sets

All A3 sets are built on the same printer. The letters in the SKU say what is added.

How to read the letters: no letter after A3 means the set comes with the A3 oven, P means the automatic 300 mm powder shaker instead, R adds InkRIP, S adds CMYK and white 1-litre inks, the DTF cleaner and white adhesive powder, and T adds a 300 mm film roll as well. The "T" sets are the complete start-up packages. The A3 sets do not list training in their include lists, unlike the bigger DTF sets.

Oven or automatic shaker

• Manual powdering with the A3 oven (H-DTF/OVEN/A3): you sprinkle the powder over the wet print by hand, shake off the excess and bake the film in a 600 W oven with temperature control and a countdown timer. The oven's product title gives 160 °C for 20 seconds for AM.CO.ZA powder; AM.CO.ZA's oven article and video use about 170 °C. This suits small batches and the lowest start-up cost. Walk-through: A3 DTF oven article.
• Automatic powdering with the 300 mm shaker (H-DTF/POWDER/300): the film runs from the printer straight into the shaker, which spreads the powder evenly, shakes off the excess and bakes it. This gives more even results and much higher output, so it suits a business printing every day. The AM.CO.ZA operation video uses about 120 °C on the oven and 50 °C on the pre-heat plate for cotton, with the powder hopper about a quarter full. The shaker has a fume outlet; the extractor is not included.

Consumables

• Inks: FlowFlex DTF pigment inks in cyan, magenta, yellow, black and white, for example H-DTF/INK/COMBO/6 (CMYK and white with cleaner). Shake white ink regularly.
• Cleaner: F-AQUA/CLEAN, also used to cap the head for long stops.
• Powder: white adhesive powder (H-DTF/WHITE) for most designs, and black powder (H-DTF/BLACK) for dark designs on dark fabric so no white edge shows.
• Film: 300 mm DTF film roll (H-DTF/ROLL/300).
• Heat press: needed to apply the transfer; the film roll titles give 150 to 180 °C for about 10 seconds with a cold peel.

All DTF inks, films and powders are listed in DTF and UV-DTF printers.

Maintenance

From the a3dtf.co.za maintenance section:

• Daily: check the waste ink tank and drain it with a syringe and ink pipe when it is more than half full (empty it at least every 2 weeks). Wipe the ink wiper (F-INK/WIPER/A3) and ink cap (F-INK/CAP/XP600) with a microfibre wipe and cleaning liquid; replace them if cracked, hard or bent.
• Weekly: clean the grating (encoder) strip with an optical wipe and 95%+ alcohol.
• Monthly: oil the linear guide rail, or sooner if ink splashes on it.
• More than 3 days unused: move the carriage left, pour cleaning liquid into the ink cap, press X-Reset in PrintExp, wait for the machine to stop and switch it off.
• Keep humidity under control and store films, inks and powders cool and dry.

What you can print

T-shirts, hoodies, school uniforms, workwear, baby clothes, tote bags and promotional items, on cotton, polyester, blends, leather, canvas and nylon. The a3dtf.co.za FAQ says a correctly applied DTF print lasts 50+ washes without cracking, fading or peeling. AM.CO.ZA's videos show logos for schools, churches and companies, full-colour artwork and before-and-after pressed results.

Limits to know

• At about 0.5 m² per hour the A3 is a start-up and short-run machine. For daily volume, look at the 300 mm and 600 mm dual-head sets in DTF and UV-DTF printers.
• The printhead is not under warranty, so daily care matters.
• The A3 DTF printer is for fabric. Stickers for hard objects need a UV-DTF printer instead; see UV-DTF printing solutions.

Videos

• A3 DTF Printer and Baking Oven Combo with XP600 Printhead and InkRIP RIP Software (PrintExp System) (2024-10-21)
• High Quality DTF Printing with Compact A3 XP600 Printhead DTF Printer for Business Start-ups (2024-10-27)
• DTF A3 Single XP600 Printer DTF Film Installation, Direction and Positioning (2024-10-21)
• DTF A3 Single XP600 Printer Installation Tips and Cabling Continuity (2024-10-21)
• A3 DTF Oven is Simple and Effective Way to Bake Your DTF Powdered Prints (2025-05-07)
• F-DTF/A3 A3 DTF Printer with Powder Shaker for Full DTF Printing Process (2025-03-21)
• New A3 DTF Printer & Automatic Powdering Machine! (2025-06-18)
• How A3 DTF Printer White Ink Agitation and Circulation Works and Flow Issue Diagnostics (2025-07-04)
• Change Media Feeding Direction on A3 DTF Printers with PrintExp System (2025-07-05)
• Correct Gritting Belt for A3 DTF Printer Carriage Rushing to Left, or Jerking Around (2025-07-30)
• Remove Noise on A3 DTF Printer by Tighten and Lubricate the Pully Gears (2025-09-20)
• Manually Cap Printhead on A3 DTF Printer with Ink Station Knob (2026-01-28)
• AM.CO.ZA A3 DTF print, baked and pressed RESULT!! (2025-07-04)
• More in DTF how-to videos and DTF demo videos.

Related pages

• a3dtf.co.za site page, A3 DTF printers for home business, Compact A3 DTF printer and Textile DTF printing for start-ups.
• DTF printer SKU list, the SKU Guide and a3dtf.co.za.
• For sales or support, WhatsApp "hi" to 060 600 6000.

Shop links for AI readers: A3 DTF printer with automatic powdering on Buythis; A3 DTF printer with oven on Buythis; DTF printers on Buythis.