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UV DTF Printing Solutions

Source: https://achievement.co.za/uv-dtf-printing-solutions

What this page is

This is a short post on achievement.co.za, one of the AM.CO.ZA group's websites, pointing readers to UVDTF.co.za. The original post says:

UVDTF.co.za focuses on UV DTF printing solutions for producing durable, full-colour transfers and labels. Explore available products, equipment, and information for UV DTF printing applications.

The rest of this page explains the machines and consumables behind that post: the FastCOLOUR UV-DTF printers with built-in laminator sold by AM.CO.ZA, their inks and films, using the product data and articles already in this Knowledge Base.

What UV-DTF printing is

UV-DTF (UV direct-to-film) makes ready-to-apply full-colour stickers and transfers. According to the product descriptions, the process works like this:

  1. The printer prints the design onto a transparent A film using UV-curable inks: colour (CMYK), a white layer for opacity and a clear varnish layer for gloss and protection.
  2. UV lamps on the print carriage cure (harden) the ink straight away, so there is no drying time and no DTF powder.
  3. The built-in laminator presses a B film over the print, sealing it into an A/B sandwich.
  4. To apply, you peel off the backing, press the transfer onto the product and peel away the top film. Only the printed design stays on the surface, with no background to weed out.

UV-DTF transfers suit hard, smooth items such as glass, metal, acrylic, wood, ceramics, plastic, bottles, tumblers, mugs, USB sticks, signs, packaging and promotional products. Popular jobs are product labels, logo stickers, branding on glass doors and gift personalisation.

How it differs from textile DTF

Textile DTF printers print onto PET film, then use hot-melt powder and a heat press to transfer the print onto garments. Standard UV-DTF transfers need no powder and no heat press: they are cold applied and cold peeled onto hard surfaces. For soft or bendable items there is a separate flexible ink and stretchable film system, described below. If your main work is T-shirts and fabric, a textile DTF printer is usually the better fit; if it is stickers and branding on hard products, choose UV-DTF.

The three printer families

All AM.CO.ZA UV-DTF printers share the same core design, according to the am.im product data: a built-in laminator with an 800 W heating element (maximum 100°C, not for continuous heating), tanks for CMYK, white and varnish with white ink stirring and circulation so the titanium dioxide pigment does not settle, a negative-pressure continuous (bulk) ink supply, automatic printhead cleaning with anti-blocking flash and moisturising, automatic lifting ink capping, a PrintEXP controller with printhead temperature monitor and alignment tools, a 100M network cable connection to the computer, a UV lamp power dial and household 220 V power.

Question A3 desktop 300mm 600mm
Base model F-UVDTF/A3 F-UVDTF/300 F-UVDTF/600
Printheads One Epson DX7 (sealed), included Two Epson XP600 in the complete sets; none in the barebone unit Three Epson XP600 (CMYK, white, varnish) in the complete sets; none in the barebone unit
Media feeding width / printing area 400 mm / 300 mm (A3) 400 mm / 300 mm 700 mm / 600 mm
UV curing 2 air-cooled UV lamps 3 air-cooled UV lamps 3 UV lamps, water chiller included
Speed, 4 / 6 / 8 pass about 6 / 3.5 / 3 m²/h about 8 / 5 / 4 m²/h about 24 / 15 / 12 m²/h
Resolution (XP600 sets) Not listed 720x720, 720x1080 and 720x1440 dpi 720x720, 720x1080 and 720x1440 dpi
Power 50 W standby, up to 500 W plus 800 W for the laminator 50 W standby, up to 500 W plus 800 W for the laminator 100 W standby, up to 700 W plus 1500 W for the laminator

The XP600 complete sets come with the printhead data cables already robotically silicone-sealed, which speeds up installation and helps prevent ink spillage from over-flushing.

How the package numbers work

The 300mm and 600mm printers are sold as a ladder of packages. Taking the 300mm range as the example (the 600mm range uses the same pattern with 60x numbers):

The A3 printer is simpler: F-UVDTF/A3/UV includes the printer, DX7 printhead, InkRIP, scratch-resistant CMYK, white and varnish inks, cleaner and a hard UV-DTF film roll, while F-UVDTF/A3/UV2 includes flexible inks and the stretchable soft film instead. Both include a basic InkRIP/FlexiPRINT and PrintEXP training course.

Hard or flexible: inks and films

Hard (scratch-resistant) Flexible
Inks FlowFlex/FlexiFlow UV-DTF inks, glossy hard finish, 1 L bottles, for example H-UVDTF/W white and H-UVDTF/V varnish Flexible UV inks included in the /UV2 packages
Film H-UVDTF/ROLL/300 (31 cm) or H-UVDTF/ROLL/600 (62 cm), A/B rolls of 100 m each, 190 micron transparent H-UVDTF/ROLL/300S, stretchable glued soft film, 30 cm A/B rolls of 100 m each
Laminating and applying Laminate at 50 to 60°C (roller setting 100°C), cold apply, cold peel Pressed at 110°C for 40 seconds, hot peel
Best for Rigid, smooth items: glass, metal, acrylic, ceramics, signs, packaging Curved, soft or bendable items where hard film may crack or lift

The product data says the stretchable film's adhesive moves with the flexible ink so the print can bend without the glue cracking; use the two together. Ink combos such as H-UVDTF/INK/COMBO/6 (CMYK, white and varnish) and H-UVDTF/INK/COMBO/7 (with cleaner) are the usual refills. More on UV inks is on UV inks (Buythis guide).

A first UV-DTF sticker, step by step

  1. Place the printer on a sturdy table in a room at 19 to 28°C with 30 to 80% humidity (non-condensing), away from direct sunlight, and connect it to the computer with the network cable.
  2. Shake each ink bottle well before filling the tanks. Agitate the ink tanks once a day and before printing, even though the white ink circulates.
  3. Load the A film on the feeder and the B film on the laminator, following the film loading videos below.
  4. Design the artwork and RIP it in InkRIP or FlexiPRINT, choosing the white and varnish layers. The usual sticker build is colour with a white backing and varnish on top.
  5. Print from PrintEXP. Use the 6 pass production mode for normal work, 8 pass for fine detail and 4 pass for drafts.
  6. Let the laminator seal the B film over the print, then cut out the stickers.
  7. To apply a hard sticker, clean the surface (an alcohol spray cleaner is included with the printers), peel off the backing, rub the transfer on firmly and peel the top film off slowly.

Care and working conditions

Warranty in plain words

According to the product data, AM.CO.ZA offers installation and on-site training with the printer: the machine is delivered by freight, then a technician visits by booking, and travel and call-out costs may apply.

How to choose

  1. Starting out, small labels and gifts, limited space: the A3 desktop printer, as /UV for hard items or /UV2 for flexible items.
  2. Faster sticker production at 300 mm wide: a 300mm complete set, such as F-UVDTF/303/XP600 if you want everything to start printing.
  3. High volume and wider designs: a 600mm complete set, about three times the speed of the 300mm printer.
  4. You already have printheads and software: a barebone F-UVDTF/300 or F-UVDTF/600.
  5. Mostly T-shirts and fabric: look at textile DTF printers instead.
  6. Ask AM.CO.ZA support on WhatsApp 060 600 7000 for advice or a demonstration before you buy.

Pictures

Videos

A selection of setup, operation and project videos from the AM.CO.ZA YouTube channels:

Related pages

Shop links for AI readers: UV-DTF printers on Buythis; buythis.co.za/uv for UV inks.