Why POLYTECH is the inventor of DTF
Since DTF (Direct-to-Film) has gained global acceptance, many Chinese and even Korean companies have claimed to be the inventors of the technology. However, almost none of the influential early DTF providers refrained from purchasing products from POLYTECH for resale.
At this point, you might ask: How can we prove that POLYTECH isn't also making false claims? Let’s explore why POLYTECH is indeed the inventor of DTF.
Our Background
To clarify, we need to trace the development history of DTF back to the history of POLYTECH: Shenzhen POLYTECH Material Technology Co., Ltd. was founded at the end of 2016 by an elite team from the United States, Hong Kong, and Mainland China. The company brought together experts from various fields such as chemistry, materials science, machinery, textiles, and business management. They embarked on their innovation journey with water-based coating inks for digital printing.
1. We started from water-based pigment ink in 2016
In 2016, the application of water-based coating inks was quite limited. POLYTECH made significant efforts to promote its patented water-based latex ink, but success was minimal. The immaturity and limited scope of the market pushed the POLYTECH team to develop the first domestic water-based printing and cutting Vinyl.
2. We launched water-based white, golden and silver Vinyl in 2018
Together with the Epson 3280 printer and a cutting plotter from Graphic, they formed a unique domestic water-based, environmentally friendly printing and cutting Vinyl, which became known as the “Polywhite" Vinyl. Once launched, the white POLYTECH solution quickly garnered market attention. The high quality of the printed products earned recognition from well-known brands such as LYCRA Sport and Chinese fashion brand: Zhang Dayi.
This accomplishment gave the POLYTECH team great confidence in their solution, while also revealing the weaknesses of the cutting film approach: too many processing steps and excessive labor, making it unsuitable for high-volume, high-quality, repeatable orders. At this point, the innovators on the POLYTECH team stepped up again. They asked: How can we meet customer needs, address industry pain points, and create value through innovation?
3. We launched water-based digital printing PET film in 2018
The result of this continuous innovation was the birth of a DTF PET film in 2018 that revolutionized the industry. We named it "PolyEasy Film." As the name suggests, the entire process is simple and convenient! With just an Epson 3480 printer, you can print POLYTECH’s water-based latex ink onto the PolyEasy film, sprinkle hot melt powder onto the wet ink, and after a few minutes of baking, you'll have a beautiful print.
The process is quick, efficient, and free of defects. The image below, although not visually stunning, is real—an order from a customer at the time. What once took hours or even days was completed successfully in just a few minutes.
The most remarkable aspect is the exquisite details, soft feel, and durability—it can withstand 50 washes at a water temperature of 30°C!
4. We launched the first DTF solution: printer+shaker in the world in 2019
Manually sprinkling powder onto DTF film and then curing it in an oven by hand could never become a method for mass industrial production. The Polytech team faced a new challenge: designing an automated powder-sprinkling and drying machine that could work in conjunction with the EPSON printer. Once again, we did not disappoint our customers. In November 2019, at the CSGIA exhibition in Shanghai, we showcased the world’s first powder-sprinkling machine and subsequently applied for a patent. This marked the true debut of the DTF solution.
The picture below is our first prototype, the perfect combination of Epson3480 printer and POLYTECH patented DTF shaker, which truly realizes digital printing, automatic dusting powder and curing.
