Can you print watercolour designs with DTF?

I have only recently started using DTF but I was hooked from the moment I pressed my first shirt. I wanted to create more and explore all the possibilities it had to offer. One of the first questions I asked was can you print watercolour designs with DTF? Is it capable of reproducing soft gradients, washes and perfectly capturing those paint textures?

How do I make watercolour artwork look good in DTF?

With all DTF prints you want to make sure that your artwork is set up correctly before sending it to print. So you need to have a minimum of 300dpi and a transparent background for watercolours. Check if your supplier wants the colour settings in RGB or CMYK as I have found different companies prefer different set ups.

You can create your watercolour designs in both photoshop or Illustrator. Opt for photoshop if you want the most realistic looking prints or Illustrator if you want a more stylised watercolour design. As featured on my NOPE t-shirt, which you can download for free at the bottom of this post.

Troubleshooting common mistakes

Why do my watercolour DTF prints look dull?

This could be an issue with your supplier; not all are the same. So, it’s worth testing out a few companies to find one that prints reliably.
White ink can overpower very pale washes of colour, tweak the saturation of your artwork to see if this improves it.
Check your settings, did you send it at the correct DPI and colour settings?

DTF vs sublimation for watercolour designs?

I have used both sublimation and DTF and personally find DTF to be much more user friendly, lower cost and colour accurate. It also allows you to print on a wider range of fabrics such as cotton and canvas, compared t o sublimation.

Best colour palettes for watercolor DTF prints

It’s worth bearing in mind that that very pale pastels can be hard to transfer. Watercolour palettes that are more saturated with colour, such as earthy tones, aquatic ranges and botanical palettes do well.

Can DTF handle fine watercolour details?

The short answer to this is yes DTF should be able to handle fine watercolour details but a lot will depend on your supplier. I printed my ‘in my crafty phase’ shirt using a gang sheet from DTF Transfers UK and the design came out so crisp.