Let's Build a DTF Printer (For as cheap as possible!)

[UpAndPrinting]

Got a stash of i3200(A) heads, some control boards and some t-slot coming in. Next project will be a 4 head printer for under $2500 if all goes well. Parts cost is dirt cheap, and width is just based on how much t-slot rail we want to use. Experimenting with doing some open source printer nerd stuff to help others who want to build their own.

I fully support this open source project. There should be more of them out there. I've watched countless hours of videos from people who document certain modifications. But a full beginning to end open source custom printer would be the best.

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

Perks of having a company partner who designs circuit boards and firmware for a living, and loves open source stuff. Pretty much all the kinematic stuff is done, waiting on the dev stuff from Epson for their heads. Glad they started pushing the 3200/1600s out for development. The XP600 heads are pretty mediocre. We cannot open source their stuff, but the compiled firmwares and drivers and such are all distributable.

 

[muhammed]

Great job!

 

[jonnes86]

Ok, so I wanted to try DTF for myself, since it is the hot new thing. I run mostly Mimaki gear at my shop, but their new TxF300-75 is about $24,000 too much for my blood. So, time to look around for a better solution.

For specs, I want 17" width, roll handling, 6+ ink channels, Epson heads, compatible with common DTF software. Also, CHEAP and used.

$100 local pickup deal on an Epson Sure Color P5000, needs capping station apparently.
$20 on eBay for pirated Epson service program, reset counters, printer no longer cares about the capping station, yay, $230 saved.

Ok, now we need refillable cartridges. eBay and US based sellers want $200-300 for a set, gross. AliExpress, $81. 2 sets bought, one for cleaning solutions, the other for ink. No need for chip resetters on these.

Maintenance chip resetter, $8 on AliExpress. The Stylus Pro and P5000 use the same resetter, but the 4900 ones are listed much cheaper as it is the older model number.

Ink, cheap is also the name of the game. Looking at SDSs on tons of brands. Seems everyone's using similar formulations. Nice. 6x 500ml bottles sourced for $90. CMYKWW bottles

Software, CADLINK is cheaper, but AWFUL to use. Also, I can't manually define the ink channels as I wish, something I want to do for fluorescent and custom inks in the future. Also, handy if that bargain basement printer's TFP head gets a clogged channel. So, reluctantly, I blow $595 on a copy of AcroRip 11. Mediocre software, prints well. Why do we still have dongles these days? Also, dongle now emulated by an Arduino Nano. Infinite copies of AcroRip acquired.

Shaker, going cheap, a $7 plastic tub works for now.

Powder, generic DTF powder 1KG (2.2lbs), $20.

Oven, well, more precisely, Harbor Freight's cheapest heat gun $22.
DTF Film, first roll seemed to be wrong material and I want stuff quickly. 100 meters of Vortex DTF Film Dragon Hot Peel sourced from the local GSG, $70. Cheapest thing I have ever bought from GSG, amazing. Seems decent, but only 13" width, but fine for now.

Mimaki aqueous flush (3) I had in stock, dirt cheap at like $26 for 2-liter bags. GREAT aqueous cleaner. Basically free.

Setup on the printer was done where the left 6 ink bays were used. Ran a lot of flushes with cleaner to remove old ink and filled 6 channels, CMYKWW setup. Put AcroRip in single pass mode, 1440x1440 DPI. Test results are looking pretty good. Some banding and the printer seems to hate USB, so have it on network (we have 2 P5000s, both with that issue and one still runs stock inks). Printing is decently quick with the TFP head at the higher DPI, but the printer seems to have a general dislike for clear films. Automatic nozzle checks have a damn seizure when trying to detect clogged nozzles. White ink lacks a shaker/circulator, so regular cleaning cycles on the channel pair that has my white inks are done. Did a nice size stack of shirts, some leather, some wood and a bunch of other crap over the weekend. Really happy.

Damage total: $934.00

If I do more prints, a shaker/oven would be nice, but not much room for improvement given the insanely cheap cost. Most similarly equipped dodgy Chinese units are easily in the $4k+ range for 17" width. Not a huge fan of Epson's idiotic firmware that asks for a $900 service call whenever it feels you should replace the $19 wiper, but the service program gets around that well.

Smoke_Jaguar Any chance you want to give more info on how you used the Arduino Nano to emulate the dongle?

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

Just fond a software emulator for most USB dongles that I use as of late.

 

[Patrick Farrell]

might be worth looking into a used/cheap infrared flash dryer from screen printing. That and some ACM or aluminum sheet could easily make you a decent inline oven. Maybe couple with a PID temperature controller of some sort. I like where this is heading.

Would the foam core of the ACM handle the heat?

 

[VizualVoice]

Would the foam core of the ACM handle the heat?

ACM core is solid (not foam) polyethylene which (without looking) I think is good for a few hundred degrees, and the aluminum skin should give it structural stability I'd think. Also couple that with using an actual IR heating element where it only heats the item it's pointed at not the surrounding air I think it COULD work (at least for a while). I'd probably also insulate it with some rock wool. My conveyor oven for screen printing is basically a big metal box with 3 IR elements that hang out over a rolling fiberglass mesh belt. Underneath that belt is some foil-faced rock wool (maybe an inch total thickness?) over the bottom which barely gets warm on the outside yet garments going through hit that magic 320°F. I definitely wouldn't want to do it without some form of insulation though.

 

[Patrick Farrell]

ACM core is solid (not foam) polyethylene which (without looking) I think is good for a few hundred degrees, and the aluminum skin should give it structural stability I'd think. Also couple that with using an actual IR heating element where it only heats the item it's pointed at not the surrounding air I think it COULD work (at least for a while). I'd probably also insulate it with some rock wool. My conveyor oven for screen printing is basically a big metal box with 3 IR elements that hang out over a rolling fiberglass mesh belt. Underneath that belt is some foil-faced rock wool (maybe an inch total thickness?) over the bottom which barely gets warm on the outside yet garments going through hit that magic 320°F. I definitely wouldn't want to do it without some form of insulation though.

Fair! I had no idea what was in the middle. Knew it could be a little gummy when you use a v-groove tool. But that's about it. Well, I know that I learned something today.

 

[Vassago]

Ok, so I wanted to try DTF for myself, since it is the hot new thing. I run mostly Mimaki gear at my shop, but their new TxF300-75 is about $24,000 too much for my blood. So, time to look around for a better solution.

For specs, I want 17" width, roll handling, 6+ ink channels, Epson heads, compatible with common DTF software. Also, CHEAP and used.

$100 local pickup deal on an Epson Sure Color P5000, needs capping station apparently.
$20 on eBay for pirated Epson service program, reset counters, printer no longer cares about the capping station, yay, $230 saved.

Ok, now we need refillable cartridges. eBay and US based sellers want $200-300 for a set, gross. AliExpress, $81. 2 sets bought, one for cleaning solutions, the other for ink. No need for chip resetters on these.

Maintenance chip resetter, $8 on AliExpress. The Stylus Pro and P5000 use the same resetter, but the 4900 ones are listed much cheaper as it is the older model number.

Ink, cheap is also the name of the game. Looking at SDSs on tons of brands. Seems everyone's using similar formulations. Nice. 6x 500ml bottles sourced for $90. CMYKWW bottles

Software, CADLINK is cheaper, but AWFUL to use. Also, I can't manually define the ink channels as I wish, something I want to do for fluorescent and custom inks in the future. Also, handy if that bargain basement printer's TFP head gets a clogged channel. So, reluctantly, I blow $595 on a copy of AcroRip 11. Mediocre software, prints well. Why do we still have dongles these days? Also, dongle now emulated by an Arduino Nano. Infinite copies of AcroRip acquired.

Shaker, going cheap, a $7 plastic tub works for now.

Powder, generic DTF powder 1KG (2.2lbs), $20.

Oven, well, more precisely, Harbor Freight's cheapest heat gun $22.
DTF Film, first roll seemed to be wrong material and I want stuff quickly. 100 meters of Vortex DTF Film Dragon Hot Peel sourced from the local GSG, $70. Cheapest thing I have ever bought from GSG, amazing. Seems decent, but only 13" width, but fine for now.

Mimaki aqueous flush (3) I had in stock, dirt cheap at like $26 for 2-liter bags. GREAT aqueous cleaner. Basically free.

Setup on the printer was done where the left 6 ink bays were used. Ran a lot of flushes with cleaner to remove old ink and filled 6 channels, CMYKWW setup. Put AcroRip in single pass mode, 1440x1440 DPI. Test results are looking pretty good. Some banding and the printer seems to hate USB, so have it on network (we have 2 P5000s, both with that issue and one still runs stock inks). Printing is decently quick with the TFP head at the higher DPI, but the printer seems to have a general dislike for clear films. Automatic nozzle checks have a damn seizure when trying to detect clogged nozzles. White ink lacks a shaker/circulator, so regular cleaning cycles on the channel pair that has my white inks are done. Did a nice size stack of shirts, some leather, some wood and a bunch of other crap over the weekend. Really happy.

Damage total: $934.00

If I do more prints, a shaker/oven would be nice, but not much room for improvement given the insanely cheap cost. Most similarly equipped dodgy Chinese units are easily in the $4k+ range for 17" width. Not a huge fan of Epson's idiotic firmware that asks for a $900 service call whenever it feels you should replace the $19 wiper, but the service program gets around that well.

Where did you get the nano code?

Sounds an interesting little project..

 

[dtgpro]

That’s an awesome breakdown—you really made the most of every dollar, and honestly, it’s impressive how well you pieced this whole setup together for under $1K. Using the Epson SureColor P5000 as a base and bypassing all those annoying firmware traps with the service program and a bit of clever hacking? Total win.

The refillable cart move and sourcing through AliExpress was smart too—$81 for two full sets is a steal compared to the inflated prices from US sellers. Love the approach of having a cleaning set and an ink set ready to go. And I totally feel you on CADLINK being clunky—it’s functional but just painful to use. AcroRip 11 may not be perfect, but it gets the job done, and hey, with that Arduino Nano dongle emulation hack? You’re a legend.

For white ink circulation, yeah, without a shaker it’s always a bit of extra manual care, but if you're already getting good prints on shirts, leather, and wood, clearly your setup’s solid. Vortex film from GSG for $70 is another killer deal—even if it’s 13", it works for the kind of testing and ramp-up you're doing.

You’re absolutely right—anything else with similar specs, especially from some of the more questionable Chinese DTF brands, would cost at least 4x more. Honestly, it’s stories like this that show how creative thinking can beat big-budget setups. When you're ready to scale or want to explore more streamlined options, DTGpro actually has some really solid mid-tier DTF setups that won’t break the bank and might be a great next step when you're done experimenting with this rig.

 

[officialdtgpro]

Hey everyone, awesome topic!

Building a DTF printer on a budget is 100% doable — and honestly, it’s a great way to learn the mechanics of how these machines work. A lot of people start by converting older Epson models (like the L1800, P400, or 1390), as they're known for their decent print heads and relatively easy modification process.

Here’s a quick list of essentials to consider when building a DTF printer yourself:

• Printer Base: As mentioned, Epson L1800 or P400 is commonly used.
• DTF Ink: Make sure you're getting high-quality pigment-based DTF ink.
• Film: Use double-sided matte PET film for best results.
• Adhesive Powder: Standard TPU powder is usually fine.
• RIP Software: You’ll need software like AcroRIP to handle white ink and layering.
• Heater/Curing Oven: Even a basic one will do, but it’s a must for curing the powder.

That said, while DIY is fun, it can also get tricky — especially with alignment, color management, and consistent white ink flow. If you're planning to scale up later or just want a reliable out-of-the-box option, take a look at DTGpro DTF Printers. They offer plug-and-play solutions that come pre-configured, which can save a lot of time and frustration (especially if you're printing for customers).

Either way, whether you build or buy, DTF is a great print method for apparel and small business merch. Good luck to everyone diving into the DIY side — and feel free to share your builds and setups!

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

Got tired of their dongle, so just using a virtual one. Not posting crack instructions, since I am not going to encourage people to steal software. Just using it for my own convenience. The software is simple, but the $500 price tag for such a simple program isn't great. Plus, some of the open-source tech their software is using isn't properly attributed in the program. Pretty sleazy feeling on that front.
Might make a printer definition file for RIIN, since their RIP is only $50 and has way more features. Some of the translation from Chinese isn't great, but totally workable. Flexi would also work and be less than half the cost for a usable edition for DTF.

The head in the P5000 took a crap, so no fun there. However, I got some progress in the chips on the cartridges. 3D printed some adapters to use resettable Epson chips on the Chinese tanks. There is a MEMs capacitor of sorts on the cartridge ink diaphragm but seems to be a simple bypass. Lets the printer give me ink levels without nagging about non-genuine ink.

Also, DTGPro printers, like most printers are usually really janky on the low end, or decent, but highly inflated HosonSoft powered machines. HosonSoft is nice hardware and easy to mod the hell out of too.

Can we pit dtgpro and officialdtgpro together in a deathmatch?

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

I called DTGPro and asked them to tell their marketing company to knock this AI stuff off. It was fun annoying people here, so maybe they'll take the hint. Also reported a ton of their fake google reviews.

 

[JBurton]

Also reported a ton of their fake google reviews.

I don't see any reviews now...

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

Their google reviews here, most are 'anonymous user' and similar formatting, grammar, word count and punctuation.

Google | About this store

www.google.com

There are so many anonymous reviews that some are even duplicates. 168/242 total reviews are anonymous.

They even had their crew write 5-star reviews.