you're researching a DTF printer, chances are you've already come across three familiar printhead names:

XP600, i1600 and i3200.

You may also have noticed a trend toward faster machines, more printheads, expanded colour configurations and increasingly impressive production specifications.

But does more automatically mean better?

Not necessarily.

Before deciding which DTF printhead is "best", there is a much simpler question worth asking:

How much printing do you actually need to do?

A business producing high-volume gang sheets has very different requirements from a print shop producing transfers for its own garments.

One may need maximum metres per hour.

The other may have plenty of available printing time but still needs to press, finish and pack every garment it produces.

Neither approach is wrong.

They're simply different production requirements.

So rather than declaring one printhead the winner, let's look at the XP600, i1600 and i3200 from a practical production and ownership perspective.

XP600 vs i1600 vs i3200: Quick Comparison

*DTGtech Australian RRP at time of publication. Prices are subject to change.

Those descriptions are deliberately broad because the printhead is only one component of the printer.

The Printhead Does Not Determine the Quality of the Entire Printer

This is worth establishing early.

A printhead is obviously an important component, but it operates as part of a complete printing system.

Finished output can be influenced by:

• Printhead configuration
• Ink delivery
• White ink circulation
• Dampers
• Capping system
• Mechanical design
• Electronics
• RIP software
• ICC profiling
• Pass count
• Resolution
• Ink quality
• Film
• Colour configuration
• Curing
• Temperature and relative humidity
• Maintenance
• Operator practices

Standard DTF production is generally based around CMYK + White, although we're increasingly seeing machines offered with expanded colour configurations.

These can provide genuine benefits for applications requiring a wider colour gamut or specialised colours.

They also introduce additional ink channels, consumables, profiling and maintenance considerations.

The same principle applies to colours as it does to printheads:

Additional capability is valuable when your business has a use for it.

More heads, more colours and more speed can all provide advantages.

The important question is how those advantages fit into your production requirements.

XP600: A Lower-Cost Way Into DTF

XP600 printheads are commonly associated with lower-cost DTF equipment.

That doesn't automatically make them unsuitable.

At our current RRP of $720, the XP600 represents the lowest printhead replacement cost of the three we're comparing.

For businesses entering DTF, learning the process or producing relatively modest quantities, that lower investment may make sense.

The primary compromise compared with the I-series heads is production capability.

But lower throughput isn't necessarily a problem when you don't require higher throughput.

An XP600 may be worth considering when:

• Production requirements are relatively modest.
• Maximum print speed isn't particularly important.
• Initial equipment cost is a consideration.
• The printer isn't expected to support substantial continuous production.
• The equipment matches what the business actually needs to produce.

Rather than asking whether XP600 is "good" or "bad", a more useful question is:

Does it provide enough capability for what you're asking the printer to do?

i1600: An Interesting Commercial Middle Ground

The I1600 deserves serious consideration when comparing commercial DTF equipment.

The Epson I1600 is part of its PrecisionCore MicroTFP I-series platform and uses 1,600 nozzles across a 33.8 mm effective print width.

The i3200 doubles that to 3,200 nozzles across the same effective print width.

That additional nozzle capacity gives the i3200 an important advantage where throughput is required.

But throughput and finished print quality aren't the same measurement.

An I1600 configuration may run additional passes and therefore produce more slowly than an i3200 configuration designed around higher throughput.

In our practical experience with DTF equipment, correctly configured I1600 systems can produce exceptional output.

So the question becomes:

How much speed does your business actually require?

At DTGtech's current RRP, the I1600 is $990.

That's only $270 more than the XP600, while moving from I1600 to i3200 adds another $695 per printhead.

For many print shops, that makes the I1600 an interesting balance between production capability, output and replacement cost.

i3200: When Throughput Matters

This is where the i3200 really comes into its own.

The additional nozzle capacity provides considerably greater potential production throughput.

For a high-volume gang-sheet supplier, that can be extremely valuable.

If printed DTF film is effectively the product you're selling, additional reliable metres per hour may allow you to:

• Process more customer orders.
• Produce more gang sheets each day.
• Reduce turnaround times.
• Better utilise production labour.
• Increase available production capacity.

In that environment, additional printing speed can directly contribute to revenue.

The higher investment in i3200 technology may therefore make excellent commercial sense.

Are You Printing Gang Sheets or Individual Transfers?

This is an important question that can easily get overlooked when comparing printhead speed.

What are you actually going to print?

A commercial gang-sheet supplier may be continuously filling wide-format roll media with customer artwork.

In that environment, metres per hour matter.

Higher-speed i3200 configurations can provide a genuine production advantage because additional throughput can translate directly into additional sellable output.

An apparel business printing transfers primarily for its own garment production may operate very differently.

You might be producing:

• Individual chest logos.
• Front and back graphics.
• Names and numbers.
• Small customer orders.
• Short production runs.
• Occasional larger jobs.

Maximum linear printing speed may be considerably less important.

There's also a difference between using gang sheets efficiently and operating a commercial gang-sheet production service.

An apparel shop might combine today's orders onto a gang sheet simply to maximise film utilisation.

That's very different from a business feeding metres of customer gang sheets through the printer continuously.

Think About Material Utilisation Too

Large roll-to-roll DTF systems make tremendous sense when the available print width and continuous production capability are being utilised.

With smaller or intermittent jobs, however, material utilisation becomes another consideration.

Printing limited individual graphics on wide roll media can result in unused film unless jobs are efficiently nested or held until enough artwork is available to create an economical print layout.

The printer also forms only one part of a roll-to-roll production system.

Higher-volume DTF production generally requires powdering and curing equipment capable of keeping up with the printer.

That may mean:

• More equipment.
• Greater floor-space requirements.
• Additional power consumption.
• More consumables.
• Additional maintenance.
• Another part of the production process to manage.

For a high-volume operation, those aren't necessarily disadvantages.

They're simply part of building an appropriate production system.

For a lower-volume garment decorator, they're additional factors worth considering.

A useful question might therefore be:

Are you building a DTF film production line, or do you primarily need an efficient way to produce transfers for your own garments?

Considering Four i3200 Heads? Look at the Complete Requirement

Four-head and larger DTF configurations are becoming increasingly common.

They can provide substantial production capacity.

If you're considering one, it's worth looking beyond maximum headline speed and thinking about how that capacity fits into the rest of your operation.

At our current printhead RRP, the replacement values alone look like this:

That's a difference of $2,780 between four i1600 and four i3200 printheads.

That doesn't make either configuration better value.

It simply demonstrates that additional capability has a cost.

For a busy gang-sheet operation, the additional i3200 throughput could potentially justify that difference very quickly.

For another print shop, the additional capacity may rarely be required.

Some useful questions to ask include:

• How many metres are we currently printing?
• How much do we reasonably expect that volume to grow?
• Is printing currently limiting our production?
• Would additional speed allow us to accept more work?
• How much spare capacity would we like?
• What are the ongoing replacement and maintenance costs?

The answers will differ from business to business.

Speed Is Only One Part of Production

Consider a print shop producing its own customised garments.

Its workflow might look something like:

Artwork → RIP → DTF Print → Powder/Cure → Prepare Garment → Heat Press → Finish → QC → Pack

The printer is only one stage.

Even if printing speed doubles, every transfer still has to move through the remaining production processes.

If the printer already produces enough transfers to keep pressing and finishing supplied, additional print speed may not increase the number of finished garments leaving the shop.

It might simply create a larger buffer of printed transfers waiting for the next process.

That isn't necessarily a bad thing either.

The important point is understanding where the actual production requirement sits.

How Much Printing Are You Actually Doing?

This may be the simplest question in the entire article.

How much DTF printing are you doing now, and how much do you reasonably expect to be doing as the business grows?

There's obvious value in having spare capacity for:

• Busy periods.
• Urgent jobs.
• Reprints.
• Maintenance.
• Future growth.

But spare capacity doesn't necessarily mean purchasing the highest-output configuration available.

If your existing equipment begins restricting how much work you can produce, additional production capacity becomes a natural consideration as the business grows.

Likewise, if you're already growing rapidly, purchasing equipment you'll immediately outgrow may not make sense either.

The aim is simply to find a sensible balance between:

Current workload + realistic growth + appropriate spare capacity.

Then consider the equipment required to provide it.

Look for the Production Bottleneck

Before investing specifically to increase printer throughput, look at the entire production process.

Is printing actually slowing production?

Or is it:

• Artwork preparation?
• Job setup?
• Powdering and curing?
• Heat pressing?
• Finishing?
• Packing?
• Staff availability?

Suppose a printer can produce enough transfers for 400 garments during a shift, but the remainder of the production process can complete only 200.

Increasing print capacity to 600 doesn't automatically produce 600 finished shirts.

Conversely, if pressing and finishing are constantly waiting because the printer can't supply transfers quickly enough, increasing printer throughput may be exactly what the business needs.

The objective is to keep the whole production process flowing.

Print Quality and Print Speed Aren't the Same Thing

This distinction is particularly important when comparing i1600 and i3200.

The i3200's increased nozzle capacity provides greater potential throughput.

The i1600 has fewer nozzles and may therefore be configured to run additional passes.

For businesses where maximum production speed isn't critical, that can be a perfectly reasonable trade-off.

Finished DTF quality depends on the complete printing process:

• Pass count.
• Ink deposition.
• Mechanical alignment.
• RIP configuration.
• Colour management.
• Film.
• Curing.
• Print-room conditions.
• Maintenance.
• Overall machine condition.

So we'd avoid thinking of the three heads as:

XP600 = basic quality

i1600 = better quality

i3200 = best quality

That's too simplistic.

The more useful comparison is how each printhead fits different production requirements.

More Heads and More Colours Also Mean More Complexity

DTF technology is developing quickly.

We're seeing:

• More printheads.
• Expanded colour configurations.
• Faster electronics.
• Larger machines.
• Greater automation.

That's exciting for the industry.

Additional capability naturally introduces additional complexity as well.

Another ink channel may mean additional ink management and profiling.

Another printhead means another head to align, supply, maintain and eventually replace.

That isn't an argument against sophisticated equipment.

If expanded colour capability provides something your customers value, that's a genuine advantage.

If four i3200 heads allow you to substantially increase gang-sheet production, that's a genuine advantage too.

The question worth asking is:

What does this additional capability allow my business to do that it cannot do now?

That's often more useful than comparing specification numbers alone.

Consider the Machine Around the Printhead

The printhead itself is only one part of the purchasing decision.

DTF equipment ranges from modified and converted platforms through to machines specifically designed around commercial DTF production.

Different solutions can suit different stages and requirements.

Someone experimenting with DTF or producing small quantities has very different requirements from a print shop depending on the equipment for daily commercial production.

As production becomes increasingly important, other considerations become significant:

• White-ink circulation.
• Ink delivery.
• Maintenance accessibility.
• Spare-part availability.
• Electronics.
• Capping design.
• Technical support.
• Production reliability.
• Ease of servicing.

The useful question isn't simply:

Can this machine print DTF?

It's also:

Does this machine suit how I intend to use DTF?

White Ink Management Matters Regardless of the Head

Whether you're operating XP600, i1600 or i3200, DTF still has one particularly demanding component:

White pigment ink.

White ink management can significantly influence production reliability.

When comparing machines, look beyond the printhead specification and understand the ink system around it.

Consider asking:

• How is white ink circulated?
• Where does circulation occur?
• How is the ink agitated?
• What dampers are being used?
• How accessible is the system for maintenance?
• How does the capping station operate?
• What maintenance is recommended when the printer isn't being used?

A good printhead still depends on a properly functioning ink-delivery and maintenance system.

Your Print Room Matters Too

A DTF printer doesn't operate independently of its environment.

Temperature and relative humidity can vary considerably across Australian seasons and locations.

Those conditions can influence ink behaviour, drying and maintenance requirements.

If nozzle behaviour suddenly changes, the printhead is certainly something to investigate — but it's also worth considering what else may have changed.

Has winter arrived?

Has the print room become colder?

Has relative humidity changed?

Is an air conditioner blowing directly across the printer?

Has the machine been sitting unused?

Has the operating routine changed?

Understanding the environment around the printer can sometimes be just as important as understanding the printer itself.

Production Doesn't Necessarily Have to Start With Printing

Every shop has a different workflow.

During colder periods, some businesses may find their print-room conditions less favourable first thing in the morning.

If the production schedule allows it, there's no reason the DTF printer necessarily has to be the first process started.

The morning might instead include:

• Pressing transfers produced previously.
• Finishing garments.
• Packing completed orders.
• Preparing artwork.
• Building print queues.
• Routine maintenance.

Printing might then begin once the print room has reached more favourable and stable conditions.

The important measurements are the actual temperature and relative humidity, not simply the time on the clock.

The broader point is that production efficiency isn't always about operating every machine as fast as possible.

Sometimes it's about organising the production day more effectively.

Think About Downtime as Well as Speed

Production capacity is important.

So is production continuity.

If a business depends entirely on one printer, that machine represents a single point of production dependency regardless of how fast it is.

For some growing businesses, there may eventually be value in comparing:

One extremely high-capacity machine

with

multiple appropriately sized production machines.

Multiple machines can potentially provide redundancy as well as additional production capacity.

That doesn't mean it's right for every business.

Floor space, staffing, workload, capital and maintenance all influence the decision.

It's simply another consideration when planning future production.

One More Question: Is DTF the Right Process for Every Job?

If you're primarily producing your own customised garments — particularly one-off retail orders and short runs — another question may be worth considering:

Does every job need to be DTF?

DTF is extremely versatile, but no decoration technology is automatically the ideal solution for every application.

For suitable garments and jobs, DTG may also provide an effective production route, particularly for individual customised garments.

Some print shops may benefit from DTF.

Some from DTG.

Some from both.

We've covered that subject separately, but the broader principle is relevant here:

Choose the production process that suits the work rather than forcing every job through the same process.

XP600 vs i1600 vs i3200: So Which Should You Choose?

There isn't one universal answer.

XP600

Worth considering where entry cost and lighter production requirements are the priorities.

At $720 RRP, it also represents the lowest replacement-head cost of these three options.

i1600

An interesting commercial middle ground.

At $990 RRP, replacement pricing remains relatively close to XP600 while providing I-series capability.

For print shops wanting excellent output without necessarily requiring maximum throughput, it's certainly worth considering.

i3200

A strong option where higher production throughput genuinely provides commercial value.

At $1,685 RRP, the investment is greater, but for high-volume production — particularly commercial gang-sheet production — that additional throughput can be extremely valuable.

There Doesn't Need to Be a Winner

XP600, i1600 and i3200 don't have to be ranked first, second and third.

They're different tools for different production requirements.

Before choosing between them, consider asking:

• What are we actually printing?
• Are we primarily producing gang sheets or individual transfers?
• Are gang sheets our product, or are transfers simply one stage of garment production?
• How much are we currently producing?
• How much do we realistically expect to produce as we grow?
• How many hours each day will the printer actually operate?
• Is printing currently our production bottleneck?
• Would additional speed allow us to generate additional revenue?
• How important is replacement cost?
• How much spare capacity do we want?
• Would expanded colour capability benefit the work we produce?
• How will we utilise roll media efficiently?
• What happens when the machine stops?
• How does the printer fit into the rest of our production workflow?

Your answers may point toward XP600.

They may point toward i1600.

They may make a multi-head i3200 system look like an excellent investment.

That's ultimately a decision for each print business to make based on its own requirements.

Our purpose isn't to tell you which printer or printhead you should buy.

It's to provide practical information, share some of what we've learned working with this equipment and perhaps give you a few additional questions to ask while doing your research.

Because sometimes the most useful question isn't:

Which DTF printhead is best?

It's:

Which printhead makes the most sense for what we're trying to achieve?

And that's a question only your business can ultimately answer.