Is DTF printing dangerous to your health? 

One of the things that vexes me on the epoxy issue is that one creator made tons of videos about it, then claimed it made her sick and gave her a lung condition, etc, but she continued to leave the videos online and make money from them.

Same thing happens with epoxy. What really irks me are people who make videos of how do do epoxy then a year later claim they have some lung sickness from it yet they leave all the videos online because they are making money from them.

It's really not that surprising. Anytime someone is exposed to something over a long period of time, especially inhalants, the chances of health problems go up exponentially. Others in the comments trying to tell me I have no idea what I'm talking about are just idiots making noise.

With UV DTF you shouldn't be using powder so that's the part that is most concerning. With proper ventilation and such it shouldn't be an issue even, but the people playing with this powder in their craft rooms is concerning. I mean, practically everything we touch introduces chemicals to our bodies but inhaling powder pretty much puts things into a direct exposure to your bloodstream.

They should definitely be used in a ventilated environment and I'd recommend wearing a respirator around it.

I disagree, it's a huge risk to be inhaling resin powder.

@@TroyTube you’re entitled to your own opinion. Let the professionals handle the printing. You can busy transfers and not have to deal with the risks of poor ventilation.

@@johnleontakianakos there's no opinion here, only facts and if you don't think inhaling resin powder is bad I have some swamp land to sell you. Being a professional printer clearly doesn't mean you know anything about health risks and exposures.

@@TroyTubeI think the facts went over your head. All printing industries require ventilation. I think this is the point your missing. No one openly wants to breathe fumes from curing inks and powders. That is why professional shops use ventilation. Your mindset is stuck on the “bedroom” printer/work from home side hustle. This is why these types of printing should be left to the professionals.

@@johnleontakianakos To build yourself up as a "professional" by making false statements to discredit others clearly shows you are not a professional at anything. (a) "All printing systems require ventilation" -- this is simply false (b) You still missed the point that I'm not even talking about fumes from curing the powder, the risk from inhaling aerosolized powder is probably worse (c) most of my audience who is using resin powder are at-home crafters so belittling them by stating they are "stuck in the bedroom printer/word from home side hustle" is less than professional. (d) you are the one missing the point that these are precisely the people I wanted to warn about inhaling powder. Why do you insist on arguing that inhaling resin powder is not dangerous?

The potential danger I see with DTF is the powder aerosolization and inhalation of the powder itself. Pressing sublimation on a scale of 1-10 is probably a 1-2 (coming from my chemical engineer at the lab that makes our ink). That said, there's always a variable of the item you're applying it to but generally all would be pretty safe because sublimation ink is mostly water. Outside of that it's probably a matter of how much you can handle the smell.

Yes this happens to me when I'm pressing shirts.

@@l4ur3n67 it sucks because the moment that I have one of the transfers in the same room even if they're all in a gangsheet still I immediately start feeling ill... even before I press them :(

it just gave someone cancer. the cancer is directly directed to the dtf. the powder is up in their nose and does not move. it is just like abestos.

@@JohnEastmanExAttyAtLaw Freddy is asking about cured transfers. The powder is an issue when it's uncooked specifically. Once it's cured, it's bonded to the paper and isn't going anywhere. The general fumes though from this type of printing can be strong.

​@@subthatus🤦🏽‍♀️ pressing it is dangerous as well, do your research.. That powder falls off the paper AFTER they cure it.. A dead man has no business

Yes, the issue I'm discussing is the loose powder and inhalation.

Not that I'm aware of with something like this. With the powder you really need to use PPE to handle it and while heating it needs ventilation or a filter.

@@ThatGuyWithTheLaserthere is a liquid adhesive but it has to be applied with a print head just like ink, it's more expensive, and has a while before it's mainstream. Otherwise, I'm not sure how you would apply it to only the inked areas. Even then, you're still dealing with inhaling vapors just like with epoxy. IMO, the stuff just isn't meant to be played with in a small craft environment, IMO.

@TroyTube Thanks Troy. Sounds like this is a lawsuit waiting to happen. If the vapours are toxic, the hardened adhesive will leach into the skin over months if not years of wearing it.

There are many alternatives to printing your own DTF transfers. White toner is a great option, in particular, to consider and far more versatile. We use and love the iColor line of printers and media. There is a learning curve, but once you get it down, it's actually pretty seamless.

@@TroyTube Is powder only required for DTF printing on fabric, on any substrate? For example, if I want to use DTF film to print on plastic, can I get away without using powder?

The danger I'm speaking of is before vapors are created and when the powder is being handled in dry form. The powder aerosolizes and you're inhaling resin powder.

@@TroyTube oh is the powder? ok ok

​@TroyTube The company I work for a little of a year ago bought a DTF printer and heating end. The machine has a loosely taped hose over the end heating unit which is supposed to filter the toxins out. I use the machine everyday for several hours and even though the hose does filter some fumes outside you can still see a lot of excess fog/fumes in the air inside the shop. I am concerned as my boss doesn't ask me to wear any kind of mask and I'm worried about the long term effects as I am leaning over the machine most of the day. I have got a horrible deep dry cough at the moment, which im struggling to cure and are wondering if working with these machines have had anything to do with it? Thank you so much for your video. 😊

​@@TroyTube People shouldn't act like Scarface and stick their noses in a heaping bowlful of the powder. Handle it like a chemical that you don't want to ingest or inhale. Wash hands after, use ventilation if possible.

@@ivsiguitarist You don't need to stick your nose into a bowl of powder, the powder aerosolizes as I described in the video. No different than baby powder or drywall dust.

I'm not sure what doesn't make sense to you so let me see if I can clear some things up. (1) Any fine powder when stirred up will aerosolize and can be inhaled. Inhalation of resin powder is really bad for the lungs and body, that's pretty simple and should be obvious. (2) One-off's is simply the ability to create one transfer without a setup like screen printing plastisol transfers. You can print one or 100 with DTF and many companies offer the ability to upload one design and buy one transfer. Just because you don't do it doesn't mean others do not because the capability is certainly there. (3) Many are purchasing lower cost setups that are in the $7000-8000 range and many of them come from overseas with little regard to safety design. Even with a totally enclosed shaker there's still residual powder on the transfers and you also have to fill the powder in the shaker, clean the system, etc. I have yet to see one that has a totally self-contained self-sealing system to add powder to the shaker that produces zero dust. If you're not using an air quality monitor, I'd suggest you invest in one. (4) I'm not comparing DTF and sublimation and what it can or cannot be applied to, every method has pros and cons to it. Sublimation ink is mostly water so if you're not using some cheap crap ink from overseas that has no quality control, it's a pretty clean method. Our chemical engineer at the lab that makes our ink state the danger is about 1-2 on a scale of 1-10, ruling out someone applying it to some substrate they shouldn't be or something that has a chemical on it--that's a variable you cannot control just like with any heat transfer. We have warnings on our ink labels and such because legal requires them but sublimation generally requires ventilation only to the level the user doesn't like the smell. Sublimation with high quality ink is also food safe and I don't think you'd want to really eat off a DTF transfer. (5) In the craft/DIY community people are buying this stuff and sprinkling it around in their craft rooms like confetti. The same community typically does not read warning labels and such, so my concern is people handling things like resin powder and breathing it in without giving a thought to what they are handling. This video is a word of caution to those who haven't considered what they are working with and are quick to jump on a bandwagon without thinking it through a little more.

if you think that cheap, made in China, BS ventilatiion system that came with that machine is actually certified to clean the air think again. good luck.

😂 Who said it was new? DTF powder really has nothing to do with white ink printing, even though they are often used together. And what does this have to do with people playing around with it in their craft rooms and the dangers of inhaling resin powder?

I just read your comment again and it was exhausting to try to read correctly. 🤷

3 to 5 years is new.