Introduction
In the world of textile printing, two popular methods often stand out: DTF (Direct to Film) and DTG (Direct to Garment). While both technologies have their merits, DTF printing offers several distinct advantages over DTG. Below, we explore these differences to show why DTF is the better option for your printing needs.

​For optimal DTF (Direct-to-Film) printing, maintaining the right temperature and humidity levels is crucial to ensure high-quality prints and smooth operation.

​What is DTF (Direct to Film)? Direct to Film (DTF) is a printing technology that involves transferring designs onto various fabrics and surfaces using a special film.

​How to Choose the Right Epson Print Head for DTF Printing? Selecting the right print head is crucial for achieving high-quality Direct to Film (DTF) printing. Here, we compare three commonly used Epson print heads: the Epson F1080, Epson I1600, and Epson I3200 printhead, to help you make an informed decision based on your specific needs. At Scanext, we pride ourselves on providing top-of-the-line DTF printers and accessories, ensuring exceptional print quality and performance

What is DTF Printing?
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DTF printing is a process where designs are printed onto a special film and then transferred to fabric using adhesive powder and heat. This method is an alternative to traditional printing techniques like Direct to Garment (DTG) and screen printing, offering unique benefits.

Prepping the Area - When necessary, clean the surface of your item before applying the 3D Sticker using either soap & water or a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water (50/50 mix). The cleaner the surface, the longer it will endure natural elements, washing, and wear and tear. Although it will adhere without this, it is recommended.
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Pre-Squeegee - After cutting your sticker/decal out, place the design face down with the white side facing up. Using the padded end of the included squeegee, run over the whole design with hard pressure, back and forth 2-4 times. Additional pressure and repetitions should be applied on thin and separated design elements, such as small text.

​If you've been photographing since before the digital revolution, chances are you'll have plenty of old prints or negatives tucked away, gathering dust. Well what better time to bring your classic snaps into the digital age for easy online sharing with friends and family, or simply re-live some carefree memories?

With boxes of old prints, digitizing them with a regular flatbed scanner is ideal as it's fast and effective (and there are some great low-cost all-in-one printers that will do that for you). But for the very best digital conversion results, you should scan the original negative rather than a photo print. This can be done with a conventional flatbed scanner that has the option to scan negs and slides, and includes the required holders. 

You will get even better results from negatives and transparencies if you use a dedicated film scanner. Cheaper film scanners can scan incredibly quickly but at the expense of image quality, while high-end models take their time but reward you with stunning clarity, resolving every single film grain in your original photo.

We've attempted to make the process of selecting a film scanner easier by putting together a list that suits all needs and all budgets. All will scan 35mm color and black and white negatives, and the flatbed scanners can also scan medium format film, while others are capable of digitizing 8mm cine film.​

If all this nostalgia is making you miss the days of film photography, well, it's still alive and kicking! You can buy film in sizes from 35mm to medium format roll film and even large format sheet film. Check out our guide to the best film to buy. There are lots of film cameras around too, and we've got a guide to the best film cameras to invest in. There's a huge used camera market and a surprising amount of know-how and expertise around classic film cameras.

The best film scanners in 2020
So what's the best film scanner? Right now, we think it's the Plustek OpticFilm 8100 from film scanning expert Plustek: it extracts phenomenal levels of detail from your film, is backed up by excellent included scanning software, and it's sensibly priced. We love it. If you're after something that'll scan multiple film frames automatically, though, and has the versatility to scan photo prints and documents, Epson's V550 Photo flatbed scanner is a great choice.

1. Plustek OpticFilm 8100

This is baby of the OpticFilm range, yet it still boasts a respectable 7,200 dpi maximum scanning resolution. It’s also a real optical film scanner and not just a digital camera sensor in a scanner body. This does however mean the Plustek OpticFilm 8100 is no speed demon. Each 35mm film frame takes nearly 4 minutes to scan at max res, but 3,600dpi is more than adequate for most film stocks and you’ll have a scanned frame in 1 minute 20 seconds. 

Though the front panel has a QuickScan button that automatically scans and saves a frame to you computer desktop, it’s best to load up the bundled SilverFast software that provides comprehensive scanning options and pre-scan image enhancement. Even without messing with the settings, and scanning at 3,600dpi, the Plustek OpticFilm 8100 is in a league of its own for scan quality, extracting bags of detail from our 35mm negs and transparencies. It also lets you scan the entire film frame with no overzealous cropping. The 8100 did struggle to reveal every detail in the shadow areas of our high-contrast 35mm slide positive, but this is our only nitpick. 

Also consider the very similar Plustek OpticFilm 8200i SE/Ai scanners which offer the same features as the Plustek OpticFilm 8100 (see below), but add some some extra software features.