UV DTF
UV DTF Stickers, Transfers for Hard Surfaces
A UV DTF decal is a printed transfer rather than a vinyl sticker. You press it onto a hard, smooth surface and peel the top film away, and the printed design stays on the object with no backing behind it.
Minimum order: 10 stickers or $10.
The difference
Not a sticker, a transfer
Nothing is left around the design
A vinyl sticker is a piece of printed material with a cut edge, and you can peel it off later. A UV DTF decal transfers the printed design onto the surface and leaves no liner, so there is no edge to catch and no visible material around your artwork.
That is why it suits hard objects like tumblers and jars, and why it is not the right choice for anything you want to move again.
Applying it
Three steps, no heat, no tools
Clean the surface, take your time lining it up, and rub it down properly.
1. Lift it off
The decal peels away from the paper it is shipped on.
2. Press it down
Position it on a clean, dry surface and rub it down firmly.
3. Peel the top film
The clear carrier comes away and the printed design stays behind.
Surfaces
What it suits
Hard and smooth is the rule. If it flexes or has a texture, it is the wrong home for a transfer.
Drinkware
Tumblers, mugs and bottles with a smooth straight side.
Glass
Jars, candle vessels, windows and mirrors.
Metal
Toolboxes, lids, signage and powder-coated panels.
Hard plastic
Cases, bins, helmets and equipment housings.
Ceramic and sealed wood
Tiles, planters and finished timber with a smooth face.
Not soft or textured
Not for fabric, not for anything that stretches or flexes.
Honesty
What we will not tell you yet
No care or durability guidance is published
UV DTF has been tested in our shop, but nothing about how an applied decal holds up has been approved for publication, so you will not find a claim about it anywhere on this site. If your item gets washed, handled hard or left outside, say so when you get in touch and we will give you a straight answer for your specific case.
No. Holographic, glossy and matte are vinyl films, and a UV DTF decal is not printed on vinyl at all. Those finishes belong to our sticker products, not to transfers.
No. This shop makes finished stickers and decals for hard surfaces, and that is the whole catalog. We do not decorate anything worn and we do not supply transfer material for somebody else to press.
DTF stands for direct to film: the design is printed onto a film rather than onto the final object. UV describes the ink, which is cured with UV light on our UV printer as it prints. Put together, a UV DTF decal is a printed transfer that carries your design onto a hard surface.
Not in the usual sense. A vinyl sticker is a piece of printed material that sits on top of a surface, and you can feel its edge. A UV DTF decal is transferred onto the surface: there is no backing left behind and no material edge to catch, so the design reads as though it is on the object itself.
Hard, smooth surfaces. Glass, metal, ceramic, hard plastic and sealed wood all suit it, which is why drinkware and jars are the most common use. It is not for fabric, and it is not for rough, porous or flexible surfaces, because the transfer needs to make full contact with something that holds its shape.
There is no published answer to that from us. We have tested UV DTF in the shop, but no care or durability guidance has been approved for publication here, so anything this page told you would be a guess rather than something you could rely on. Tell us the item you have in mind and how it gets used, and we will be straight with you before you order.
It depends on the surface and the look. Vinyl stickers are the answer for laptops, water bottles, packaging, walls and anything you want to peel and reposition. UV DTF is the answer when you want the design to look like part of a hard, smooth object rather than something stuck onto it.
The same as for a sticker: your design with a transparent background at a resolution that holds up at the finished size, plus the size you want in inches. Vector files are best. A person reviews every file before anything is printed.