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Pricing & Profit

DTF Cost Per Print Calculator

In short

The true cost of one DTF transfer is the film it occupies (including spacing), the ink and powder it uses, its share of sheet labour, overhead and a waste allowance. Enter your own costs to see each line and the total.

DTF Cost Per Print Calculator

DTF cost per print calculator inputs

Fields marked “example” hold sample prices. Replace them with your own.

Sheet size The gang sheet the designs are printed on.
in

Usually your film roll width.

in

Used to estimate designs per sheet.

Optional. Leave blank to estimate it from the sheet size.

Film What a roll of DTF film costs you.
$
ft
Design The size of one print and how many you are pricing.
in
in
in

Gap between designs on the film.

For the batch total.

Ink and powder Consumables used for each print.
$ / ml
ml / sq ft

From your RIP's ink report (printed area).

%

Share of the design box that is printed.

$ / kg
g / sq ft

Weigh a sheet before and after powdering. Blank = not counted.

Labour and overhead Time, running costs and reprints.
$ / hr
min

Printing, powdering, curing and handling.

$

Rent, electricity, equipment wear.

%

Cost per print

Cost per print
—
Cost per sq in of design
—
Designs per sheet
—
Cost for — prints
—
Cost lines per print
Line Cost Share
How this works
film = (W + g) × (H + g) × roll price ÷ (roll width × roll length × 12) ink = (W × H × coverage ÷ 100 ÷ 144) × ink ml per sq ft × ink cost per ml powder = (W + g) × (H + g) ÷ 144 × powder g per sq ft × powder price per kg ÷ 1000 labour = (minutes per sheet ÷ 60 × labour rate) ÷ designs per sheet total = (film + ink + powder + labour + overhead) × (1 + waste ÷ 100)

Assumptions

  • Ink use varies with RIP settings, white underbase and image content; use your own measured value.
  • Printer depreciation and electricity belong in overhead (or use the ROI calculator).
  • The designs-per-sheet estimate uses the layout estimator's single-design formula, with the spacing as the edge margin.

How to use it

  1. Enter the design width and height and the spacing you leave between designs.
  2. Enter your film roll price, width and length.
  3. Add ink cost per ml, ink use per sq ft (from your RIP) and the ink coverage of the design.
  4. Add powder price and the powder you use per sq ft (weigh a sheet before and after powdering).
  5. Enter your labour rate, minutes per sheet and designs per sheet (or a sheet length to estimate it).
  6. Add overhead per print and a waste allowance, then read the cost lines and total.

Worked example

A 3 × 3 in design with 0.25 in spacing occupies 3.25 × 3.25 = 10.5625 sq in of film.

A $100 roll that is 22 in wide and 328 ft long costs 100 ÷ (22 × 328 × 12) = $0.0011548 per sq in, so the film for one design costs about $0.0122.

With every other cost set to zero, adding a 10% waste allowance makes the total 1.10 times larger.

Methodology and formula

  • Film footprint per design: (W + g) × (H + g) square inches.
  • Film cost per sq in: roll price ÷ (roll width × roll length in ft × 12).
  • Ink: (W × H × coverage ÷ 100) ÷ 144 × ink ml per sq ft × ink cost per ml.
  • Powder: footprint ÷ 144 × powder g per sq ft × powder price per kg ÷ 1000.
  • Labour: (minutes per sheet ÷ 60 × labour rate) ÷ designs per sheet.
  • Total: (film + ink + powder + labour + overhead) × (1 + waste ÷ 100).

Assumptions and limitations

  • Ink use varies with RIP settings, white underbase and image content, so the result is only as accurate as the ink figure you enter.
  • Electricity and printer depreciation belong in overhead, or in the printer ROI calculator.
  • Powder use is not counted when the field is blank.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find my ink use per square foot?
Most RIP software reports ink use per job. Divide the ink used by the printed area in square feet to get ml per sq ft for your typical designs.
Why does spacing change the film cost?
Each design occupies its own size plus the gap around it, so the film you pay for is (width + spacing) × (height + spacing).
What should I put in overhead?
Costs that are not materials or direct labour, such as rent, electricity and equipment wear, divided by the number of prints.
Can I use the result in the pricing tools?
Yes. The cost per print feeds the transfer pricing and printer ROI calculators, and the cost per square inch feeds the gang sheet pricing calculator.

Related guides and tools

Free to use. A link back is appreciated, never required, and may be nofollow.

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