DTF Transfer Safety
Carrier film (PET)
The sheet a transfer arrives on. It is peeled off and discarded; here is what it is made of and how to dispose of it.
What it is
The carrier is a sheet of polyethylene terephthalate, the same polyester used for drink bottles and photographic film, with a thin coating that holds the printed ink in place until the press releases it. It carries the transfer from our printer to your press. After pressing you peel it away, and it goes in the bin. It is never part of the finished garment.
The manufacturer's product safety information carries no hazard classification for the film. It is a manufactured article in its own right.
- Form
- Coated PET film; translucent white
- Classification of the input
- The manufacturer's product safety information carries no GHS hazard classification, pictogram or signal word. A manufactured article: it is peeled off after pressing and is not part of the finished garment.
- Physical form
- Film on a roll; translucent white
- Storage
- 10 to 35 °C (50 to 95 °F), relative humidity below 50 %, away from fire and heat
- Ignition
- The film can burn
Carrier film (coated polyethylene terephthalate) — composition as reported by the manufacturer
| Component | CAS | Share | Role | In the finished transfer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) | — | 95.1 % | Base film | Peeled off with the carrier film |
| Polyurethane resin | — | 1.8 % | Coating | Peeled off with the carrier film |
| Polyvinyl alcohol | — | 1.8 % | Coating — the release layer the print sits on | Peeled off with the carrier film |
| Resin | — | 0.9 % | Coating | Peeled off with the carrier film |
| Silicon dioxide | — | 0.4 % | Coating — anti-block / slip | Peeled off with the carrier film |
Shares are the manufacturer's reported weight percentages. Humectants are driven off during drying and curing; trace residues are possible.
What you receive
Every transfer we ship is a printed, powdered and cured design on a piece of this film, cut to shape. Nothing on the sheet is wet, loose or dusty. Handle it the way you would handle a photograph: by the edges, flat, away from heat and direct sunlight until you press it.
Peeling
Our heat-press instructions say whether a given transfer is a hot peel or a cold peel and why. Peel as instructed; a carrier peeled too early simply fails to release cleanly, which is a print-quality problem rather than a safety one. The coating stays on the film, not on the garment.
Disposal
Peeled carriers are PET film waste. The manufacturer's guidance is to collect them for recycling where recycling is accepted, or to dispose of them through an ordinary waste service. Coated film is often not accepted by household recycling programmes; check locally before putting carriers in a recycling bin. Do not burn them.
If film is heated or burned
At press temperatures the film is far below the point where it softens or breaks down. Heating it to the point of melting, or burning it, can release decomposition gases that the manufacturer names as acetaldehyde, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Ventilate, and discard anything scorched.