Is the Obziy DP1 the Best Budget DTF Printer?

• By Christopher Hoffman
• Posted in blog, cosplay, materials, print
• On January 12, 2026
• No Comments.

If you’ve been searching for an affordable way to bring DTF printing in-house, the Obziy DP1 DTF Printer deserves a serious look. After a full month of hands-on testing, from first setup through finished, washed shirts, this review covers everything you need to know: print quality, workflow, speed, and whether the DP1 earns its place as the best budget DTF printer on the market.

Obziy DP1 Specs at a Glance

Spec	Value
Print Size	A3 (up to 1 ft / 0.3m wide)
Print Head	Epson XP600 (piezoelectric inkjet)
Nozzles	1,080 across 6 color channels
Ink Channels	CMYK + 2x White
Max Print Speed	26.8 sq ft/hr
Print Modes	6-pass, 8-pass, 12-pass
Film Roll Width	1 ft (0.3m) | Included roll: 165 ft (50m)
Heated Platform	Up to 60°C
Display	4.3-inch full-color touchscreen
Connectivity	Ethernet (TCP/IP) | USB-C adapter included
Dimensions	30″W x 23″D x 12″H
Price (at time of review)	$2,499 USD (Kickstarter)

Obziy DP1 Pros and Cons

What Is DTF Printing and How Does It Work?

Direct To Film (DTF) printing is one of the most accessible ways to produce custom fabric designs. Instead of printing directly onto a garment, you print your design onto a PET transfer film, coat the back with adhesive powder, bake it to cure the adhesive, then heat-press it onto fabric. No pre-treatment required, no special fabrics needed. You can apply DTF transfers to cotton, polyester, blends, bags, hats, and more. For hobbyists or small businesses wanting to produce vibrant, detailed designs without the limitations of vinyl or screen printing, DTF is hard to beat.

Epson XP600 Print Head: The Heart of the Obziy DP1

The DP1 is built around the Epson XP600 piezoelectric inkjet print head, and it’s a strong choice. With 1,080 nozzles spread across 6 color channels, it delivers crisp, detailed output at speeds up to 26.8 square feet per hour. Most shirt-sized designs printed in the 6 to 8 minute range during testing, which is solid for a printer at this price point. The six channels are split into CMYK for color and two dedicated white channels. That double white setup matters: the white layer is what makes your colors pop on dark fabrics and gives the adhesive powder something thick to bond to. Having two channels devoted to it keeps the white ink flowing consistently throughout long print runs.

Build Quality and Hardware Features

The DP1 is a compact machine for what it offers, measuring 30 inches wide, 23 inches deep (including the film roll), and 12 inches tall. The translucent teal lid is a nice touch for visibility, and the magnetic side panel latches feel solid. The right panel houses the moisturizer bottle, which keeps the nozzles from drying out between sessions. The left panel has a built-in mirror, which gives you a clear view of the print head for cleaning and maintenance. Around the back, you’ll find the film roll holder, ink bottle tray with built-in level detection, and a waste ink bottle that handles all the cleanup automatically. The white ink bottle includes a peristaltic pump that keeps the ink agitated during use, and it worked flawlessly across all tests with no white ink inconsistencies. The 4.3-inch touchscreen up top makes navigating maintenance tasks, managing print jobs, and moving the print head intuitive and quick.

6-Pass vs 8-Pass vs 12-Pass: Which Mode Should You Use?

The DP1 offers three print modes, and the differences are worth understanding before you start producing shirts. Each “pass” is one full stroke of the print head across the film. More passes mean more ink deposited, a thicker white base layer, and a more vibrant final result, but also more time and ink consumed.

Mode	Print Time	Total Ink Used	Notes
6-pass	4m 18s	0.2118 ml	Fastest, some streaking visible
8-pass	6m 0s (+39.5%)	0.2569 ml (+21.3%)	Recommended default, noticeably thicker white
12-pass	8m 9s (+89.5%)	0.3457 ml (+63.2%)	Most vibrant, nearly double the white ink of 6-pass

For most use cases, 8-pass mode is the sweet spot. The colors are noticeably more vibrant than 6-pass and streaking disappears, while the time and ink cost stay reasonable. If you need the highest possible quality for a special project, 12-pass delivers a visibly superior white base. One 12-pass test showed some unexplained banding at the top of the design, but it did not repeat across multiple additional 12-pass prints, so it appears to be an isolated anomaly rather than a recurring issue.

The Full DTF Workflow: Printer, Oven, and Heat Press

The DP1 handles the printing step, but DTF is a multi-step process. After printing, you coat the design with adhesive powder from the included shaker, then bake it in the Obziy DTF Oven. The oven is straightforward: set your temperature and time, load the film, lower the lid, and wait for the beep. The included adhesive powder bakes at 125°C for 2 minutes. Thermal camera testing confirmed the heating elements in the top and bottom stay within about 3°C of each other, which is excellent consistency. The final step is heat pressing the design onto your fabric using the Obziy AutoHP1 heat press. The AutoHP1 is a 15×15 inch swiveling press that automates the clamping process at up to 110 lbs of force. One button press closes the press, counts down the timer, and releases automatically. It reaches operating temperature in about 6 minutes, and thermal imaging shows a temperature variation of just 2°C across the platen. The recommended settings for DTF on cotton are 250°F, 40 seconds, and 100 lbs. Those settings worked without adjustment across 100% cotton, 50/25/25 polyester-cotton-viscose, and 90/10 cotton-polyester fabrics.

RIIN Software: Functional With a Learning Curve

The DP1 ships with RIIN, a Raster Image Processor that handles both design layout and printer management. The software is functional and includes useful features like a Job Manager with detailed print history, ink usage stats, and cost-per-print calculations once you enter your ink pricing. For design work, the built-in tools cover basic shapes, text, and color adjustments, but they are limited compared to dedicated design software. The better workflow is to handle all design work in a program like GIMP or Illustrator and import the finished file into RIIN for printing. One thing to keep in mind: RIIN requires the included USB dongle to run without a watermark on prints. Don’t lose it. Connecting the DP1 to your computer requires Ethernet and a TCP/IP network configuration. It’s more involved than a standard USB or Wi-Fi setup, but the manual walks through it clearly and it only takes a few minutes once you follow the steps.

Setup and Assembly

The DP1 ships in a well-packed crate and comes almost entirely pre-assembled. Installing the film holder, mounting the spool, filling the moisturizer tank, and topping off the ink bottles is all that’s needed before first use. The touchscreen guides you through ink loading and nozzle cleaning, and the “detect” pattern test confirms the head is ready to go. From unboxing to first print took well under an hour. The oven and heat press are even simpler: remove the packaging and plug them in.

Print Quality and Wash Durability Testing

Testing covered a range of designs including text, color gradients, solid color blocks, detailed pet portraits, and the Hoffman Engineering logo on multiple fabric types. Color accuracy was consistent across prints, and the gradients came out smooth. There is a very slight white border visible at the edges of some designs where the backing layer meets the fabric, but this is common in DTF printing and can be corrected through nozzle alignment calibration in RIIN’s settings. The wash durability test ran shirts through three full wash and dry cycles at high heat settings. After the first cycle there was no visible difference. After three cycles, all designs remained fully bonded to the fabric with no peeling, cracking, or significant fading. For a printer at this price point, that is a strong result.

AutoShake1: The Upgrade for High-Volume Production

If you’re planning to scale past occasional hobbyist prints and into small-business production volumes, Obziy’s AutoShake1 is worth knowing about. This all-in-one post-processing machine automatically applies the adhesive powder, cures it, and winds the finished film onto a roll, removing the manual steps from the workflow entirely. Combined with the Pro or Pro S printer models, Obziy claims the system can handle up to 840 completed prints per day. The AutoShake1 was not part of this review, but it is a logical upgrade path for anyone who outgrows the manual powder-and-bake process.

Verdict: Should You Buy the Obziy DP1?

For anyone stepping into DTF printing for the first time, or a small business looking to bring production in-house, the Obziy DP1 is a well-designed, well-supported, and well-priced machine. The Epson XP600 head delivers consistent, vibrant prints. The auto-maintenance features keep it running without constant babysitting. The oven and heat press bundle makes the full workflow approachable even if you have zero prior experience. And the documentation from Obziy is some of the best in the category.

The Ethernet-only setup and USB dongle requirement are minor friction points, and the built-in design software won’t replace a dedicated tool. But neither of those things affect print quality or day-to-day reliability. Across dozens of prints on multiple fabric types, the DP1 performed consistently and the results held up through multiple wash cycles.

At $2,499, the DP1 undercuts many competing DTF printers that offer similar or lesser capabilities. If you want more speed or throughput, the Pro and Pro S models are available, and the AutoShake1 add-on can take you to serious production volumes. But for getting started with DTF printing, the standard DP1 is the move.

Check out the Obziy DP1 on Kickstarter and see current pricing and bundles.

Obziy DP1 Pricing and Where to Buy

• Obziy DP1 Standard – $2,499 USD
• Obziy DP1 Pro – $3,099 USD
• Obziy DP1 Pro S – $3,899 USD
• AutoShake1 bundle add-on: +$800 (Standard) / +$900 (Pro/Pro S)
• Obziy DTF Oven: $199 | AutoHP1 Heat Press: $199

Prices listed are at the time of recording and may have changed. Click the links above for current pricing and any available discount codes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Obziy DP1 good for beginners?

Yes. The DP1 was designed with accessibility in mind. Setup takes under an hour, the touchscreen interface is straightforward, and Obziy provides thorough manuals, video guides, and blog posts covering every step of the DTF process. If you are new to DTF printing, this is one of the easier machines to get started with.

What fabrics can you print on with DTF transfers from the Obziy DP1?

DTF transfers work on a wide range of fabrics without any pre-treatment. Testing covered 100% cotton, polyester-cotton-viscose blends, and mixed cotton-polyester fabrics. All held the transfer well using the same press settings, with no visible differences in adhesion or appearance between fabric types.

How durable are Obziy DP1 prints after washing?

In testing, shirts were run through three high-heat wash and dry cycles. All prints remained fully bonded with no peeling, cracking, or significant fading. The results suggest solid wash durability for normal everyday use.

Does the Obziy DP1 require any special software?

The DP1 comes with RIIN, a Raster Image Processor that handles print job management and basic design layout. RIIN requires the included USB dongle to run without a watermark. For more advanced design work, most users will want to use a separate program like GIMP, Photoshop, or Illustrator and import finished files into RIIN for printing.

How does the Obziy DP1 compare to converted inkjet DTF printers?

Converted printers (modified consumer inkjet machines) are sometimes available at lower price points, but they typically involve trade-offs in reliability, print head quality, and support. The DP1 is purpose-built for DTF with an Epson XP600 print head, auto-cleaning, waste ink management, a heated platen, and a built-in cutter. At $2,499 it competes favorably against other dedicated DTF machines that often cost several thousand dollars more.

Disclosure: The Obziy DP1 was provided by Obziy for review. This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own based on hands-on testing.