Powderless DTF: How Jettable Adhesive Replaces TPU Powder

Powderless DTF replaces the hot-melt adhesive powder stage with a liquid adhesive that the printer jets onto the film in the same pass as the ink. The first commercial version is DuPont Artistri Jettable Adhesive JA1100, shown in the United States at Impressions Expo Long Beach in January 2026 and now built into printers from Resolute in the UK and Polyprint in Greece. DuPont will run the process on two fully automated lines at PRINTING United Expo in Las Vegas from September 23 to 25, 2026.

This article explains what changes in the workflow, what the manufacturers claim, what they have not published yet, and whether a shop running a conventional DTF printer should care.

How Conventional DTF Powdering Works

A standard direct-to-film workflow has four stages: the printer lays down CMYK color and a white underbase on PET film, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) powder is applied to the wet ink, excess powder is shaken or vacuumed off, and the film passes through a dryer that melts the powder into a continuous adhesive layer. The powder only sticks where the ink is wet, which is what keeps the adhesive confined to the design.

That stage is where most of the mess, labor, and equipment cost in DTF lives. Manual powdering means a tray, a sieve, and airborne powder. Automatic shakers add several thousand dollars, a vacuum, and a conveyor dryer. Our DTF powder guide covers mesh sizes, application methods, and curing in detail.

What Jettable Adhesive Changes

With a jettable adhesive, the printer has an additional ink channel loaded with a liquid adhesive instead of a second white or a spot color. The RIP generates an adhesive layer from the artwork the same way it generates the white underbase, and the printhead jets that layer over the white. The film then goes through a dryer and is ready to press. There is no powder hopper, no shaker, and no loose powder in the room.

DuPont describes JA1100 as jetted "directly onto the film during printing." The company lists these claimed benefits:

• Softer hand feel. DuPont and Resolute both describe the result as closer to direct-to-garment printing than to a conventional DTF transfer.
• Finer control of the adhesive layer. Because the adhesive is a printed layer rather than a powder that clings to any wet ink, DuPont says it allows smoother gradients and fade-outs, where thin ink coverage would normally hold powder unevenly.
• Cleaner workflow. No powder handling, no powder recycling, and no shaker maintenance.
• Safety profile. JA1100 is classified as non-hazardous under the US Globally Harmonized System and free of hazardous air pollutants. In April 2026 DuPont announced OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT certification and approval on the ZDHC Gateway.

DuPont sells JA1100 as part of a system with its Artistri P1600 DTF pigment inks and DTF-120 transfer film.

Who Is Selling Powderless DTF Printers

JA1100 is sold to printer manufacturers for integration, not as a drop-in consumable for existing machines. Three announcements so far:

Polyprint publishes production figures for the i3200 configuration: 6.14 m²/h in quality mode, 7.91 m²/h in standard mode, and 13.83 m²/h in speed mode. Its process description is three steps: print the color, white, and adhesive layers; dry the film in a dedicated dryer; press.

Resolute claims a "softer, DTG-like hand feel" and a "shaker-free workflow" for the V9NP. Neither company has published a US price.

What Has Not Been Published

Several things a buyer would want to know are still missing from the manufacturer materials:

1. Wash test data. DuPont says "durable wash performance." No cycle count or test standard has been published for JA1100 transfers.
2. Cost per transfer. Adhesive consumption per square meter and per-liter pricing have not been released, so nobody outside the beta programs can compare it against powder, which costs a few cents per shirt.
3. Retrofit path. The adhesive needs a dedicated channel, a compatible waveform, and RIP support. No manufacturer has announced a kit for existing Epson-head DTF printers.
4. Dryer requirements. Both Polyprint and Resolute still run the film through a dryer. The temperature and dwell time have not been published.
5. Press settings. Whether powderless transfers press at the same temperature and time as powder transfers has not been stated. Until it is, treat a powderless transfer like any new film and run a test press using our press settings tool.

Should a Conventional DTF Shop Care Yet

For a shop running a desktop or mid-range DTF printer, nothing changes this year. The technology is only available inside new production printers, none of them are sold in the US at a published price, and the consumable economics are unknown.

The people who should watch closely are shops at the point of buying a roll-to-roll production printer plus shaker. If the total system price of a powderless printer lands near the price of a printer plus automatic shaker, the operational case is straightforward: one less machine, no powder inventory, and no powder dust in the workspace. The DTF workspace safety guide explains why that last point matters.

There is also a quality argument. If the hand-feel and gradient claims hold up on real garments, powderless transfers close the gap that keeps some fashion brands on DTG or screen printing, which is the same market the hybrid machines in our Brother GTX300 article are chasing.

What to Look for at PRINTING United

If you are attending the Las Vegas show, DuPont's automated lines are the one place to see the process running rather than described. Ask for:

• A printed sample with a gradient fading to zero coverage, pressed onto a black garment, to check the fade-out claim.
• The same design produced with powder on a comparable printer, so you can compare hand feel side by side.
• The dryer temperature and film speed the line is running.
• Which OEMs are shipping the adhesive in the US and when.

Our PRINTING United DTF preview has the rest of the DTF exhibits and a booth-by-booth question list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is powderless DTF?

Powderless DTF is a direct-to-film process in which the printer jets a liquid adhesive onto the film as a printed layer instead of applying thermoplastic polyurethane powder after printing. The film is dried and pressed the same way, but there is no powder hopper, shaker, or loose powder in the workflow.

What is DuPont Artistri Jettable Adhesive JA1100?

JA1100 is DuPont's liquid DTF adhesive, jetted from a dedicated printhead channel during printing. It was shown in the US at Impressions Expo Long Beach in January 2026, is sold to printer manufacturers for integration, and holds OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT certification and ZDHC Gateway approval as of April 2026.

Can I use jettable adhesive on my existing DTF printer?

Not at this time. The adhesive requires a dedicated ink channel, a compatible printhead waveform, and RIP support for the adhesive layer, and it is sold only to printer manufacturers. No retrofit kit for existing Epson-head DTF printers has been announced.

Which printers offer powderless DTF?

Resolute DTF in the UK launched the R-JET PRO DTF V9NP in February 2026, and Polyprint in Greece debuted its Filmjet Powderless system at FESPA Barcelona in May 2026 with a beta partner program. DuPont is demonstrating the process on two automated Brown Manufacturing Group lines at PRINTING United Expo in September 2026. Brown's Stomper Yet-Tee automated DTF systems won a Technology award in the 2026 Pinnacle Awards.

Is powderless DTF softer than regular DTF?

DuPont, Resolute, and Polyprint all claim a softer hand feel closer to direct-to-garment printing, because the adhesive is a controlled printed layer rather than a melted powder coat. Independent wash and hand-feel comparisons have not been published yet, so treat the claim as a manufacturer statement until you can press a sample yourself.

Related Resources

Read the DTF ink and film brand comparison for where DuPont Artistri inks sit against other ink brands, and the DTF transfer cost and economics guide for how powder and adhesive costs fit into a per-shirt price.