Direct-to-film (DTF) printing has been all the rage in flexible low-cost garment decoration for the last three years or more, but there’s a more recent spin-off from the technology that allows ink to be put onto hard surfaces that aren’t flat or accessible to desktop or other direct-to-object (DTO) printers. Called UV DTF, the process involves printing UV-cured transfers onto sticky film and then manually placing them on the object to be decorated. A number of hardware vendors have launched offerings in this line, over the last couple of years but Mimaki is one of the first ‘big name’ players to pitch in, with the UJV300DTF-75, shown by UK and Ireland exclusive distributor, Hybrid Services, at Printwear & Promotion in Birmingham in February 2026. Applications include things like decoration of candles and mugs, where the raised texture has a quite different feel and tactile appeal to sublimation printed products which are always smooth. Other applications are in some ways more in the label space, particularly where curved or relatively inaccessible surfaces, such as on bicycle frames, make normal application methods difficult or impossible. One major benefit compared to conventional label or sticker solutions is that only the printed design is transferred to the final surface, without any margin or infilled spaces that have to be manually weeded. This also allows smaller and more complex details to be imaged and transferred without a visible margin or carrier, as well as preserving the original texture of the object being decorated. From the Mimaki product line-up perspective, the new machine complements the company’s existing flatbed UV printers and the ‘kebab’ cylinder printer option, allowing application on irregular cylindrical shapes and materials that UV inks normally don’t stick well to, as well as on objects UV DTF presents a new option for object decoration, making stickers that can be used on the irregular and hard-to-get-to surfaces that desktop UV and cylinder printers can’t reach. Michael Walker gets stuck in with Mimaki’s new offering in this sector Direct to the Source With the Mimaki UJV300DTF-75 UV Michael Walker is a trade journalist, technical writer, and editor with over 37 years’ experience in the print, prepress, photography, and digital imaging sectors, with a particular interest in the digital transformation of processes. In addition to editing Desktop Publishing Today and Digital Printer magazines, he is co-author with Neil Barstow of Getting Colour Right (Ilex Press, 2004) and Practical Colour Management for Photographers and Digital Image Makers (2009, self-published e-book) and winner of a Communicators in Business Gold Award. UNDER THE HOOD | MIMAKI UJV300DTF-75 UV Mimaki’s inks are Greenguard Goldcertified and comply with current REACH regulations, and so are deemed safe for toys and drinkware 23 www.printmonthly.co.uk Issue 360 - May | June 2026
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