Field Reports
Long-form, vendor-neutral analysis of the technologies, chemistries and suppliers shaping large format and DTF production.
No sponsored placements. No vendor review. No equipment sold. Free to download, no signup.
Every report here follows the same rule: if a figure will not survive source-checking, it does not ship. Where published research disagrees, the disagreement is reported rather than resolved. Where a claim is a vendor’s own statement rather than an independent result, it is labelled as one. Corrections are published rather than quietly fixed.
Published reports
PFHxA, REACH Entry 79 and DTF: The 10 October 2026 Deadline
A REACH restriction written for waterproof jackets applies to clothing placed on the EU market from 10 October 2026, capping one PFAS substance at 25 ppb. Fluorosurfactants are the standard additive for jetting onto PET film. Nobody in DTF has tested for it, and the certificate most ink suppliers hold screens at a threshold 2,000 times looser.
- In force since 10 Oct 2026
- Supplier query included
- Four jurisdictions mapped
Black DTF Powder: The Barrier That Isn’t
Anti-migration black powder is an edge-masking adhesive named after its weaker, untested function. This report covers what the manufacturers actually claim, the certification scope errors running through the category, the one public side-by-side comparison, and the occupational exposure nobody markets around.
- 18 pages
- Certification analysis
- Test protocol included
Powderless & Next-Gen DTF Ink Technology
Powderless DTF trades roughly half your wash durability for hand-feel and air quality. A supplier-by-supplier status check on who is shipping versus announcing, the full durability evidence base stated in one page, and what adhesive-jetting changes in your preflight and RIP setup.
- 26 pages
- Supplier matrix
- 10-question checklist
Global Large Format Printer Brands 2026
A large format printer is four businesses stacked on each other (badge, printhead, ink chemistry, software) and in 2026 they frequently have four different owners. Roughly eleven companies make the printheads for the entire industry, and the two published brand-share figures contradict each other. Layer ownership predicts vendor behaviour better than brand reputation does.
- 23 pages
- Layer ownership map
- Printhead manufacturers
Wide Format 2026: Consolidation, Chemistry, and the Software Layer
The large format market has no single size, and the spread is a scope argument rather than a measurement error. Covers the three acquisitions that redrew the OEM map, why hardware innovation is now aimed at removing the operator, and the regulatory deadlines reshaping ink formulation.
- 24 pages
- M&A analysis
- PPWR compliance
Large Format Profitability Benchmark 2026
Where large format shops actually make and lose margin, and why the loss rarely happens where operators expect it. Cost structure, pricing behaviour, and the operational decisions that separate shops running at healthy margin from those running at volume.
- Benchmark data
- Cost structure
- Margin analysis
The reports are the argument. They are meant to be read, quoted, argued with and cited, including by people who will never buy anything. Putting them behind a form would make them less useful and less citable, which defeats the point of writing them.
The calculators that turn the analysis into a number for your own shop are free too. They sit in the tools hubs below. The only thing sold on this site is the DTF Printing Profit Blueprint ebook.
From report to your own numbers
Every report ends with something you are supposed to go and do. These are the free tools and guides that pick up where the reports stop.
- DTF calculators: consumable cost and margin, printer payback
- Large format calculators: UV vs latex TCO, latex vs eco-solvent TCO
- Troubleshooting guides for white ink, powder, humidity and peel settings
How these reports are made
Each report synthesises manufacturer documentation, regulatory texts, published safety data, trade reporting and market research. None of it is primary research: no surveys are run, no laboratory work is commissioned, and no proprietary dataset underlies any of it. That limitation is stated in every report rather than hidden.
No vendor reviews, sponsors, or is given advance sight of any report before publication. Named products and suppliers are used to illustrate mechanisms, never as endorsements. Claims are split into what is verified against a source and what is a vendor statement carrying that vendor’s commercial interest.
Where earlier drafts contained figures that did not survive checking, those figures are removed and the removal is documented in the report’s methodology section. The Wide Format Market Landscape explains two charts that were cut rather than corrected, and why neither was recoverable.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Printing TLDR reports free?
Yes. All reports download as PDFs with no signup, no email capture and no paywall. The calculators and guides are free as well. The only paid product is the DTF Printing Profit Blueprint ebook.
Can I quote or cite these reports?
Yes, with attribution to Printing TLDR and a link to the report. Trade press, suppliers and educators are welcome to use the findings. If you are quoting a figure, quote the qualifier attached to it. Several key numbers in these reports are supplier demonstration data rather than independent test results, and the reports say so.
Who writes them?
Kjell Karlsson, 30+ years in large format printing and 10+ years in DTF, including early DTF ink experimentation at Marabu in 2012. The background is ink chemistry and manufacturing rather than the production floor, which is stated in every report because it shapes what the analysis is good at and what it is not.
Are the reports sponsored by vendors?
No. Printing TLDR holds no vendor affiliations, accepts no sponsored placements, sells no equipment, and gives no supplier advance sight of a report. Where a supplier is named favourably it is because their documentation was better, and the report says why.
How often are new reports published?
When there is something worth a report rather than on a schedule. Six have been published to date.
What happens if a report turns out to be wrong?
It gets corrected and the correction is published in the report’s methodology section, with the original claim stated alongside it. That standing offer is in every report: find an error, and it will be fixed and acknowledged.