FREE DTF SAVINGS TOOL

What Empty Film Is Costing You

Enter the roll you buy and how fast you burn it. The default 20% is the measured gap between Basic box packing and MAX silhouette nesting on a real 15-piece client job — not an industry average.

Use the calculator ↓Build the sheet →

Planning estimates use the values you enter. They are not quotes, printer specifications or guaranteed MAX nesting results.

LIVE PLANNING TOOLNO UPLOAD
ENTER THE JOB YOUR VALUESCALCULATE IN YOUR BROWSERREVIEW THE RESULT PLANNING ESTIMATEBUILD THE SHEET FILL MY FILM
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WHAT THIS CALCULATOR DOES

DTF Film Savings Calculator

The calculator multiplies your yearly film spend by a nest-rate you control. The starting 20% comes from one measured 15-piece job that packed 6.4 inches shorter on MAX. Change the rate if you do not believe that number; the 10% line is there for that reason.

Enter your film spend

Three numbers from the shop floor. The default 20% is the measured Basic-to-MAX gap on a real 15-piece job (6.4″ shorter) — not an industry average.

Shop volume
How you nest today
Common roll lengths

FILM ONLY · YOUR NUMBERS

Yearly savings

YEARLY FILM SAVED—
MONTHLY—
ROLLS / YEAR—
MAX PAYBACK—
NET YEAR 1—
EVEN AT 10%—

Film cost only — not ink, powder, labor or spoilage. MAX is $9.99/mo ($119.88/year). Net year 1 subtracts that subscription from film saved. Even-at-10% is the same footage priced at a 10% nest gap, for shops who do not believe the measured 20%.

Drop files · nest MAX →

MEASURED DEFAULT

Start from a real sheet, then swap in your roll

The live Basic and MAX exports on Fill My Film packed the same 15 prints at 31.5 inches versus 25.13 inches. That is 6.4 inches, or 20%, less film. The calculator uses that measured rate until you change it.

It is not an industry average, a typical result or a promise that your next job will save the same amount. Mixed sizes and irregular silhouettes tend to benefit more than a sheet of identical rectangles.

  • Default nest rate = 20% from the measured Basic vs MAX export
  • Rectangle auto-nest uses a conservative 12%
  • Already-silhouette shops should expect ~0%

THE FORMULA

Yearly film saved is footage you stop buying

Cost per foot is roll cost divided by roll length. Weekly footage is roll length divided by how many weeks a roll lasts. Yearly spend is that weekly footage × cost per foot × 52. Yearly film saved is yearly spend × the selected nest rate.

MAX is $9.99 a month. Payback is how many days of saved film cover the first month. Net year 1 subtracts $119.88 from film saved. Even at 10% reruns the same footage at a 10% nest gap.

  • Weekly footage = roll length ÷ weeks a roll lasts
  • Yearly saved = (roll cost ÷ roll length) × weekly footage × 52 × nest rate
  • Payback days = ceil($9.99 ÷ daily film saved)

THEN BUILD THE SHEET

A dollar figure is not a nest

This tool does not upload artwork and does not run the nesting engine. It translates a nest-rate assumption into shop dollars so a press operator can decide whether MAX is worth a month.

Drop the real files in Fill My Film, compare Basic and MAX on that job, and export the shorter PNG. The measured inches on your sheet are the number that matters — this calculator only prices them.

  • No artwork is uploaded here
  • Compare Basic and MAX on the actual job
  • Export the chosen sheet for your RIP

USE THE RESULT

Continue planning the DTF job

NEXT 01Reduce Film Waste →NEXT 02Box vs True-Shape Nesting →NEXT 03DTF Printing Cost Calculator →NEXT 04DTF Gang Sheet Calculator →

CALCULATOR QUESTIONS

Know what the estimate includes

Is the default savings rate guaranteed?

No. The default 20% is the measured gap between Basic box packing and MAX silhouette nesting on one real 15-piece client job (6.4 inches shorter on a 22-inch roll). Your artwork mix will differ. Use Custom if you want a more conservative rate, and treat Even at 10% as the floor.

Does this include ink, powder or labor?

No. The estimate prices unused film only: roll cost ÷ roll length × weekly footage × 52 × nest rate. Consumables, labor, spoilage, overhead and selling price are out of scope — use the printing cost calculator for direct job cost.

What if I already nest by silhouette?

Choose Already silhouette. The yearly film savings is $0 on those numbers. MAX is for shops still packing bounding boxes in Photoshop, Corel or rectangle auto-nest software.

PLAN IT · THEN PACK IT

Turn the estimate into a real gang sheet.

Set exact sizes and quantities, compare the nest and export the production PNG.

Open Fill My Film →