Feather Strength Adjustment Guide

1. What Is Feather Strength and Why Adjust It?

Feathering is a key parameter in DTF printing used to:

Soften image edges
Improve transitions between color blocks
Reduce pass seams and horizontal banding

Proper feather settings can:

Improve overall image smoothness and detail
Make color transitions more natural
Reduce edge breaks and stitching marks

Relationship between feather strength, image quality, and speed:

Higher feather strength → smoother transitions, but slower printing speed
Lower feather strength → sharper edges, but pass seams and nozzle differences become more visible, with faster printing speed

Conclusion:
Feather strength is not “the higher, the better”.
It should be balanced based on image quality × printing speed × printhead condition.

2. Feather Strength Options

Option	Option Type	Image Effect	Typical Use Cases	Printing Speed Impact
None (0)	Regular Option (Not Recommended)	Very sharp edges, visible pass seams, no smoothing	Not recommended for DTF printing	Fastest
Weak (50)	Regular Feather Level (Not Recommended)	Light edge smoothing, pass seams still visible	Not recommended for DTF printing	Fast
Medium (75)	Regular Feather Level (Default)	Balanced sharpness and smoothness	Most standard images	Medium
Strong (125)	Regular Feather Level	Noticeable smoothing	Portraits, skin tones, gradients, solid colors, light colors	Slow
Customize	Manual Adjustment	Depends on input value	ICC profile tuning, compensation for aged printheads	Depends on value
Exquisite	Advanced Feather Mode	Strong smoothing using advanced algorithms	High requirements for solid colors and light color transitions	Slowest
Inter-head Feather	Inter-head Function	Smooth transitions between multiple color printheads	Required when the number of color printheads is ≥ 2	Slightly slower when enabled

Important Notes:

When Exquisiteis enabled, Regular Feather Strength (Feather Strength section) settings are disabled
Exquisite provides only Strong / Medium / Weaklevels to balance image quality and production speed

3. How to Choose the Feather Strength

3.1 LINKO Recommended Feather Settings

Printhead Condition	Recommended Feather Setting
New printhead (0–3 months)	Medium (75) or Customize (50–75)
In-use printhead (3–6 months)	Medium (75) or Customize (75–110)
Aged printhead (Over 6 months)	Customize (80–110)
No visible improvement at feather values 100–110	Enable Exquisite mode

3.2 Supplementary Selection Based on Image Type

Image Characteristics	Recommended Setting
Solid colors, light colors, portraits, skin tones, strong gradients	Exquisite
General images, speed-oriented production	Medium / Strong

4. Why Do New and Used Printheads Require Different Feather Settings?

New printheads:Nozzle condition is stable and edges are naturally clean. Extra feathering is not required.
In-use printheads:Small nozzle differences may appear over time. Moderate feathering helps smooth the image.
Aged printheads:Ink output becomes less consistent. Higher feather strength can help improve overall image smoothness.

5. Feather Strength and Printing Speed Reference

(LINKO DTF Printer K-605 as an example)

5.1 Regular Feather Strength Speed Reference

Pass	Feather Strength
Pass	0.5	75% (Medium)	100%	125% (Strong)
6 Pass	30 m²/h	25.62 m²/h	22.44 m²/h	19.95 m²/h
8 Pass	15 m²/h	12.83 m²/h	11.24 m²/h	10 m²/h

5.2 Exquisite Mode Speed Reference

When Exquisite is enabled, Regular Feather Strength settings are disabled, and only Strong / Medium / Weak are available.

Pass	Feather Strength
Pass	Strong	Medium	Weak
6 Pass	15 m²/h	16.77 m²/h	19.26 m²/h
8 Pass	9 m²/h	9.64 m²/h	10.35 m²/h

Notes:

Higher feather strength means slower printing speed.
Exquisite does not fix printhead wear. It is only used to improve image appearance.

6. Steps to Adjust the Feather Strength

6.1 Open the Print Manager Software

Double-click the PM icon on the desktop to start the software.
(See Figure 6.1)

6.2 Enter Advanced Mode

Press Ctrl + Shift + G on the keyboard.
A password window will appear.
Enter the password: byhx123456.
Click OK or press Enter to enter Advanced Mode. (See Figure 6.2)

6.3 Open the Print Mode Settings

Click “Menu” at the top right corner. (See Figure 6.3-1)
From the dropdown list, select “Setting”.
Click “Print Modes”. (See Figure 6.3-2)

6.4 Set the Feather Strength

In the “Feather Strength” section, select a mode or value according to the recommendation table in Section 3.1.

Click “Save and exit” to apply the setting. (See Figure 6.4)

7. Adjustment Confirmation

After clicking “Save and exit”, the feather strength setting takes effect immediately.
The feather strength adjustment process is now complete.

For further assistance, please contact LINKO Technical Support.

Technical Support
Email: support@dtflinko.com
Website: www.dtflinko.com