15 replies to this topic

[adspecip]

Still learning. I had a client previous get full color dye sublimated tee shirts. The color was bright and crisp. I made an attempt to do a similar tee shirt job as a 4-color process screen print. The colors were not as bright or lively. Printing the job in 10-12 spot colors to achieve this result would have been costly. What is the difference (and benefits) of full color dye sublimation over 4-color process? How does it work? Does it wear well? Who offers quality due sub at a reasonable cost?
Or, how can I get 4C process to pop? Why should I look to one over the other? Thanks.

[inklings-sue]

Dye sublimation is expensive to get into but you can recoup your investment pretty quickly. The advantage to dye sub is that there is no perceptible difference in the feel of the printed area over the blank area. You can print one or a hundred because you are printing from your ink jet printer each item. The quality of the print is whatever quality you can print from your EPSON (only) printer with special inks made just for this process. The drawbacks are the expense of the ink and the fact that you need special shirts (Hanes Sof'Link) that have polyester surface. Also It only works on white or light backgounds since ther is no white inks (yet).

[DSMDist]

WOW!!! If some of you would like to email me I will be more than happy to explain Dye-Sublimation. You are right about the polyester but wrong about the color. I just did logo's on a Gold color nylon polyester tent for a company. And I have been doing dye-sublimation for a couple of years. Enough to wear out an Epson 1280 printer. I now use the IQ Ink system and have another Epson 1280. Yes the ink is expensive but the return on your cost and efforts is well worth it. Again if you would email me I can spend more time explaining because I just read this post and I have a meeting to go to so answering and email when I get time would be better than giving out just some general information.
Thanks
Dennis Mitchell
DSM Distributing LLC
Phoenix, AZ

[dburnham]

In Dye Sublimation, you are transfering inks under hight heat into the fabric by having those inks become absorbed into the fabric. You can think of it as something you iron onto a shirt, which is why some people can print the transfers on their own printers. What's different than screen printing is the manner in which the ink is applied. In screen printing, you print directly on the material and the ink lays on the surface, penetrating the fabric as a liquid. In dye sub, you print an intermediate item, like decals for glass, and the inks penetrate as a gas. The intermediate printing of transfers offers another advantage/disadvantage regarding quantity and set up, depending on your needs. Some orders can benefit from a very long run of the transfers with application to smaller quantities of shirts as-needed. The same process, by the way, is also used for other items, like fabric covered mouse pads.

[Pam O'Rourke]

Looking for an ASI small run digital imprinter for t-shirts. 1 spot color each side. Vendor may also offer mousepads, mugs etc in very small quantities (2-10 pieces).

Thanks,
Pam O'Rourke
804-338-6947
pam.orourke@indoff.com

[royster13]

Stay away from orders like this.....Let your local competitors do this while you are out servicing the real good accounts that can not get good service from them because they are too busy doing orders that are not worth doing.....My local print shop does little orders like this and I get calls for their former clients saying they are so busy they can not do quotes quick enough....RCS....

[Pam O'Rourke]

Thanks, but I do $300,000/yr with this customer. It's a favor I'd like to do. I saw a digital print vendor in ESP within the last 2 weeks but can't remember who - and can't find them again. Was hoping someone knew where to go.

[royster13]

Try your local Walmart.....If it is only a favour maybe you do not need to make much money....Because they are close by it may be cheaper than having goods shipped in....RCS...

[tedp]

Colorado Timberline does direct printing onto t-shirts (and other apparel) with a minimum of 1, if that helps.

Pam O'Rourke said:

Thanks, but I do $300,000/yr with this customer. It's a favor I'd like to do. I saw a digital print vendor in ESP within the last 2 weeks but can't remember who - and can't find them again. Was hoping someone knew where to go.

[Pam O'Rourke]

Thank you! That's what I needed.

Pam O'Rourke

[joeosip]

Greetings Gary.............I have been a dye sub(ds) printer going on 10 years......ds has its advantages in that you can print items with unlimited colors.........it is a 4 color process (CMYK)......there is no white ink which is why, if there is white in your image, you need to start with a white substrate.......art is computer generated or scanned, file sizes are adjusted so that files are printabe in reasonable time frames.....125ml ds ink cartridges cost about $140 ea............prints are usually limited in size by the paper size your printer can handle or the size of the heat press being used........it is true that you can ds onto colors other than white....powder blues, light ash, yellow, etc.......but ds colors on colored substrates result in blends of colors..for example printing light blue on yellow results in a green tint........it's best to ds dark colors on substrates other than white...........substrates must have a 100 polyester base for the best ds results, however I have had good results on other polymer substrates such as nylon, spandex and poly/spandex combinations........the Soft Link Tees by Hanes have a 100% cotton interior with a 100% polyester microweave on the exterior........you cannot buy these Tees for $1 to $3 as you can cotton and cotton/poly Tees....Soft Link Tees cost $4 to$5........also available are 100% polyester Tees........they are advertised as "Wicking" in that they are supposed to "wick" moisture away from a sweaty body better than cotton/poly.........they have a problem too......gals don't like to wear them because they are pretty flimsy and not as opaque as the Hanes Tee.....you can see through them......I have also heard that they tend to smell a bit after you have sweated them up..........The term sublimation derives from the word "sublime".......any solid that becomes a gas without going through a liquid phase is said to sublime...the ds inks on the special ds transfer paper are a solid......at 400 deg F ds inks gas, or sublime........at 400 deg F polymers, like polyester, are receptive to absorbing this gas as a chemical and physical bond..........upon cooling the ds image is embedded and locked into the polymer substrate, whether it be a Tee, ceramic cup, ceramic tile, metal, plastic, etc.......there is no ink to touch or feel on the printed substrate........ds images on Tees will outlast the life of the Tee......just don't iron the image or you will regas the inks on the Tee.........printed resolution is of photorealistic quality.........any item that may be coated with polyester and will take temperatures over 400 deg F can be sublimated........this process IS NOT like ironing on a transfer with your iron...such iron on transfers will fade with their 1st washing.........ds images applied with a heat press last forever......there is some problem with UV light fading images.........exterior signs on plastic and metal will fade in about 3 months....however there are UV films available to extend exterior life..........I do not have screen charges or set up charges.........I do charge a fair amount for art time creation......take a look at www.icanprintit.com to see a portion of items that may be sublimated.....joeosip

[adspecip]

Pam O'Rourke said:

Thanks, but I do $300,000/yr with this customer. It's a favor I'd like to do. I saw a digital print vendor in ESP within the last 2 weeks but can't remember who - and can't find them again. Was hoping someone knew where to go.

Not sure if this is who you're looking for. They do small run Sye Sub. Very good.

PMDI asi 79934 sage 67182

[nycam]

quotes@letterbank.com
With all due respect, I'm new to this forum, and appreciate the opportunity to introduce our company, LetterBank. We make dye-sublimated Table Fabrics and Fabric Banners in almost any quantity; mostly for Advertising Agencies and Marketing Firms. I am glad to extend this service to Distributors, and am available to price your project.

[vinyl]

nycam said:

quotes@letterbank.com
With all due respect, I'm new to this forum, and appreciate the opportunity to introduce our company, LetterBank. We make dye-sublimated Table Fabrics and Fabric Banners in almost any quantity; mostly for Advertising Agencies and Marketing Firms. I am glad to extend this service to Distributors, and am available to price your project.

please send detail information on poly printed table skirts and banner printed fabrics to allentown vinyl promo , 610-432-7457 or email to frank.jamo@rcn.com tanks frank

[ArtsAds]

I have a potential client who wants to print a digital pic of a car onto about 12 t-shirts. Is sublimation the best process for that, or is there another method?

What kind of net prices will I end up with on shirts like this?

Art