What Can Dye-sub Print and What Doesn’t?

The standard fabric for sublimation printing is white polyester. In the case of hard substrates, items with a polyester coating are ideal. And yes, you may have seen colored garments with sublimation decoration. You can print light colors, but since the sublimation inks are transparent, the graphic will take on the garment color.
For instance, if you print a blue ball on a light-yellow polyester garment, the resulting ball will be a shade of green. So, if a color shift is not important, you can print light-colored, 100% polyester fabrics as well.

You also can print on a blended fabric, such as 50% polyester/50% cotton, but be aware that sublimation inks only will bond with the polyester. The finished print will have a washed-out, retro appearance, but there are decorators who print and sell such items. Of course, the higher the polyester content in the blended fabric, the better the finished print will appear.

Garments made of 100% cotton, even if white, are not an option with sublimation inks, as they will not adhere to cotton fabric.
Sublimation printing on finished garments sometimes can show white voids where the fabric was folded and, therefore, not decorated. These white areas in the image, usually around seams, are referred to as "smiles" by some industry professionals. They are more acceptable in the fashion marketplace, as long as your customer understands the process and the chance that they may appear.

There are two primary options for heat pressing large-format sublimation transfers. One is a large, flatbed base with a horizontal heat press similar to a tabletop, swing-away model used for smaller products. These may have a heat element on the top, or on the top and bottom.
The second is a calender rotary heat press where the garment and sublimation transfer paper are fed through rollers. The transfer and polyester fabric feed between a roller that is heated with oil or via electricity, and then pinched between a felt pad that is pressed against the heat with a secondary small drum.
More info:
Website: www.skyimagepaper.com
Company Name: Fei Yue Digital Technology Co.,LTD
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