Pigment ink VS Sublimation ink

Advancements in pigment inks allow direct print technologies to serve as an alternative for dye-sub transfer printing. Pigment inks are expected to make inroads into the apparel and décor markets due to advancements in UV stability and general durability. The ability for pigment textile ink to work with not only natural fabrics, but synthetics, gives pigment textile ink a strategic advantage. Color gamut and vibrancy gets better every year with pigment textile ink, and the fabric feel is almost as good as dye-sub.
Pigment inks offer compatibility with a variety of fabric types, but when compared to polyester, sublimation inks tend to hold greater value. Sublimation inks penetrate and dye the actual fabric fibers of polyester material for a soft feel. Unlike dye-sub, pigment inks sit on top of the fabric fibers. By penetrating the fibers, sublimation ink allows for sublimated products to maintain a high-rub resistance without rubbing off or onto other projects, says Hunter. This also holds true for sublimated rigid substrates where the ink dyes the polyester coating. Dye-sub transfer printing onto polyester still yields output that's extremely vibrant.

Check finds that sublimation ink's ability to penetrate fibers gives it the advantage of having greater color vibrancy with sharper detail. It can also be used with raw/uncoated polyester fabrics, resulting in no change to the hand of the fabric.
Because it penetrates fibers, the longevity of dye-sub surpasses textile pigment when items are washed or worn. Additionally, dye-sub isn't limited to fabric. There is an emerging market with photographic dye-sub to metals and woods that feature a polyester-based coating on them, which cannot be done with textile pigments. The versatility of dye-sub will always be greater than textile pigments.
Pigment inks are advancing, he says there will always be a need for sublimation inks, especially for hard goods. Pigment textile ink does not work well with ceramics, metals, or non-fabric products.

Despite advancements, we doesn't see pigment inks for direct print technologies immediately affecting the industry. Broadly speaking, he says sublimation inks are formulated to print on polyester and polyester-rich fabrics, while reactive inks are ideal for natural fibers. As a general rule, reactive dye and pigmented inks are suitable for a wider range of fabrics, but there is still a place for sublimation inks for transfer printing.
Performance capabilities aside, transfer inks typically yield greater inventory and stock redundancy advantages including an overall lower production cost.
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