Can sublimation print directly on cotton?
You will be asked the same question from various individuals if you're an electronic producer. So, what's it? Does a dye sublimation printer print on cotton? The process of decoration will not attach to cotton. Indeed, this process hasn't changed. Sublimation chemically bonds polymers and polyester, but not cotton; that doesn't mean you can't apply it to cotton.
In the last few years, new products have been created that allow you to sublimate dye onto cotton. In the true sublimation-production process, the dye bonds at a molecular level with polymers. For apparel, this means the chemistry takes place below the surface rather than on the surface. This is why true sublimation bonding causes dye not to be prone to crack, peel, or fade when washing.
The image may fade and crack, or peel off over time if the product permits sublimation using cotton. But that's not something to worry about, since traditional ways of using cotton for decorating such as screen and direct-to-garment (DTG) printing also have the same tendency.
Several new sublimation-to-cotton products have hit the streets during the past few months. They fall into two primary categories: printable materials and transfer paper. Let's look at the transfer-paper options.
The Transfer Paper
Transfer papers are an excellent way to print your designs directly onto paper. Apply a heat press to the fabric to transfer the image. The paper will release the chemicals and dyes from the paper and onto the shirt. After that, you can simply throw away the paper. The process is similar to the standard sublimation printing that is used in everyday life.
In reality, it's not as hard as you might think. The quality of paper you purchase isn't the same It is therefore important to look at different types of papers. All currently offered papers make use of some kind of polymer. They provide a "go-between" connection that enables sublimation printers to adhere to cotton. Essentially, the entire sheet is coated when it is made. The coating is removed from the paper after an image is printed using a heat press. The ink then bonds the image. With some products, however, the coating from the non-printed area also gets transferred onto shirts.
Imagine a rectangular piece of transfer paper with an engraved logo in the center. When you heat press it, that logo -- as well as the space on the paper is also transferred. You end up with an image that is surrounded by an off-white, thin rectangular box, which has the dimensions of the paper. This "polymer window" is not a desirable feature.
By cutting these sheets, you can trim off the paper that is affixed to the printed image, so that the dye only transfers. This can be done with scissors; however, if you plan to do a lot of sublimation-to-cotton printing, look into buying a cutter that can be set up to automatically do this. Utilizing a cutter is going to add step, however it's worth the effort.
The second kind is referred to as "self-weeding" as the polymer component transfers only when the dye is present in the paper. This type of paper may seem like a better solution, but it also has its drawbacks.
First, it employs its "wet process" for printing, which means you must print quickly and then apply the image with the heat press. In addition, you should use dark images. The images and colors with bright colors aren't very good at translating.
The other kind of paper tends to be better suited for lighter shades. Translation: No paper option is perfect. Take the time to experiment and figure out which paper is best for your application.
There's more to using sublimation-to-cotton transfer papers than simply choosing the correct product. Digital transfer papers have diverse characteristics that affect the image's quality and color. Each paper has its method of absorbing dye and then releasing it. Take those issues into account when using the dyes.
Digital printing and sublimation are the main methods currently used for textile printing.
The technology allows images to be captured in all kinds of fabrics.
But what are the pros and cons of each?
Here's an overview of the difference between sublimation and digital printing: What is digital printing?It is the use of large format printers with multiple fine nozzles that inject ink into pretreated garments and other textiles.
This pre-treatment allows the ink to adhere completely to the fabric.Digital printing uses a digital printer to digitize an image that is printed directly onto clothing and accessories that can be laid flat, such as t-shirts, shirts and even bags.digital sublimation printingAdvantageFast and easy.
Simply load the image into software, transfer it to the printer and then capture it on the garment.It allows you to get multiple designs in the same order.
A high speed sublimation printer is a printer that produces amazing outcomes, leaving behind minimal wastage and high-quality prints.
One has to take great care when working with such devices since they are known to cause serious damages in case the working condition is not maintained properly.
A lot of people are of the opinion that the damages caused to them are unnecessary since printing is such a simple process but that's not true; you must always take extreme care while handling such machines.If you want to work with high speed sublimation, you will first have to find a suitable device.
When you are browsing through the online stores, you can select the model which has received high ratings in terms of its durability, speed and functionality and is also economical to run as well.While making a purchase of the heat transfer device, you will come across several options.
You can get in touch with customer service personnel who can help you to evaluate the features and functions of the machine and determine whether it is ideal for your business.
The process of heat transfer printing involves using heat to transfer colored images or textures to paper or other material.
