hi everyone, i'm new here.
i'm in the sportswear business making cycling apparel and most of my products are made of 100% polyester microfibre. i tried dye sub on one of my jersey but the area where the print is located turn "glossy" or "shine" due to the high heat needed to get ink into the fabric. temperature used was 200 degree celsius and press for 30secs. is the "shine or gloss" on the fabric normal for dye sub?
If you are getting a glossy look then lower the temperature. Most dye sub inks will sublimate as low as 325°F/165°C, but your dwell times will need to be extended. Try different times/temperatures until you find the correct combination for your fabric.
The glossy look is not "normal" for dye subbed fabric.
If you are getting a glossy look then lower the temperature. Most dye sub inks will sublimate as low as 325°F/165°C, but your dwell times will need to be extended. Try different times/temperatures until you find the correct combination for your fabric.
The glossy look is not "normal" for dye subbed fabric.
Hi cprvh,
thanks for your reply.
btw, you mentioned about "dwell times", does it mean the time duration to place the fabric under the press?
thank you very much
Yes - you'll have to figure out your optimal settings by "trial and error".
I'd say, it'll be very specific to your combination of hardware, consumables, substrates, etc.
From personal experience, I think the most important thing is to figure out a combination of the lightest setting of your press, then time and temperature that will give you the best possible result.
Too light pressure may cause bleeding or colour variations, too high pressure may actually compress the fabric itself resulting in shine and paper marks...
High temperature and high pressure may "bake" the whole thing - changing both colour and texture...
From where I stand - when you've got it ALL right - it's worth it!
I've been using dye-sub for more than a year now and have a list of tricks that work for me in certain cases - i.e.:
1. if I'm printing a logo on a polo shirts i'd raise the area to be printed (using fabric folded to shape, cut to shape cardboard, coaster, etc.) and I also cut out the logo to avoid shine (and melting buttons).
2. If I know that the fabric tends to shine too much - I'll turn the garment inside out and position the transfer from the inside towards the hot platten. Dwelling time (and/or temperature) would have to be increased.
3. In some cases I use a piece of white fabric placed over the cut-out transfer instead of a teflon sheet - preferably the same texture as a shirt I press onto.
I generally tend to try and print on anything that (I think) might be suitable - just to know my options.
Heat related issue 
