Discuss the various aspects of heat press technology. Transfer paper, inks, plastisol transfers, vinyl cutters, printers, commercial usage, durability, suppliers, etc.
As Solmu partially pointed out, you're getting 2 different printing methods mixed up. Dye Sublimation only works well on man-made fabrics (generally), like polyester. The dye will sublimate into a gas and become a part of the t-shirt when pressed, and you need the press for quite a while (usually 30-60 seconds, I believe).
Traditional heat transfer, on the other hand, uses ink (usually from an inkjet printer, ideally pigmented ink) on a transfer paper, and the paper actually seals the image on to the t-shirt. This is why you'll have a wax window on it, which will vary from paper to paper in severity. Regular pigmented inks are usually a lot cheaper than dye sub inks and they work on 10)% cotton, but the quality usually isn't quite as good (so it's a trade off).
Durabright Ink for cotton t's 
