Advice on How to Prevent Dye Migration

Update time : 2022-10-19 14:25:19

Have you ever washed your whites only to discover that they were pink when you got them back? most likely from a red outfit? Similar circumstances arise with dye migration, but with screen printing. In the screen printing business, the ink bleeds into the material because of the high temperature, which results in discoloration (white clothes are frequently used in this process). Understanding the sort of garment you're working with and the necessary temperature to successfully print on a garment is crucial when working with heat transfers.

How Does Sublimation Work?
Before beginning to print, it may be helpful to understand the sublimation process. So let's start with the fundamentals. A solid can sublimate when it instantly turns into a gas without first becoming liquid. Given that the dye is the one changing states, this is also known as dye sublimation. In addition to printing on clothing, sublimation may be used to print on ceramic items like mugs and accessories like caps.

So what is the procedure for printing on clothing now that you are aware about sublimation? Starting with the sublimation paper, the procedure is similar to heat transfers. Using a specialized, high-quality sublimation printer, the design is printed as a reverse mirror image (this prevents fuzzy lines that can occur from a standard printer). The heat press is used to position the picture on the fabric after that. The ink enters the fabric of the garment immediately by the force of heat and pressure.
Some people may discover that the ink bleeds during the transfer process, which is caused by the extremely high temperature. Dye sublimation enables the ink to print into the cloth rather than pressing onto the garment, making it a part of the garment. Since the ink is permanently incorporated into the fibers, any mistake of dye migration also becomes permanent, making the garment more susceptible to heat. When going through this procedure, the type of clothing you are utilizing is one important factor to consider. Recall the example of the red garment? That occurs more frequently during a hot wash cycle, thus it's comparable to overheating a garment. As a result, red and black clothing is the most prone to dye migration, therefore you'll need our advice if you want to print on these colors or any bright or dark clothing.

How To Prevent Dye Migration
The industry wouldn't be as big if it just avoided printing on clothing due to the danger of dye migration. There would be a significant loss of revenue because a large portion of our clothing, particularly athletics, is produced utilizing dye sublimation. There are, of course, ways to get around dye migration problems, including things like equipment and material choices. The method used to apply heat is one item to think about. High heat can, as was previously indicated, cause the ink to bleed and seep into the fabric. Due to the color mismatch, the clothing will be irreparably harmed. Ink may still be able to integrate into the fabric by using a lower heat setting for the sublimation process, such as under 180°C as opposed to 200°C.

Another thing to keep in mind is that sublimation printing is only appropriate for polyester or predominantly polyester-containing clothes. If you want to sublimate on cotton-based clothing, it is advised that the polyester content of the fabric be at least 85%. It is not advisable to print on 100% cotton clothing since cotton does not work in the same way that polyester does in absorbing color, which can cause color migration. As said previously, the beautiful thing about sublimation printing is that it works well on ceramics like mugs, but polyester is required for garments.
You would assume that because polyester is required, you can't print on items like jackets, but you'd be astonished at what the market has to offer. If you discover that other softshell jackets aren't cutting it, there are several shops on the market that sell printable softshell jackets that are made of 100% polyester (ideal for dye sublimation!).

Everything we discussed above is excellent for getting you back on track to print clothes properly. It's crucial to recognize that brightly colored clothing is typically more prone to dye migration than less brilliant hues like pastels. As a result, dye sublimation affects more colors than just red and black; they are simply the most vulnerable.
It's also possible that the dye starts to move over time even though the garment looks OK after the sublimation process. This is due to the fact that dye migration, which affects the condition of the ink and results in bleeds, can be delayed and occur a few days later. Before committing to the process, we advise you to test print on a spare piece of clothing and give it up to 72 hours. Testing the procedure could seem time-consuming, but consider placing a large order and receiving a mountain of ruined clothing as a result of bleeding. We believe that would be much more expensive than spending the effort to ensure the highest quality of your items. Work on a heat transmission method that has undergone trial and error because it is better to be safe than sorry.

Subtextile Co. Ltd.
Address：699-18 Xuanwu Avenue, Nanjing City, China, 210000
Tel |Fax：+86 25 85416407 (GLOBAL)
Cell：+86 17798509616
Whatsapp：0086 17798509616
E-mail：[email protected]

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Advice on How to Prevent Dye Migration