3 TYPES OF FABRIC YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FOR DYE-SUBLIMATION
June 02,2022
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Sublimation printing (also known as all-over printing) is a printing method that transfers ink from one sheet onto the receiving canvas (in our case, fabric). Compared to alternative printing methods, which are limited to a particular field, Dye-Sublimation printing is able to transfer a design on every inch of the garment.
Three most common types of fabrics used are:
✔️Cotton:
Cotton is a topmost and the best choice when it comes to sublimation, also a lot of cotton shirts are printed in this way. Sublimated cotton apparels are soft, breathable and very comfortable for people who choose to wear it.
✔️Polyester:
This is another kind of fabric which is typically used for the purpose of dye sublimation. Mostly, due to the fact that the polymers present in this type of fabric can easily open up when exposed to heat. Due in its gaseous form, dye can enter the fabric through the open pores and get locked within once the fabric gets cooled after the printing process is over. One of the most important factors which make polyester the best fabric for Dye-Sublimation is undoubtedly the fact that it remains largely free of wrinkles even when worn for a long time.
✔️Synthetic fibers:
Synthetic fibers generally consist of acrylic, olefin, nylon, spandex, acetate, Kevlar, rayon, orlon and lastex. Out of these, nylon, rayon, spandex and acrylic have become some of the top fabrics for printers using Dye-Sublimation technology because of the strength and durability that these fabrics come with. However, these do not offer as much comfort as fabrics like cotton. Naturally, many of these are blended with cotton to enhance the comfort factor for wearers.
Fabric printing using pigment inks
Application: all types of fibres, including cotton.
Often referred to as the “future of digital printing”, It is suitable for printing on any type of fibre, though, in practice, it is most often used to print on cotton. Moreover, this method develops dynamically and quickly, responding to the needs of recipients. Although it is not perfect, at CottonBee, we are charmed by it, and we make every effort to ensure that printing on fabric is widely available and characterised by the highest quality – this is where printing with pigment inks comes in.
For printing on materials, specific dyes are used – in our case, these are Japanese pigment inks.
The second important factor is the preparation of the fabric for printing, i.e. finishing. In order to provide the right characteristics (vivid colours, resistance to washing out), the fabric has to be prepared adequately before printing. The unprinted fabric is soaked in a substance that makes the pigment “stick” to the surface, which in turn makes the fabric retain its original appearance for a longer time.
After the process of digital fabric printing using pigment inks is finished, the printed pattern is fixed with temperature, without the use of chemicals, but above all – without the use of water. Very eco! For this purpose, we use calenders and special furnaces. As a result, most digitally printed fabrics can be machine washed, despite digital printing with pigment inks being surface printing – the pigment remains stuck on the surface of the textile and thus colours it.
The process of finishing (preparing the material for printing) and heating (fixing the colour on the surface) considerably increases the ease of use of the fabrics printed with pigment. Printed with pigment ink and properly treated cotton (washed in a washing machine on a delicate program, with a cleaner that does not contain strong detergents or only chemically, without the use of water) guarantees the longer lifetime of beautifully printed cotton fabrics and knitwear.
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