The dye-sublimation process has a seamless, soft feel ideal for products like baby blankets. Photo courtesy of Epson

Even as apparel trends evolve, economic conditions fluctuate and new technologies emerge, dye-sublimation continues to prove its reliability in the textile industry.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen interest in DTFilm printing grow, as compact systems offer many advantages for apparel decorators. DTFilm involves printing designs onto a designated film, applying a TPU adhesive DTFilm powder and then transferring thes image using a heat press onto virtually any fabric. Among the advantages of DTFilm over DTG, in which a design is printed directly onto the garment being decorated, is the fact it can be used to decorate a wide range of fabrics and doesn’t require the same pretreatment use with DTG.

While DTG and DTFilm are driving the businesses of smaller apparel decorators—many of which started during the pandemic—in the coming years, as these businesses grown they will undoubtedly look to expand their solution offerings. With this in mind, apparel decorators can easily weave dye-sublimation into their current workflow and reap its benefits, including impressive versatility, expansive color gamut and low maintenance requirements. For many small shops, it can significantly enhance business operations and increase ROI.

Setting Up Shop

Like DTFilm, dye-sublimation printing involves a transfer process; unlike DTFilm, dye-sublimation ink dyes the polyester fibers of the fabric, rather sitting on top. Each design is printed on a transfer paper that is then applied to the fabric through a heat transfer process; this is where the magic of

A reliable heat press, like the Hotronix ProPlace IQ, goes a long way to achieve amazing sublimation results. Photo courtesy of STAHLS’

sublimation begins. The heat and pressure placed on the transfer paper initiates a chemical reaction that turns the ink into gas that dyes the fabric. It is also here where the colors bloom and become more vibrant.

Note: because of the chemical reactions that are integral to this kind of decorating, sublimation can only be used with polyester fabrics or on polyester surfaces. Also, because sublimation dyes become a part of the fabric or surface they’re decorating, and not covering them up, as is the case with, say, DTFilm, it can only be used on white or very light-colored surfaces.

For apparel shops looking to invest in dye-sublimation, there are two critical pieces of hardware—the printer and a compatible heat press. If a business is already offering DTFilm or DTG, they most likely already have at least one compatible heat press. However, if an apparel decorator is interested in a wide-format dye-sublimation printer, a bigger calendar-style heat press is needed for larger applications and bolt fabric orders will be an essential part of the wide-format print process.

For apparel decorators using DTFilm and DTG, dye-sublimation ink follows the same regulations. For example, OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT is one testing recognition that is applied to all textile-based inks and certifies inks are not harmful to human health. This is essential when creating apparel, especially for infants and children.

Expanding Apparel Decorator Applications

Dye-sublimation is extremely versatile and can greatly expand an apparel decorator’s business. Unlike DTFilm and DTG, dye-sublimation offers an

Supercharge your business’s productivity with the high-performance SureColor® F9570. Photo courtesy of Epson

expansive realm of printer sizes, ranging from desktop to 76-inches and above. By adding sublimated polyester textile offerings, textile applications expand to include full-size athletic wear, dri-fit apparel, loungewear (such as yoga pants), swimwear and more.

Because the dye-sublimation process is one in which the ink is fused into the fabric, textile output has a seamless, soft feel and primarily maintains its original hand feel. Sublimated fabrics also have a high rub resistance, and the colors will not rub off onto you or another layer of clothing. This is ideal for applications such as dri-fit shirts, exercise towels, yoga wear and blankets that come into direct contact with the body. These applications would not be a good fit for DTFilm, where its surface texture is noticeable.

When looking to invest in a dye-sublimation printer, consider its versatility and ink technology. Dye-sublimation requires exceptional color saturation and high contrast, so it’s ideal to invest in technology that offers a high-density black to ensure output has outstanding tonal transitions and grayscale. In addition, some printers offer spot colors, including fluorescent options, which are ideal for creating on-trend athleisure, safety wear and can produce textiles for new and emerging trends, such as tie-dye and neon clothing.

Pending printer size, dye-sublimation can further expand output opportunities outside of apparel to include soft signage, home décor, personalized gifts, photography applications, promotional items and more. Note this includes items such as plates, mugs and other drinkware.

Fitting into a DTFilm and DTG Workflow

For apparel decorators, dye-sublimation is a valuable addition to their toolkit, offering vibrant, long-lasting prints on polyester and specialty products.

Epson’s new SureColor F9570H offers advanced dye-sublimation transfer printing for sports and other decorated apparel. Photos courtesy of Epson

Adding dye-sublimation to an existing DTFilm workflow allows the apparel decorator a choice of which print method to use based on the incoming order and customer request. For textile orders that require an all-over print, large graphic, soft hand feel, or polyester or dri-fit material, dye-sublimation is a better solution. For low-run, personalized cotton shirts with smaller graphics, or 3D textiles such as hats and shoes, DTFilm is the more ideal and efficient solution.

For apparel decorators currently using DTG or DTFilm, integrating dye-sublimation should be a simple transition since they already have knowledge of apparel decoration, as well as experience using a heat press. This allows them to both fill the gap and expand their product offerings with minimal time and investment. After the initial investment, as the dye-sublimation portion of the business grows, apparel decorators can determine if a larger heat press is needed to meet incoming demand.

Decorators can mix and match technologies to make unique garments. They can use dye-sublimation to create a large, seamless design on a garment and personalize it with unique features added with DTFilm.

Furthermore, adding dye-sublimation allows customers to increase orders. If an apparel decorator has a loyal customer who continuously orders team T-shirts, that customer can now add matching tumblers, sunglasses straps, headbands, lanyards, keychains, practice bags and team banners. This not only increases order size and ROI but also strengthens customer loyalty and retention.

Maximizing ROI and Futureproofing

Integrating dye-sublimation into an existing DTG or DTFilm workflow should be an easy transition with an abundance of benefits for an apparel decorator. With a minimal first investment, apparel decorators can start filling the gap within textile offerings and potentially expand outside of textiles, growing their shop and tapping into new markets from sportswear to promotional products and personalized home textiles and gifts.

Again, in addition to textiles, there are boundless opportunities to sell personalized products and gifts, including custom laptop bags, tote bags, wood décor photo panels, smartwatch bands, and award plaques. Promoting personalized gifts for occasions like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas and Hanukkah provide even more opportunities to drive sales and maximize ROI.

Starting small still offers expansive opportunities for an apparel decorator, and as the demand grows, so do the opportunities for larger orders with higher profit margins.

Lily Hunter is a product manager at Epson overseeing the SureColor F-Series and SureColor G-Series printers, a portfolio encompassing over a dozen direct-to-garment, direct-to-film and dye-sublimation printers. With over 25 years in the industry, she is responsible for product development, go-to-market strategies and managing cross-functional teams.

The post Weaving Dye-Sublimation into Apparel Workflows for Success appeared first on Impressions.

The Mimaki TS330-3200DS 3.2-meter printer is the best of both worlds for creating high-value textile applications. It doubles as a sublimation unit for printing to transfer paper and as a direct-to-textile unit for printing on polyester fabrics. This 128-inch-wide printer can image transfer media or fabrics at production print speeds of up to 968-square-feet per hour.

The TS330-3200DS printer utilizes a hybrid mechanism to accommodate printing on transfer sublimation paper or on fabric before being transferred for finishing. For transfer sublimation, a platen is installed under the active print area. This platen is easily removed by the user, revealing an ink-receiving spacer for direct-to-fabric printing. This enables the printer to be used for flags and banners that require pass-through, and for transfers to thick and stretchy fabric that are best handled with transfer paper. It can also be used for direct-to-fabric printing on a range of polyester materials including heavy coverage backlit applications.

Based on proven Mimaki 330 printheads and including many Mimaki Core Technologies, the TS330-3200DS printer is an ideal all-in-one unit for creating a range of digital textile applications including backlit fabric displays, SEG frame printing, flags, theatrical backdrops, POP displays, interior décor, and more.

The post Mimaki USA Launches New Production Hybrid Digital Textile Printer appeared first on Impressions.

The new SureColor F9570 and SureColor F9570H deliver a new space-saving design for improved usability and easier installation, an expanded ink set, and the ability to produce high quality images on textiles and hard goods such as promotional products and photo panels.

Replacing the SureColor F9470 and F9470H, the new models are purpose built for round-the-clock productivity, allowing print shops to consistently deliver high-quality, sellable goods. Designed from the ground up to deliver worry-free reliability in high-volume environments, the new models offer advanced dye-sublimation transfer printing for sports apparel and fashion, home décor, promotional and personalized products, and soft signage markets.

“Print service providers are looking for versatile and productive dye-sublimation printers that will deliver quality work for their clients and help them gain a competitive edge,” says Lily Hunter, product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America, Inc. “These new SureColor F-Series printers deliver high-speed production without sacrificing high-quality results, allowing businesses to boost performance.”

Decorated Apparel Sublimation Features

SureColor F9570H. Image courtesy of Epson

The SureColor F9570 and SureColor F9570H feature a new compact footprint and an advanced, user-replaceable 2.6-inch PrecisionCore® Micro TFP printhead with Nozzle Verification Technology to deliver outstanding-quality prints at high speeds up 1,590 ft2/hr. 2 UltraChrome® DS ink technology delivers exceptional color saturation and contrast. The SureColor F9570H offers an expanded 6-color ink set with multiple configurations, including CMYK plus either Light Cyan and Light Magenta for enhanced smoothness, Fluorescent Pink and Fluorescent Yellow for added brightness, or Orange and Violet for an expanded color gamut.

The SureColor F9570 and F9570H enhance usability with a 4.3-inch touchscreen and a high-capacity, hot-swappable replaceable ink pack system with 1.6L per ink pack to maximize efficiency and minimize downtime. Delivering consistent, high-quality output for production print shops, additional features include:

– Seamless workflow – Includes Epson Edge® Print, featuring Adobe® PDF Print Engine; compatible with popular RIP software
– Low user maintenance – Fabric head wiper and easily accessible maintenance area help ensure consistent performance
– Fleet productivity with Epson Cloud Solution PORT®3 – Provides live monitoring of printer status, including production rates and printer utilization
– Peace of mind – A one-year standard Epson PreferredSM Limited Warranty that includes toll-free advanced telephone access Monday through Friday and usually next business-day on-site service in the unlikely event of any hardware failure; extended service plans available up to a total of 5 years of continuous coverage

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