Printing For Polyester Fabrics

Often times, we are asked in class and by customers, "How do you adjust inks and printing methods for polyester and poly blend fabrics".  While there is a ton of info on this out there, we aim to make the info simple and easy for customers, and also for students who come to the Ryonet Screen Print Experience class.

First, we aim to make sure that customers and students truly understand the whole poly "thing".  Polyester fabrics get their color on the thread through a fusion process that consists of heat.  Many moons after that, those fibers can "open" back up or release their color as a gas, into the ink, once that ink is traditionally cured at high heat temperatures.  Its called Dye-Migration, and it can be devastating to print shops or to customers if their printer didn't follow some basic methods to ease the dye migration.

This is where we, as a print shop, truly get to shine.  We print with Plastisol style inks, and also Water-Based style inks.  So, in shop, we have a wide variety of choices when it comes to putting color on a garment.

Plastisol, the old standard in most USA screen printing shops, offers a great opacity option, as it is thicker, and stands up on top of fabric.  Also, plastisol features the option to use additives to achieve certain effects.  And, keeping ourselves on topic, plastisol has the added benefit of some low-curing options out there on the market, so that the dye migration point is never achieved.  We print with many types of plastisols, and utilize some that are thick enough to block dye migration completely, even when the high heat point of 330 degrees is reached.  Since those don't always lend the best handfeel to the garment, we also utilize some plastisol ink low - cure lines, specifically designed for polyester and performance blend fabrics, that allow curing at 285 degrees. These inks offer incredible color opacity, and also, durability.

Water based inks however, a little less used in the US than abroad, offer some interesting options now.  Locally, we are lucky enough to have been the first to take on water based printing seriously in our area.  When many shops didn't want to replace thousands of dollars in inks on the shelf in competing shops, we gladly welcomed the challenge of printing with these inks.  When we first started printing water based inks, we would often receive compliments about the soft hand feel of garments, and this, coupled with upgrades in the clients requested garments, started making us stand out in the local market.  When customers find that they can have their super nice poly-blend or tri-blend fabric garments from blank manufacturers like American Apparel, Next Level, Canvas+Bella, and even Tultex and the old stand by Gildan, printed with eco-friendly water based inks, their reaction is that of amazement of the option.  See, many customers don't ever realize their is an option.  Red ink is red ink, right? No way.  Waterbased red, or any color, is where its at in our opinion.  And, now, with our upgrade in equipment and processes, allow for us to cure garments as low as 220 degrees with waterbased inks, allowing for full fusion and bond to the tshirt, and keeping it over 80 degrees from the dreaded dye migration point.  The handfeel, the wash and wearability, and the long lasting environmental effect is huge.  Definition Industries is currently printing with somewhere around 80% of our clients work with this option, and its a big strategy for us moving into the future of printing.  On polyester garments, waterbased inks offer that same opacity now a days as plastisols, and also offer much greater durability than previously known, when paired with waterbased fusion catalysts.

As a shop owner, you also have the benefit of knowing, that you are utilizing less harmful chemicals in shop, and that spills over to employees also,  Nobody wants to be using oil based inks and oil based aerosol cleaners.  Well, at least our employees don't want to use them as often.  Also, as a shop owner, you'll see a higher level of cleanliness in your shop, as these screens get washed down at the end of production, vs plastisol screens which may get their cleaning put off until later.

To learn more about how your project can be made even better, reach out to us at orders@definitionindustries.com and lets get a quote started.  We will go over your options, and take the time with you so that you make the best decision for your project, that ends with an awesome feeling product, printed perfectly, at a great price, and delivered on time.

-Charlie Veuleman
www.definitionindustries.com

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