Clothing made of synthetic fibers comprises about 48 percent of the total U.S. apparel imports last year in 2013. Cotton garments still account for 49.5 %, but it’s the narrowest margin in more than 20 years. This is largely due to retailers struggling with the bottom line. Man-made materials are cheaper to manufacture than natural materials.
The most prevalent issue in applying heat transfers to polyester is dye migration or also known as bleeding. This is why it is important to understand that different materials in t-shirts or other garments require different dyes, and these dyes will affect heat transfer decoration of all types in custom printing.
Inks – screen-printed heat transfers are printing with low-bleed ink technology. Today, there are a number of other ink systems that use resins and fillers to accomplish the goal of avoiding ghosting in a stack of printed garments or unfavorable odors.
Sublimation – Inkjet-printed sublimation heat transfers are planned for application to 100% polyester. Plan to image light or white garments and use and 11” x 17” printer platform and a quality ink system.
Coated Inkjet Heat Transfer Paper – Papers intended for application to white and light fabric are intended for cotton blends. It’s important to use a high quality transfer paper and inks to make sure that the inks do not bleed out of the decoration when washing.
Mechanical Issues – A heat transfer must penetrate into the fabric in a heated state. It then adheres to the fibers of the fabric. Transfers are better suited towards natural fibers, such as cotton rather than man-made synthetic fibers. The other issue is stretch. Without the ability to stretch, the transfer is at risk of cracking, or possibly popping off the fabric.
Please contact us for all your heat transfer needs, custom screen printing, or embroidery in the Columbus, OH area. We would love to talk to you about all the many options for applying your image or images to your t-shirt or other garments.