Advantages and Disadvantages of Dye Sublimation Printing on Material Banners

Dye sublimation printing is, by definition, the sublimating of dye in fabric. The way in which it really works is like this. First, a switch paper is printed on a digital printer that is set up with CMYO dye cartridges reasonably than your typical CMYK inks. CMYK, or 4 colour process printing (4CP is the shorthand model of CMYK which stands for cyan-magenta-yellow-black) is utilized in surface printing of materials, including direct-to-fabric printing, however does not grow to be a part of the material like dye sub printing does.

Dye sublimation uses dyes, as I stated, and a CMYO dye cartridge set that substitute the black in CMYK printing with an "Overprint Clear." The inkjet printer that is set up to print dyes (this cannot be achieved interchangeably with out a significant quantity of know-how and expense, so once a printer is about up to print dyes, it is often not transformed back to plain CMYK inkjet printing) prints a mirror image of whatever it is that needs printed on a handled dye-accepting paper recognized generically as "transfer paper."

This paper is now "married" to a chunk of polyester or another synthetic fabrics (polyester is the most common attributable to its versatility in look and usage - from stretchable trade show sales space fabrics to clothes to outside flags and an entire lot more) and then it is fed by way of heated rollers that combine heat - about 375°F or 210°C - with pressure to increase the cells of the material and convert the dye to a gaseous state.

The dye is sublimated into the open pores of the polymeric synthetic material, and as it cools once more, traps the sublimated dye inside the cells of the fabric. Because the dye grew to become gaseous, it does not create a dot sample during the sublimation process like inkjet printing will on cloth or vinyl or other inflexible plastic substrates, reasonably it creates a steady tone print very like how photographs are developed and look.

So, now that I've explained the fundamental difference between dye sublimation printing and inkjet printing, I'll address the original question of the advantages or disadvantages of both. As chances are you'll know, I do not think there's lots of disadvantages to dye sublimation printing on fabric, but I am going to provde the two that I can think of off the top of my head. First, it's slower than inkjet printing because you will have two processes within the heat transfer a part of custom dye sublimation shirts sublimation, so labor costs are going to be higher to some degree, although there at the moment are printers that have the material and paper inline and they're drawn into the heated rollers as the printer continues to print.

The second disadvantage can be a production problem that's being solved by the newer printer/roller units just defined within the earlier paragraph. Up to now, and nonetheless in the present, it's not unusual for the material to get a crease or wrinkle in it, or the paper, and all of a sudden the whole transfer print and piece of fabric are ruined. You would need to start over. A lot of those who have been at this for awhile and are utilizing older equipment charge higher costs per sq. foot for wider materials, however many additionally do not who've the newer equipment.

So far as advantages, I talked concerning the steady tone printing that creates brighter and smoother shade variations and transitions than you will discover with inkjet printing, and a superior general look, in our opinion. Also, because the dye impregnates or is sublimated in the cloth, it is permanent and cannot flake off like some kinds of ink will, notably garment inks used for t-shirts or inks printed on inflexible substrates. So, durability and appearance are most likely the very best examples of the superiority of dye sublimation printing of fabric or garments.