Overcoming the Challenges of Screen Printing on Polyester Blends In contrast, a gray underbase is thicker and dries at a lower temperature, which helps slow down dye migration. Though a synthetic fiber, polyester is naturally resistant to staining and resists shrinking, providing a magical combination of convenience. Ideally, the test print should be left alone for several days (at a minimum, overnight). Being in the decorated apparel business, we are often asked whether or not we can print on different types of fabric. This causes an unwanted change or tint in the ink color. Polyester’s weave has many air gaps between threads, allowing ink to pass through. Begin typing your search above and press return to search. However, not all fabrics get along with ink so, it's important to consider all elements of your production run. So if you want to use water-based ink, add a discharge agent (or underbase), but you’ll only have 48 hours to work the fabric. Flash your image onto the substrate only as long as the image needs to cure. Our products are extensively used for screen printing, plate making in electronic, textile, ceramics industry etc. Once polyester is exposed to heat around 300 degrees, dye migration begins to occur. Read up on some of our tips on choosing the perfect tee to screenprint on in our blog post, here! Do a test print on a sample of your fabric to see if it will bleed. One of the main problems with printing on polyester is that the dye in the fabric can bleed into your printed design, caused by dye migration. Our polyester screen products are of high quality and precision with a wide range from 25mesh to 420mesh, annual output is up to 1,500,000 m². Unfortunately, heat at around 300 degrees is what triggers dye migration. Screen printing On 100% Polyester Screen printing (also known as silk screening) is a printing technique that uses stencils and ink to create designs on fabric. Then again, if you are starting off or screen printing as a hobby this … Fortunately, polyester does not need to be pre-shrunk like cotton. A 100% polyester blend will allow ink to cure well, while anything less than 65% polyester may cause curing issues. Due to the nature of 100% polyester performance fabrics, special care must be taken throughout the printing process. Since it’s thicker, gray underbase works best on sports apparel rather than for projects meant to drape elegantly. Copyright 2020 | Powered by by Sharprint, kilian@sharprint.com | 888-800-5646 (LOGO). During dye migration small dye particles move from the garment fabric to the screen print ink. The … There’s no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to choosing the kind of polyester on which you’d like to print. The reason polyester can be a struggle to print on is because of a reaction known as dye migration. This causes an unwanted change or tint in ink color. Prior to the final cure, dyes can migrate if you heat up your fabric too much under your flash cure. We use this information in order to improve and customize your browsing experience and for analytics about this website and other media. While there is no solution guaranteed to work without fail, the ink industry has come a long way. Limitations include the number of colors you can print at one time, print order size in order to be profitable and the setup time. The reason polyester can be a struggle to print on is because of a reaction known as dye migration. Press Esc to cancel. It is also known as serigraphy and serigraph printing. Since. Our athletic and polyester screen printing inks are perfect for screen printing on cotton/polyester blends, 100% polyester or stretchable poly fabrics. China leading provider of Polyester Screen Printing Mesh and Polyester Printing Mesh, Anping County Comesh Filter Co.,Ltd is Polyester Printing Mesh factory. There are water-based inks just for polyester blends, and you can even discharge print on some polyester blend garments. Polyester is one of the most challenging fabrics to screen print on. Plastisol ink is synthetic and bright, while water-based ink is more eco-friendly and softer to the touch. This most commonly occurs when printing white ink on dark polyester fabrics. 160 mesh/inch to 305 mesh/inch screen printing mesh is recommended for high-end light fabric screen printing. Learning a new technique is always challenging, so make sure to do several test runs. The polyester creates a set of challenges that we address in this article, and spandex has a different set of obstacles to overcome. Various blends, from polyester/cotton to polyester/viscose, have different challenges when screen printing. Different kinds of polyester blends have their own challenges. As you may have already guessed, the screen printing method by far has the largest limitation. Polyester, first introduced to the American public in 1952, is famous for its wrinkle resistance, durability, hypoallergenic qualities and its ability to wick moisture. Screen printing is put on through a system of layers and stencils of permanent paint to create the perfect image you want. To find out more about the cookies we use, see our Privacy Policy. If you want to screen print on polyester, consider these guidelines from Clothing Shop Online for a frustration-free process and crisp designs! Printing on Polyester and Performance Apparel Whether your customer demands are for non-phthalate or non-pvc inks, Wilflex has an ink solution for effectively printing on substrates prone to dye migration. To avoid dye migration, make sure you pick the right polyester blend for your project and, during the curing process, avoid heating the fabric too much. Use particular caution when your garments are a polyester spandex blend. Heathered colors and triblends are part polyester. Unlike plastisol ink, water-based inks dry out faster, limiting its workability. Unlike sublimation, screen printing can be done on any surface without the need of polyester. From 30 mesh/inch to 300 mesh/inch of polyester printing … Dye migration is basically just as it sounds, small dye particles moving from one place (fabric) to another (ink). Traditionally, the process was called screen printing or silkscreen printing because silk was used in the process. Silkscreen printing mesh or silk screen printing fabrics are weaving by polyester (PET) or nylon (PA) monofilament, usually in plain weave. Check out our blog that gives you 5 tips for screen printing on cotton! How To Achieve The Best Quality When Screen Printing On Polyester, Since the gray ink is a print layer in addition to a white underbase, the print will have a much, . Pick the Right Polyester for your Screen Printing Project. Versatile.Polyester blends can work for all kinds of prints. The most popular mesh in general use is made of polyester. Different mesh count from 10-500mesh to meet different screen printing requirements. It’s even advisable to stay away from poly-cotton blends in a lot of cases. Here are some tips to effectively decorate polyester fabric products. Temperature tape may help you gauge the temperature of your fabric under the flash cure or on the conveyor dryer. WELCOME TO CLOTHING SHOP ONLINE - REGISTER & SAVE! Regardless of what inks you use to screen print on polyester, you’ll need to test your inks on your chosen fabrics to avoid color bleeding. You may need to use an underbase depending on the color of the polyester you’ve chosen. Moisture wicking, athletic and race apparel also incorporates polyester in the fabric blend. For example, during the curing process, a 50/50 blend of polyester and cotton may cause dye migration, or color bleeding, potentially changing the color. • Use 85–110 screen mesh for best results. 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