# Plastisol on 100% Polyester



## TeddyRocky (Mar 23, 2007)

I am printing a Black and Blue logo on 100% White Polyester jerseys. 

I am not worried about dye migration, but am worried about curing. Will I be able to use regular plastisol ink that cures at 320 degrees? Or will I need to buy an additive to print on polyester?


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## COEDS (Oct 4, 2006)

I know that ace transfer puts a additive in their ink to get it to work with polyester. You may be able to ask for their advice.They have a screen print supply business too. .... JB


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## TeddyRocky (Mar 23, 2007)

Thanks.

Should I add some Nylabond for proper adhesion to the polyester jersey? 

It's a small order, so I'd like not to buy new ink for polyester or even Nylabond for that matter!  

Does anyone know if regular plastisol will adhere properly (after washing, etc) with proper curing 320 temp? or do I need to mix an additive in? If so, which additive? 

(after additional searching, I just found someone suggesting 5% Nylabond to be sure of adhesion).


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## n.signia (Nov 21, 2007)

I am in the same boat, Small order, 2 color print on light colored "wicking" poly t's, kind of like under armors looser fitting wicking t's. 

can I use regular plastisol? regular curing temps? will this material hold up at 320?

any wisdom from you printing vets on here would be appreciated 

thanks in advance


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## TeddyRocky (Mar 23, 2007)

I'm going to buy a cheap 100% polyester shirt and try printing with regular plastisol w/o additives and test wash the shirts several times tonight.

I am also going to include a disclaimer to wash the garment inside out, and hang dry only. (this should reduce the chance of cracking I hope!)

IF someone has more experience with polyester, please give us advice! Thank you.


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## totalstitch (Apr 8, 2007)

I just did 100 Jersys from Teamwork Athletic white with a navy and orange print. I used regular Plastisol and had no problems. I did a wash test and they washed fine. My daughter plays on the team and we have washed her uniform a dozen times and still looks great.


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## gmille39 (Oct 18, 2006)

There is an ink just for polyester. I found a web site, Polyester ink for screen printing uniforms and read about it. I'm about to do a job using the sport-tek t-shirts and my printer said he has the ink just for polyester. I guess it stretches more and can cure at a lower temperature or something.


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## n.signia (Nov 21, 2007)

total stitch,

did you cure at regular temps?

I intend to try to keep the heat just to 320, no hotter.


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## totalstitch (Apr 8, 2007)

Yes I just kept an eye on my dryer temp to make sure it didnt get to far above 320


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## XYLisa (Jan 20, 2008)

I print all the time on polyester using regular plastisol. The only time you need to buy poly ink is if you have to worry about color migration....such as printing white on red polyester jerseys then you have to get poly ink. Never have had a problem.


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## Fuzz (May 7, 2007)

Ive done pheonix white on a black 90% poly dri-fit shirt and it worked out just fine.


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## tman07 (Nov 14, 2007)

Nylo-bond =for nylon
not needed for polyester

or else it would be called polyobond


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## Sand (May 15, 2008)

We print on Lycra wrestling uniforms and we add a streach ink to our Plastisol ink. It requires a higher temperture to cure and a longer time but it holds up well. works great on athletic fabric too.


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## gmille39 (Oct 18, 2006)

Fuzz said:


> Ive done pheonix white on a black 90% poly dri-fit shirt and it worked out just fine.


Is it somewhat heavy, on the lightweight shirt, or can you make it so it's fairly lightweight printing. My customer wants a large logo print on the back and a left chest design on front. I was watching some of the college baseball over the weekend and saw the guys from the Miami Hurricanes with the poly shirts with a big logo on front that looked pretty nice. I just don't want a heavy, thick print on the shirt since they will be used in a health spa environment.


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## houseoftees (Sep 30, 2008)

Question, I think I am having some trouble with dye migration. I am printing pink plastisol on 100% polyester dri fit shirts. After they run thru the dryer the ink fades to an almost transparant version of itself. Is that dye migration? Sounds like it might be to me. I originally thought our dryer was too hot so we sped up the belt then took the shirts off the dryer immediately after run thru to cool faster. We did a stretch test and they were not cured....So..sounds like I should drop the dryer temp to cure at 320, add an under base on darks, and keep the belt slowish. Not positive though, Any feedback would be great.
H.O.T.


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## printing40years (Dec 27, 2008)

There really is no such thing as a regular plastisol. Every brand it made differently. Some have good stretch built in and some do not. Some cure at higher temps than others, Some are made at higher viscosities than others. Some are made with higher quality pigments than others. It's good to shop around until you find the ones that best suit your needs. Do not add NylonBond when you are printing on stretchy polyester, because it makes the plastisol stiff and without any stretch. It only helps with adhesion when you cannot get the ink to penetrate into a fabric and bond well by wrapping around the fibers. In those cases it will help the ink bond to the top of the fabric and wash well. When printing stretchy polyester, you need a plastisol otherwise it will crack at some point. Several ink companies make clear stretch additives to improve the stretch of your "regular" plastisol. I would rather print in nylon mesh any day than polyester mesh


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