# DTG onto performance polyester



## PatWibble (Mar 7, 2014)

What is the current thinking about DTG printing onto 100% poly performance shirts ( shiny finish 'filament type' not the brushed/cotton feel finish)?. I have searched the forum, but most of the threads are nearly ten years old.


I have a customer who wants a multicolour print onto dark performance shirts. It is too small a quantity to screen print as it would be 5/6 colours, so I would need to sub it out. He doesn't want transfers.


Have things improved with DTG onto poly? This is for a regular customer so I am more concerned about how the print will last than I am about the technical ability to get the print onto the shirt in the first place.


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## AlypprintstheTee (Mar 29, 2017)

DTG would work for a cotton-poly blend (70/30) but I wouldn't personally print on 100% poly using DTG


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## PatWibble (Mar 7, 2014)

AlypprintstheTee said:


> DTG would work for a cotton-poly blend (70/30) but I wouldn't personally print on 100% poly using DTG


 That is my gut feeling as well. The garment is the smooth untextured fabric, similar to the Gildan 46000.


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## SmithbayJD (Apr 5, 2017)

I heard that the freejet 330tx plus can do that sort of things.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

The ink itself will probably bond when heat pressed...but I have a gut feeling that the pretreatment will stop it from doing so.


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## utero (Jun 9, 2007)

You can print on poly with IA ink

https://www.resoluteink.co.uk/blog/white_ink_printing_on_dark_polyester.asp


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## TomNJ (Apr 9, 2017)

Check the Image Armor website for some great info on DTG printing on poly.

We use their pre-treat and have had great success on white poly. Still experemienting on dark poly.


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## oc2dHK (Apr 16, 2014)

I have been using IA ink and pretreat for almost 5 years on DARK poly. I print on an Anajet FP125. I main customer for these poly shirts are bowling teams. Worn and washed at least once a week with excellent results, lasting 2-3 years. Sport Tec shirts are the best to print and last, I have also printed on Champion with good results. 
I talked with an OmniPrint rep at a NBM show last week about the FreeJet 330TX, he was very upbeat on printing poly with that machine and their ink.
Pretreat and ink are the major players in this process. Do NOT trust any brand but the IA inks and pretreat.

Best of luck..


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## ErAhClem (Sep 20, 2016)

We use an Omniprint freejet 330TX and print 100% poly all the time. We use their pretreat. they make one for light poly and one for dark poly. We get great results. The one thing we do that is different from their instructions is we hover cure the shirt for 90 seconds and then lower the heat press on to the shirt with no pressure, just the heat press resting on the shirt. We do that for 90 seconds and then open it up and flip the paper and do another 90 seconds on the shirt. Perfect results ever time.


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## PatWibble (Mar 7, 2014)

ErAhClem said:


> We use an Omniprint freejet 330TX and print 100% poly all the time. We use their pretreat. they make one for light poly and one for dark poly. We get great results. The one thing we do that is different from their instructions is we hover cure the shirt for 90 seconds and then lower the heat press on to the shirt with no pressure, just the heat press resting on the shirt. We do that for 90 seconds and then open it up and flip the paper and do another 90 seconds on the shirt. Perfect results ever time.


Is that onto the shinny finish filament polyester sports tops, or onto brush finished 'cotton feel' poly?


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## klibhart (Mar 26, 2018)

oc2dHK said:


> I have been using IA ink and pretreat for almost 5 years on DARK poly. I print on an Anajet FP125. I main customer for these poly shirts are bowling teams. Worn and washed at least once a week with excellent results, lasting 2-3 years. Sport Tec shirts are the best to print and last, I have also printed on Champion with good results.
> I talked with an OmniPrint rep at a NBM show last week about the FreeJet 330TX, he was very upbeat on printing poly with that machine and their ink.
> Pretreat and ink are the major players in this process. Do NOT trust any brand but the IA inks and pretreat.
> 
> Best of luck..


 What are you using to apply your pretreat solutions?


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## oc2dHK (Apr 16, 2014)

Since my post in June last year my FP125 died. I purchased a TexJet from Exile ind. in December last year. I purchased that one because they provided the same IA ink I was using on the FP125. As for pretreating I have a Viper One from the same people who make the IA ink. Good luck.


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