# Lifespan of tshirts made of sublimation ink



## braiyme (Aug 21, 2010)

Hello  

I am planning to start a t-shirt printing business but up to now I have a lot of questions to consider. I have regarding t-shirts made of sublimation ink. Here are some: 
a. How long do the t-shirts lasts?
b. Is it true that printers having/using a sublimation ink should be use at least twice a week?
c. Is it OK to print in dark t-shirt using sublimation ink?

I will really really appreciate all your suggestions and comments.


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

braiyme said:


> Hello
> 
> I am planning to start a t-shirt printing business but up to now I have a lot of questions to consider. I have regarding t-shirts made of sublimation ink. Here are some:
> a. How long do the t-shirts lasts?
> ...


The colors will outlast the shirt when using dye sublimation. That is the good news. 

If you are just starting out and will only be using the printer once or twice a week it is better to save your money and have someone else do the transfer for you. Dye sublimation is a tricky to do professionally. By leaving the printing up to others that are experienced you can concentrate on selling/marketing your items.

You can not print on dark shirts. The ink has to be darker then the shirt.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

You also can only print on synthetic material. No all cotton, even 50/50 will look washed out.


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

lights only, the process dyes the fabric, 100% poly is best results. the results are stunning.


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## D.Evo. (Mar 31, 2006)

The boys have summed it up nicely.

Just to add - a dark t-shirt with sublimated print can be done, but it will be a cut-and-sew job: white fabric cut into panels, printed with design + dark background and then sewn up.


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## shirek (Apr 16, 2007)

i have shirts a few years old that look great and went through many washings


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## mn shutterbug (Mar 19, 2009)

I have a Ricoh printer and will sometimes go a couple weeks without using it and have no problem.


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## braiyme (Aug 21, 2010)

Thanks for that great suggestion.


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## braiyme (Aug 21, 2010)

So dye sublimation should be printed in a synthetic material? Because I have seen a sample printed on a 100% cotton cloth and it looks good. Hmmm, what will happen if it is printed in a cotton cloth and then washed it?


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## pmlegend (Jun 25, 2010)

You can also sublimate on fibre plus heat vinyl and attach to shirt. I have done sublimation on poly cotton blend without problems. I run sublimation ink through my C110 printer and can leave it for weeks without many problems. Just run a head clean before printing.


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## PositiveDave (Dec 1, 2008)

braiyme said:


> So dye sublimation should be printed in a synthetic material? Because I have seen a sample printed on a 100% cotton cloth


No you haven't  there are cotton fixing dyes but they are different


braiyme said:


> what will happen if it is printed in a cotton cloth and then washed it?


It washes out.


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## HonestMe (Sep 3, 2011)

Just done reading the comments on this thread and I found it really really helpful! Thanks!


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