# Dye Sub Socks - "Consumer Report" Style



## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

Part One

There has been so much buzz on dye sub socks. We have received quite a few PM and emails on this topic from people wanting to start a business based on such asking for advice. 

I truly understand the excitement as I believe the custom dye sub sock market would dwarf the custom cell phone case market. To fuel the fire you see numerous photos posted of the socks and in most cases they really look great. The issue is the vast majority of the pics are of socks laying on a flat surface. If you never had to wear a sock that would be great . Hats off to DebonairMaterial for actually showing their test results with a sock worn instead of laying flat on a table. 

Approx a year ago we started the search and this is our experience.

Over time we have tested anywhere from 12 to 18 brands of sock looking for the magic potion. As expected some better than others. Instead of testing trying to make a sock look salable we tested more on the lines of Consumer Reports - trying to "break" the sock to find the flaws. The way to truly test a sock is to print it solid black. Any issues, flaws, etc will be clearly seen.

The sock with the smoothest texture that we found is the Foxriver liner sock. Being the smoothest material you get a better print quality.

Below is a pic of a Foxriver sock that we dye sublimated as part of our testing. For those techies the following was used:

Mutoh printer
J-Teck ink
Beaver tacky paper
Foxriver liner sock

The sock was sandwiched between paper pressed at 395 on the first side for 50 seconds, flipped over and pressed for an additional 20 seconds on the other side. We used the exact same parameters in all the socks we tested. We did do minor sock stretching by hand before pressing and pre pressed for 5 seconds. 

If you look closely you will see a very small void near the toe of the sock. Picture was taken using a cell phone camera on a cutting table.


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## JayAyala (Dec 13, 2012)

cant wait for part 2!!!! 
good **** !


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## selanac (Jan 8, 2007)

RR, some questions I have are one, is that what the customer wants. Know you're trying to test these to see what works best. However, seems like the customers have something they want. All black isn't one of them. That being said, I would think it's a combination of the print design, and the sock brand itself. 

I'm not saying that is what the customer want, as much as I'm asking you and other printers. Seems like Sky Dave is selling all kinds of brands, as long as they have a nice design. 

I've only sold a few with custom designs.


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## JayAyala (Dec 13, 2012)

have you guys seen these elite socks? they look legit, haven't seen any of them being worn Custom Nike Elite Socks by Thesockgame.com


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

selanac said:


> RR, some questions I have are one, is that what the customer wants. Know you're trying to test these to see what works best. However, seems like the customers have something they want. All black isn't one of them. That being said, I would think it's a combination of the print design, and the sock brand itself.
> 
> I'm not saying that is what the customer want, as much as I'm asking you and other printers. Seems like Sky Dave is selling all kinds of brands, as long as they have a nice design.
> 
> I've only sold a few with custom designs.


If someone wanted all black they would buy a black sock. We used black to test the different socks and how well they printed when being worn. I could easily do a light design, etc but the point was to find the best sock not try to sell something.

The issue regardless of the brands tested is they are very muted when worn. Doesn't matter if it is a Nike sock or a liner sock. Nikes actually printed the worst for us. A lot of ribbing in those socks. To some that may be acceptable - for us it is not. If there are clear markets for muted socks I wonder why virtually every producer/seller of such socks display wonderful pics of the socks laying flat on a table and not being worn? Very seldom do you see socks being worn photographed from a close distance. The difference is significant.

People not only buy these socks but you have people flocking to buy the stuff to make the socks. In most cases the $$$$ signs have blinded them so bad that they never even order a sample pair before diving in.

In short the pics below who how you can take a sock and print it to look virtually perfect yet when you put it on - - ooops


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## paintersspouse (Jul 26, 2012)

JayAyala said:


> have you guys seen these elite socks? they look legit, haven't seen any of them being worn Custom Nike Elite Socks by Thesockgame.com


Those socks are great. I would were a pair and I am getting to be an old fogey. Quite a few examples of people wearing the socks on there.


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## mgparrish (Jul 9, 2005)

paintersspouse said:


> Those socks are great. I would were a pair and I am getting to be an old fogey. Quite a few examples of people wearing the socks on there.


They also disclaimer the quality when you go to buy, which would be the ethical thing to do. Not sure I would word it the same way they do on that website, but at least they put something there about it.


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

paintersspouse said:


> Those socks are great. I would were a pair and I am getting to be an old fogey. Quite a few examples of people wearing the socks on there.


Of course they look great they are selling and there is significant photoshopping like work done. Again there is no issue selling anything if it is accurately represented.

Take as just one example - if you take the 9 examples of the socks being worn and just take for instance the sock on the far right that is in the middle row (bright yellow, red blue) - if you truly believe that is an accurate representation of what the sock actually looks like then you, as many before and many after, just got scammed. Same for the one on the bottom left. 100% photoshopped.


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## paintersspouse (Jul 26, 2012)

Riderz Ready said:


> Of course they look great they are selling and there is significant photoshopping like work done. Again there is no issue selling anything if it is accurately represented.
> 
> Take as just one example - if you take the 9 examples of the socks being worn and just take for instance the sock on the far right that is in the middle row (bright yellow, red blue) - if you truly believe that is an accurate representation of what the sock actually looks like then you, as many before and many after, just got scammed. Same for the one on the bottom left. 100% photoshopped.


You really have a burr in your bonnet about something that the people buying don't care about. I went further than their front page and saw all the Instagram pictures that showed the the real socks. I also have looked at people sharing their own pictures ( not Photoshoped) wearing the socks they seem to love even though you keep putting them down.


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

paintersspouse said:


> You really have a burr in your bonnet about something that the people buying don't care about. I went further than their front page and saw all the Instagram pictures that showed the the real socks. I also have looked at people sharing their own pictures ( not Photoshoped) wearing the socks they seem to love even though you keep putting them down.


To be honest I do not get 3/4 of your post. Hard to tell if your comments and experience is based on dye sub or printing fine art on canvas using other means. You seem to make comments about issues, which most assume are related to dye sub, only to later find out that these comments are not even dye sub related.

If you actually read the related post my comments have zero to do with the quality of the socks and whether people are happy with them. If you actually read the posts I am not putting the socks down as you so want to believe. I am putting down pictures being posted that are far from accurate to the real product. This nonsense went on with full coverage prints a few years ago and now with socks. If as stated, people do not care, then why not show them accurately? Why photoshop them? How many people have jumped on this forum all hot and bothered to buy all the equipment to make these socks based on those pictures? Foolishly many do not even buy a pair to see what the real quality is like as they are assuming the pics accurately reflect the product. Take Daves recent neon sock post. The sock laying flat and the sock being worn look nothing alike. Which picture would sell more socks? The laying on the table or the one being "worn"?

If you have no issues photshopping your products and posting on the web that is your choice. Professionally I think it is far from honest. To me forums are to learn, to educate and to share - not sell.


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## paintersspouse (Jul 26, 2012)

I am saying that people like the socks just fine, voids, not printed areas between the ribs etc. There are lots of customer posted pictures that have not been photoshopped. These people see these socks being worn in their everyday life. They know what they are getting. 

Dave's pictures show flat and worn and people still want the socks. You are the one that has posted that sublimated socks are not good enough for you to sell. So then don't sell them, but just stop implying that because it is not good enough for you then others should not be fine with what they are getting. The market has proven that others are fine with them as they are.


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## paintersspouse (Jul 26, 2012)

Riderz Ready said:


> To be honest I do not get 3/4 of your post. Hard to tell if your comments and experience is based on dye sub or printing fine art on canvas using other means. You seem to make comments about issues, which most assume are related to dye sub, only to later find out that these comments are not even dye sub related.


Everything I discuss here is about sublimation printing. I happen to have a background in Fine art printing and I have asked questions about sublimation printing that reference that experience and how that contrasts and compares to sublimation printing. What is so hard to understand about that?


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

paintersspouse said:


> I am saying that people like the socks just fine, voids, not printed areas between the ribs etc. There are lots of customer posted pictures that have not been photoshopped. These people see these socks being worn in their everyday life. They know what they are getting.
> 
> Dave's pictures show flat and worn and people still want the socks. You are the one that has posted that sublimated socks are not good enough for you to sell. So then don't sell them, but just stop implying that because it is not good enough for you then others should not be fine with what they are getting. The market has proven that others are fine with them as they are.


WOW - reading comprehension skill issues? You truly do not get simple concepts. One last time - this is not about the quality of the sock and whether it is of quality to some markets. It is about posting pictures, regardless of the product, that are not accurate representation of the product.

It is that simple.


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## JayAyala (Dec 13, 2012)

here is a before and after video of the socks washed

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czKh0v8uOf8&list=TLTD4VYZqzLl4[/media]


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## paintersspouse (Jul 26, 2012)

I you watch any of their videos thy also point out the voids and the ribbing.


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## JayAyala (Dec 13, 2012)

i think these are DTG printed, you can hear the machine in the background printing in this video [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEpMm29yNL0&list=TLbY5ZNRDW5nk[/media]


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

JayAyala said:


> here is a before and after video of the socks washed
> 
> [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czKh0v8uOf8&list=TLTD4VYZqzLl4[/media]


Dye sublimation garments will not fade regardless what they are - the main culprit to fading in dye sub is the sun.


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