# what can dye sub print on or good wholesaler for polys?



## DannyO (Jun 4, 2008)

OK, so I've decided to go with dye sublimation for my business as it best fits my needs and what I want to do. Now to basics.

*If I use regular sub inks and paper, what all can I print to other than 100% poly?*

*What is/are the best inks and papers to print on 100% cotton or other materials?*

*Which of the previous two would you recommend I do?* _(just poly, or special inks and paper for cotton and others)_

*And finally, What is a good wholesaler for blank polys that is easy to navigate and has a lot of different poly stuff? *_(assuming I go with basic inks and paper for polys only)_


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

first..your choices for polyester are limited...most any sublimation supply source will have or can get 100% polyester...usually they are white and from Hanes...100% poly on outside..100% cotton on the inside. For colors you are limited to pastels...vapor ware is available from a lot of the sublimation sources.

For the most part, I think most...repeat most...no all... that use desktop printers will use an Epson and pigment inks...( I know, I know...some have had success with JPSS paper and Claira inks) there are papers for white/light colors and papers for dark...some papers are just rebranded from one of the majors...I would sugges contacting one of our vendors...tell them your setup and follow some of their suggestions... OR you can use a color laser printer and use Duracotton or ImageClip for white and light cotton.


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## DannyO (Jun 4, 2008)

And one more question.
If I use Chromablast inks and papers, how do I do white designs on shirts?


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## DAGuide (Oct 2, 2006)

DannyO said:


> And one more question.
> If I use Chromablast inks and papers, how do I do white designs on shirts?


ChromaBlast is a light transfer solution. Thus if you want white in your design, your shirt needs to be white. Otherwise, the color of the shirt will alter the white color in your design to the color of the shirt.


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## donkeynomad (Apr 22, 2008)

Hi Danny,
With dyesub you can print onto 100% polyester cloth, microfibre, cooldry, sport-dry, fine polar fleece (and nylon if you are careful). You need special printer and dyesub inks and the fabrics must be white or pastel colors. You can also print onto specially coated tiles, jewellery, mugs (with mug press), cigarette lighters and holders, ornaments, coasters and hundreds more items.
For cotton fabrics, you need a separate desktop cheap printer and use heat transfer papers (unless you have the big bucks for a direct to fabric printer).

Cheers,
Rowan


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## dim116 (Nov 27, 2006)

Actually anything atleast 65% poly can be printed on with good results. Anything less than that and the colors become muted, especially after washing. I have also printed on rayon & other fabrics that are not natural.


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## NorthDes (Sep 5, 2006)

DannyO;
Have you checked out the dyesub.org forum? Where are you purchasing your inks from and where are you located? I ask because suggesting suppliers of poly and poly coated items would be easier if I knew which inks you are planning on using and location (because shipping can be a huge factor in cost to obtain blank goods). If you are located in the USA, then there is only one sublimation (via inkjet) ink supplier available (legally) and that is Sawgrass' lines (Sublijet, Artanium, Rotech), available through various Sawgrass authorized distributors. The ink is very expensive, but depending on the market you are targeting, you can build the high ink cost into the product. There is a definite learning curve, but with the right suppliers, help is easily obtainable (we use laserreproductions.com) At the price paid for the ink and a sublimation system, you should expect and ask for help in getting the color profiles right when printing and pressing etc. I've been "subbing" off and on for 8 years, and have made/sold products into many, varied markets (from retail to advertising). Profit margins definitely go up if you research and know which market will want what you can produce. Sublimation is a great tool, but it is just that a "tool" to put an image on a product; some tools are more suited to a task than others. To decorate a garment, sublimation is great for the performance/sportswear market where the wicking properties of special poly fabric is desired. This may be more than you wanted to know , but as a long time subber, I'll tell ya, it's addictive, and the community of dyesubbers are very helpful, and talkative.....


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

I have printed on 65% poly blend a few times and was not very impressed - especially after a wash - the prints didn't look as crisp and vibrant as 100% poly. 

Apart from fabrics mentioned above, sublimated satin and polyester canvas look great. As Rowan pointed out, there is a wide choice of imprintables for dye sublimation printing.

With regards to good wholesalers - it would help to know where are you based?

Good luck with your venture!


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## DannyO (Jun 4, 2008)

thanks, I am in Boise, ID........ usa... I am planning on chromablast inks and paper with a c88+ epson printer and a bulk ink system with a 15 x 15 heat press. I looked at novachrome.com or something like that since they are in california and that was the closest i've found so far for inks and paper.
As a filler for my last question, to be more specific:
How do I print a white graphic on a black shirt with chromablast inks and paper? I ask only cause i figured I can get every color with "cmyk" except for white. And as long as I get good results printing to cotton, I'll stick with chromablast since it's easier to find demand for cotton, for me, than polyester.


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

DannyO....in short ....you can't. Chromablast, like sublimation, is only for white or light pastel garments. If you are going to use black or dark garments, your choices are one of the transfer papers made for this purpose or contract out to a DTG operator who has the right machine.


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## DannyO (Jun 4, 2008)

hmm so, if I get some special papers for dark garments, would I have to get different inks as well? Or could I use the chromablasts?


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## gmille39 (Oct 18, 2006)

. To decorate a garment, sublimation is great for the performance/sportswear market where the wicking properties of special poly fabric is desired. ..[/quote]

But again, you can only do this on ligh colors, correct?

I have a customer that wants to put their logo front and back of some Port Authority Dri-Mesh shirts but I have not figured out a good way to do it so the print is very light. I read in some other posts here where someone was doing heat press and the heat was changing the color of the shirts. My customer wants a range of colors from white to Navy Blue.


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

Greg,

I have seen perforated vinyl that is used for performance wear - it's called Easy-breathe and sold in Australia by Stahls Pacific. It feels quite thin and light, but I'm not sure if it comes in many colors. I don't see this product on Stahls.com website but you may want to check with them anyway.


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## gmille39 (Oct 18, 2006)

D.Evo. said:


> Greg,
> 
> I have seen perforated vinyl that is used for performance wear - it's called Easy-breathe and sold in Australia by Stahls Pacific. It feels quite thin and light, but I'm not sure if it comes in many colors. I don't see this product on Stahls.com website but you may want to check with them anyway.


The many colors they want are the shirts. The design cannot be done with vinyl.


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## dim116 (Nov 27, 2006)

YouTube - Cad Colour Solutions B

Maybe this type of printing would work for you. It is called Cadcolor Solutions, printed with a Versacamm.
if you don't own a versacamm, Stahls will print your designs for you & you would heat press it on.
The end of the video shows the different materials it can be used on and the stretchiness of it.
Maybe not what you are looking for but just thought I'd mention it.
Hopefully the link works.

I put part B on 1st, here is the Part A
YouTube - Stahls Cad Colour Solutions Video A


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

Greg, if you can't dye-sub them or use vinyl, could you use water-based screen printing or DTG? Not sure what options are left apart from that if you need a very light print.


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