# DTG print Names and Numbers on Jerseys



## extremestitch (Jul 6, 2008)

I want everyone to try to stay on topic please! I am aware of screen printing and sublimination techniques on this. I just want to discuss Direct to garment printing That said here it goes. 
Football, Baseball, and Basketball jerseys are commonly both ployester or Nylon. I am hearing mixes reviews on Polyester. We can discuss polyester more in depth, but I really want to find out techniques on Nylon. Is anyone having any sucess? Which inks? I would love to throw away stencils and number screens and start doing names and # for jerseys on a DTG printer that I do not currently own. Any help on this matter would be appriciated. Im not interested in your screenprinting or sublimination advice.


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## mike2468 (Mar 11, 2007)

DTG printing on the jersey is not going to work. I would use the heat press vinyl. I have applied this vinyl to nylon (and other materials) with excellent results.

Mike


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## extremestitch (Jul 6, 2008)

mike2468 said:


> DTG printing on the jersey is not going to work. I would use the heat press vinyl. I have applied this vinyl to nylon (and other materials) with excellent results.
> 
> Mike


I know of the alternitive techniques thank you. there are other threads discussing DTG on both nylon and poly. Is there anyone having sucess currently? Some DTG equipment suppliers say inks and techniques are in the works. is there anything new going on?


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## Robin (Aug 28, 2006)

for dtg printing on jerseys I have to agree with Mike. Go with a heat press vinyl.

Why? 

Because the jerseys get washed alot. Which means the ink will wash off.

Why?

Because when you print with a dtg (ours anyways, a brother gt 541) the ink just sits ON top of the fabric rather than soaking in and permanently staining the fabric like it would a cotton.

The ink sits on the top of the fabric, and will eventually wash away to a considerable fadedness(is that even a word??) 

With the brother I would tell the customer that I couldnt guarantee the graphic.

Id be interested in hearing what some of the other dtg-ers have to say about printing on poly/nylon fabrics.

........an after thought, dye sublimation might work well with the poly stuff. That might be something to look into to. Im not sure about nylon tho.


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## extremestitch (Jul 6, 2008)

Robin said:


> ........an after thought, dye sublimation might work well with the poly stuff. That might be something to look into to. Im not sure about nylon tho.


 
I was really hoping we could have a thread about Poly /nylon Girect to garment and not about other proven techniques. 
Does anyone see a posibbility in the future with Nylon.
Manufacturers state they are working on it. Is anyone here working on it?


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## Printzilla (Mar 22, 2007)

Hello Ty and welcome to the forum. One reason you're not getting many responses is because everyone uses the proven methods, rather than try to use a method than simply does not work at this point in time. Current trends in the ink division of the industry are moving towards The ability to print on polyester. There are a couple of posts on the board, one with pictures from Yodan, showing DTG printing on polyester jerseys.

No one here has a crystal ball to be able to tell you whether in the future you'll be able to print on Nylon. Only the ink manufacturers could disclose this information.


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## Naga (Mar 11, 2008)

Acid dye ink can print on Nylon (On Nylon 6, probably not on Nylon 6.6). The Mimaki printers can do that.
So there is a possibility, if you have enough production to keep the printer running with this kind of jobs.


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## Don-ColDesi (Oct 18, 2006)

> Acid dye ink can print on Nylon


I don't think anyone is making a white acid dye ink. 

Current direct to garment white ink technology does not work consistently on polyester or nylon. I have done some testing with a handful of ink cocktails and had moderate post wash results at best. You can get pretty good looking pre-wash prints but the post wash does not look great at this time. Maybe down the road, but it's not a reality at this time.


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## Naga (Mar 11, 2008)

Don-SWF East said:


> I don't think anyone is making a white acid dye ink.
> 
> Current direct to garment white ink technology does not work consistently on polyester or nylon. I have done some testing with a handful of ink cocktails and had moderate post wash results at best. You can get pretty good looking pre-wash prints but the post wash does not look great at this time. Maybe down the road, but it's not a reality at this time.


Of course not, I was only thinking about printing on white here ...


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## extremestitch (Jul 6, 2008)

Thanks Guys. I was hoping someone would pop up that is actively working a solution with nylon. If heard fron DTG manufactures that once they get the current inks alittle more fool proof they were talking about UV inks for DTG that would work on Nylons reliablly. The sports market needs something like this. to do jerseys for the tens of thousands of the H.S. and Little League jerseys. 
I hope one day they will.


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## Don-ColDesi (Oct 18, 2006)

The concern about UV inks is that they are not approved for garment decoration. I don't remember the exact reason, but there is some chemical in the inks that makes them UV that us not good to wear against your skin.


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## Naga (Mar 11, 2008)

UV inks are brittle, so maybe they need softeners (phthalates), which has a health risk associated.

Also, in order to be curable by UV, they must be transparent. So UV inks can only be used on white media.

While pigment textile inks and solvent inks can resist outdoor conditions for typically three year, the durability of UV inks are typically one year.


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