# Is sublimation my best option!? Cotton/Spandex!



## LYFE9 (Jul 21, 2010)

Hey guys! I want to have some womans tank tops printed in time for this summer and would like to give them the best quality and smoothest feel to them possible. If i am not mistaken, sublimation is the way to go? My only concern is that the garment i want to use is 98%cotton and 2%spandex. Is this good for sublimation? I really want to use a tank top that has spandex in it and that is not ribbed. I find that the 100% cotton ribbed ones lose their shape fairly quickly and i am not a big fan. Spandex allows for some stretchiness without losing shape. 

I usually screen print my garments but i have a feeling that with the stretching it will not have the durability i am looking for. I am aware that there are additives that can be added to the ink to make it stretchier but i am not convinced that this is the best way to go. 


Help!? thankss!!!


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## debz1959 (Jul 29, 2007)

Sublimation does not work on cotton. You can try ChromaBlast or inkjet/laser transfer paper...


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## LYFE9 (Jul 21, 2010)

Than i am mistaken with the print type. I thought it was sublimation... sorry about that. What is the type of print that is soft to the touch and feels like the ink is actually part of the shirt and you cant feel the difference? I have a few shirts that are 100% cotton and are super super soft to the touch. that is what i need. Can anyone point me in the right direction?


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

You are not wrong, sublimation print has no feel to it at all - the design is dyed into the fabric. But this printing method is not suitable for cotton. However, there are modern polyester fabrics on the market that are made to look and feel like cotton.

If you want soft print on cotton t-shirts - screen printing with discharge and water based inks could be your answer.


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## Mabuzi (Jul 3, 2007)

Try chromablast on lights.

FTG is the other option but I yo will have issues with certain inks and the spandex. I think Tania is right, try water based screen printing.


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## LYFE9 (Jul 21, 2010)

Thanks for all the help. Is waterbased screenprinting that much more smooth to the touch than regular screenprinting? Like i mentioned earlier, i have a shirt that is super super soft to the touch and is 100% cotton. If this is the result of waterbased that i know exactly what i need


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## Cschuck14 (Feb 23, 2012)

i would think so, water based would be the best candidate

"If you want soft print on cotton t-shirts - screen printing with discharge and water based inks could be your answer."
what is discharge exactly?


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

when you print on darker coloured fabric, it kind of "eats out" the colour, like bleach. It is simetimes used in combination with waterbased inks.


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

waterbased screen printing or dtg. if it is line art and distressed, stahls has some vinyl that might work as well.


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## abboot (Mar 13, 2012)

sorry , i don not know.


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## LYFE9 (Jul 21, 2010)

I will be doing a test run shortly, i think this will be the best way to see if waterbased screenprinting is the right route for this project!


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