# Average print cost?



## nkennedysnorg (Jul 23, 2010)

I am new to Dye Sublimation and was wondering what people were seeing for an average print cost including all necessary supplies. Does anyone do images on t-shirts with about 10" x 10" print sizes? I have been DTG printing for awhile and was curious as to what all dye sublimation is about. I am trying to compare the cost of dye sublimation to that of DTG printing. I am also interested in the pros and cons between the two.


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## IYFGraphics (Sep 28, 2009)

nkennedysnorg said:


> I am new to Dye Sublimation and was wondering what people were seeing for an average print cost including all necessary supplies. Does anyone do images on t-shirts with about 10" x 10" print sizes? I have been DTG printing for awhile and was curious as to what all dye sublimation is about. I am trying to compare the cost of dye sublimation to that of DTG printing. I am also interested in the pros and cons between the two.


Sublimation is more expensive than DTG (if you can believe that!) the ink is the killer, unless you have a large format printer your locked into high ink costs although the Ricoh printers with gel sublimation ink are somewhat reasonable in cost per print.

The con to sublimation is similar to DTG, normally DTG works with high cotton fabrics and sublimation is just the opposite, it only works on high poly content fabrics and there isn't a sublimation solution to printing on darks so it really only is effective on light fabrics. 

As far as average print costs?....depends on a lot of factors but I'd say a 10x10 full color is going to be a couple bucks at the very least maybe as much as $5 depending on the paper, ink, and which printer.

Hope this helps.


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## red514 (Jul 21, 2009)

nkennedysnorg said:


> I am also interested in the pros and cons between the two.


here's a great thread that will help you get started
http://www.t-shirtforums.com/general-t-shirt-selling-discussion/t37985.html


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## nkennedysnorg (Jul 23, 2010)

IYFGraphics said:


> Sublimation is more expensive than DTG (if you can believe that!) the ink is the killer, unless you have a large format printer your locked into high ink costs although the Ricoh printers with gel sublimation ink are somewhat reasonable in cost per print.
> 
> The con to sublimation is similar to DTG, normally DTG works with high cotton fabrics and sublimation is just the opposite, it only works on high poly content fabrics and there isn't a sublimation solution to printing on darks so it really only is effective on light fabrics.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the info. Now if dye sub is more expensive than DTG why do people dye sub? Is the feel of the shirt better? Is dye sub more durable than DTG? When you do get into large format printers how much does the price per print drop. Would dye sub be a better printing process for a "higher quality" (as in high fashion) pieces?


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## red514 (Jul 21, 2009)

nkennedysnorg said:


> Would dye sub be a better printing process for a "higher quality" (as in high fashion) pieces?


yes, dyesub would be much better for high fashion, only issue is it can't be used for 100% cotton, you need at last 60% poly blend. even with that mix the look is sort of 'vintage' and washed out (dyesub doesn't work at all with cotton) this can be a good choice if you're going for that look tho. DyeSub has no hand feel at all and very breathable (the dye bonds with the fibers).

I'm no an expert with DyeSub but this much i know from my limited dealings with it.
The benefit of dyesub (if using a good quality printer) is high resolution detail, often comparable to magazine quality printing. on white 100% poly the colors can be extremely vibrant and saturated.
products to look at for a good example. the majority of swim wear, 'hawaiian shirts', sports wear like motor cross jerseys.

DyeSub is most often used in the cut and sew process, not as much with finished goods (altho it is possible. VaporWear makes poly shirts you can buy for dyesub). With the cut and sew, you can make any color garment you want, you need to start with white poly material and dyesub the whole piece prior to cutting (this is how we make our swim wear)


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

Just as stated above - sublimation is widely used to print on active wear/sports wear garments. Apart from printing on ready-made garments, dye sublimation is very often used with cut-and-sew process (printing panels before garment assembly) for creating customised sports uniforms, swim wear, all-over printed garments. 

It's great for short runs, detail and colour reproduction is literally photo quality and the print will not fade, crack, peel or deteriorate in any way during wear-and-tear of the garment.

The best result you will get on 100% polyester garments. Any % of cotton fibre in the fabric will result in “vintage” or faded look. The more cotton in the blend – the more faded print you will get.

There are garments on the market now that are made to look and feel like cotton, but made of ring-spun performance polyester - they look more like a casual t-shirts than a sports garment.

One of the biggest "pros" of dye-sub is that you are not only limited to garments/textiles - there are hundreds of products that can be customised with this method including ceramics, neoprene products like mouse pads, can coolers etc., wood and metal products; memorabilia, souvenirs, household items and the list goes on... All items suitable for dye-sublimation are polymer coated.


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

Wide format sublimation is about $.25 or
less per square foot (ink and paper) for full coverage.

Gx7000 is about $1.10 per square foot (ink and paper) for
full coverage.


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## nkennedysnorg (Jul 23, 2010)

Thanks everyone for all of the great responses. Say I was to buy a GX7000 is it capable of printing white and what is the darkest color shirt it can print on and still look good?


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## red514 (Jul 21, 2009)

nkennedysnorg said:


> Thanks everyone for all of the great responses. Say I was to buy a GX7000 is it capable of printing white and what is the darkest color shirt it can print on and still look good?


there is no white in DyeSub, hence why it must go on white (or light) fabric


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## Flagrant-T (Nov 11, 2009)

nkennedysnorg said:


> Thank you for the info. Now if dye sub is more expensive than DTG why do people dye sub?


I think two major reasons people might go die sub vs DTG would be:
1) Much lower entry cost to start
2) Great option for athletic/performance clothing. Running shirts, cycling shirts...even golf and fishing shirts that are out of the new tech materials (100% poly) can be dye sub'd with really great results. If properly done, they last pretty much forever. 

As far was what is the darkest colors you can print over, for true colors it has to be on white because the sub "ink" doesn't really have much or any opacity. If your design is all black, or the true color match doesn't mater, you probably could print on any color lighter than your design. 

Good luck!
Nick


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

What Nick said - if you need true colour match, only white t-shirt will do. Otherwise, you can print on pastel colours with great results, just keep in mind there will be a "hue" of the t-shirt background colour "mixed" into your print colour. There are some examples of printed coloured shirts on my site. On darker shirts like red and royal blue only black or very dark print will stand out.


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## dt (Aug 12, 2007)

David : i always thought of .25 per square foot for my cost (ink and paper with wide format) and thank you to confirm that

It's very cheap to run wide format to do sublimation and very very profitable 

i print 120 -150 sq feet an hour on my roland and my rotary calander imagine the profit...

the cost is not only paper and ink the major factor is your printer speed

cost of print is : labor and consumable divide by amount of work done 

but you can have expensive cost but make a lot of profit 

personaly i prefer lost cost, high production and high price


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