# DTG vs. Dye Sublimation



## mtmob (Apr 21, 2007)

Hi everybody,

I havent been in the tshirt industry for a while and now im finding my way back. I have a question Is Dye Sublimation the same as DTG Please correct me if im wrong so far from my understanding:

DTG: is an inkjet printer configured to print on textile using dyes when printing is done you then have to apply heat via heat press to seal in the the dyes into the fabric.

Dye Sublimation: you print image onto a special paper then you heat press it onto a tshirt once again using heat to seal in the dyes into the fabric...

Am I on the right path or am I confused..

Thank You in advance


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

Joshua, 
DTG printing is suitable for cotton t-shirts; it's a surface print and will wash off a little during regular wear and tear of the garment. 

Dye-Sublimation doesn't work on natural fabrics; the print gets permanently dyed into the fabric so you can't feel it on the surface; the print will never deteriorate.


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## Smalzstein (Jul 22, 2008)

And sublimation only work correctly on white blanks. Polyester blanks.


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

You can get very nice sublimation on light pastel polyester....as long as you are aware of the color shift and how to manage...like what happens when you use red on a light blue etc


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## mtmob (Apr 21, 2007)

thanks guys for your help... I found it very useful..


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## ddtk (Jan 27, 2013)

I'm sorry, but English isn't my native language, so I was wondering if by "Dye-Sublimation doesn't work on natural fabrics" you mean NOT ON COTTON... 
What would you call "natural fabrics"...I have bothering you but I am trying to make sense of all these different methods 



D.Evo. said:


> Joshua,
> DTG printing is suitable for cotton t-shirts; it's a surface print and will wash off a little during regular wear and tear of the garment.
> 
> Dye-Sublimation doesn't work on natural fabrics; the print gets permanently dyed into the fabric so you can't feel it on the surface; the print will never deteriorate.


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

ddtk said:


> I'm sorry, but English isn't my native language, so I was wondering if by "Dye-Sublimation doesn't work on natural fabrics" you mean NOT ON COTTON...
> What would you call "natural fabrics"...I have bothering you but I am trying to make sense of all these different methods


Natural fabrics are made of fibes from animal or plant sources; for example: cotton, linen, bamboo, hemp, modal, wool, silk... 

Synthetic fabrics use polymer-based materials; for example polyester, nylon, spandex, acetate.


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## Max Dos (Aug 28, 2010)

There is also a huge difference between the two techniques: entry price.

If you want to own the equipment, you can get into sublimation for around 1K, with reputable vendors. DTG gets as high as ten times that.

If you are comfortable working with a third party, many members of the forum offer outsourcing services on both techniques.

Good luck!


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## Resolute DTG (Jun 27, 2010)

ddtk said:


> I'm sorry, but English isn't my native language, so I was wondering if by "Dye-Sublimation doesn't work on natural fabrics" you mean NOT ON COTTON...
> What would you call "natural fabrics"...I have bothering you but I am trying to make sense of all these different methods


If you did go down the DTG route you can print both cotton & polyester shirts by simply using a specific pre treatment. Best of both worlds


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## NZACO (Jan 21, 2012)

Resolute DTG said:


> If you did go down the DTG route you can print both cotton & polyester shirts by simply using a specific pre treatment. Best of both worlds


Will the polyester pre-treatment work with normal ink on dark fabrics?


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## Resolute DTG (Jun 27, 2010)

NZACO said:


> Will the polyester pre-treatment work with normal ink on dark fabrics?


It will work with pigmented textile ink the same as you would use for cotton. Not standard printer ink.


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## ddtk (Jan 27, 2013)

Thank you so much for the info!!! I greatly appreciate it!!! Blessings!! 
;-)



D.Evo. said:


> Natural fabrics are made of fibes from animal or plant sources; for example: cotton, linen, bamboo, hemp, modal, wool, silk...
> 
> Synthetic fabrics use polymer-based materials; for example polyester, nylon, spandex, acetate.


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## ddtk (Jan 27, 2013)

Also a tip!!! THANK YOU!!! ;-) 

I value it! 

Regards! ;-)



Resolute DTG said:


> If you did go down the DTG route you can print both cotton & polyester shirts by simply using a specific pre treatment. Best of both worlds


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