# what ink do I use on cotton shirts?



## happyasgilmour (Feb 17, 2007)

Im sure this is a simple question to experienced pressers but I want the best looking, longest lasting prints I can get and dye sub seems to be the recomended way to go but Poly T-shirts seem to be unobtainable. 
Basically then my question is I have an Epson R210 Printer, what ink do I need to use to print my own photos and lettering on t-shirts using heat press paper on cotton t-shirts? I originally thought Id buy some dye sub ink and 70/30 poly cotton t-shirts but this seems an impossible comination to find. Also when pressing do most people use teflon or paper as Ive read of some that prefer paper to teflon?
Thanks for your time.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

happyasgilmour said:


> but Poly T-shirts seem to be unobtainable.


They're not at all unobtainable. They're not particularly cheap, but they're readily available.


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## happyasgilmour (Feb 17, 2007)

I know theyre obtainable I found them in India but to be practical it looks like its going to have to be cotton. Im really wondering what ink people use to make professional quality t-shirts using heat press paper? Is buying sublimation ink for cotton t-shirts the wrong choice?


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

happyasgilmour said:


> I know theyre obtainable I found them in India


...you don't need to go to India to get them either. But there are plenty of reasons _not_ to use dye sub, and that's fair enough.



happyasgilmour said:


> Im really wondering what ink people use to make professional quality t-shirts using heat press paper?


The people who use heat press paper mostly use pigment ink for best results. Brands vary a lot (whether custom from a heat press supplier as with Magic Mix, or just the standard Durabrite inks), but being pigmented as opposed to dye is the commonality.



happyasgilmour said:


> Is buying sublimation ink for cotton t-shirts the wrong choice?


I think it is. The ability to use sublimation with cotton shirts is extremely limited; to me it doesn't seem worth it.


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## happyasgilmour (Feb 17, 2007)

Thanks Solmu, I was pretty close to buying sublimation Ink, had a feeling I didnt need to.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> Basically then my question is I have an Epson R210 Printer, what ink do I need to use to print my own photos and lettering on t-shirts using heat press paper on cotton t-shirts?


If you can get pigment inks for your printer (either durabrite from epson or third party pigment inks), then you can print photos and lettering on white/light colored shirts using that ink, inkjet paper (like IronAll or JetFlex) and a heat press.


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## deepintention (Feb 6, 2007)

do they sell durabrite in bulk?


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> do they sell durabrite in bulk?


No, but they sell pigment ink for heat transfers in bulk at places like coastalbusiness.com and personalizedsupplies.com


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