# dye sub vs normal heat transfer



## sofakinggood (Dec 5, 2005)

i noticed that most members of this forum do not use the dye sub method of printing t shirt. 


is this because they have to be printed on tees with a polyester content of at least 50% and these are more expensive or is it difficult to source tee supliers? 

Is the dye sub method just a better form of printing for digital images with many colors? 

What would the price rage of a sub dye tee sell for compared to a normal heat transfer tee ($15 to $20 i hear for these) considering that the materials are more expensive? 
 I would have thought from reading the differences, that dye sub gives high quality images that fuses to the tee therfore have longgevity over normal heat pressed tees. 

cheers


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

*Re: dye sub v normal heat transfer*

The printing process won't change the price of the t-shirt too much.

T-Shirts generally sell anywhere from $10 on the low end to $25 on the high end.

The overally quality of the design and shirt are what will command the price, not the process.


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## sofakinggood (Dec 5, 2005)

*Re: dye sub v normal heat transfer*

form searching different sites i cant seem to get a poly tee for less that about $2.60 whereas i can find 100% cotton for as little as $1.20 thats 1/2 the price. the sub transfer paper also seems to be more expensive and as well as the sub ink? can you help me source some cheaper distributers please.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

*Re: dye sub v normal heat transfer*



sofakinggood said:


> form searching different sites i cant seem to get a poly tee for less that about $2.60 whereas i can find 100% cotton for as little as $1.20 thats 1/2 the price. the sub transfer paper also seems to be more expensive and as well as the sub ink? can you help me source some cheaper distributers please.


It's really just a matter of searching Google or Yahoo. Maybe even try Froogle.

I don't do dye sub, so I wouldn't be able to help much with sources.


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## Twinge (Apr 26, 2005)

There are no other distributors for dye sublimation ink -- therein lies the problem. Yes, dye sub IS better quality than heat transfer, but it is MUCH more expensive. The cost is so high because the company that invented the process is completely monopolizing it and charging far too much for the required items. Most people don't go with dye sub simply because it costs too much more than standard heat transfer to be worth it.


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## JoshEllsworth (Dec 14, 2005)

I used to sell dye sub set ups about 2 years ago and found that it was an ideal process for creating mugs, mousepads, tiles, and other promotional items. I found that the garment decoration options for dye sub were/are very limited. When using dye sub for garments you are restricted to certain blends of fabric and certain colors. In my opinion, it is not a flexible/versatile enough technology for a "garment" decorator. However, there are definitely niche markets for this process.


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