Cotton or Polyester?

[waynewes]

Everything online points to T-shirts being printed by sublimation and they have to be 75% or more polyester, but when I see the polyester t-shirts they look like sports t-shirts. I have seen loads of people with what looks like cotton T-shirts that look like they have been printed. Can anyone help me out with info?
Why does everyone print sublimation and not cotton? Does it not work properly/last as long?
Does anyone here print on Cotton T-shirts?

[mags1892]

ID suggest googling the Sublimation process, but essentially the ink under heat and pressue turns into agas and attaches to a PLOYMER which polyester is , it will not attach to a cotton as this is not a polymer, to print on cotton either use a DTG direct to garment pigment printer or a standard pigment and a transfer media like jetpro soft stretch which you can get from yolo. The latter puts a very thin film layer over the print so best to countour cut this out.

[waynewes]

Thank you Mags1892 so does all DTG print the film? So I would need to cut it regardless? I am doing slogans and lots of small bits so will this be an issue with a visible 'layer'?

[ArferMo]

DTG is different again a 10K printer that ink jet prints a special ink straight on to the garment. Problem is VERY low wash temp 30C to be safe and no tumbling, the ink is also very expensive and you have to use the printer almost every day else the head is prone to clog and thats gunna cost many hundreds to fix.

[waynewes]

Sorry I think I got myself mixed up, I didn't think about it properly and I am guessing that DTG would be like putting the T-shirt into the printer instead of paper?

When searching online I am finding standard presses with transfer paper is an option, does anyone have experience with this at all?

[mags1892]

Yes you can get DTG printers for anything from £2500 or one based on a desktop epson like a 2100 to about (grand for a epson proper DTG to many times more that for a mahoosive industrial jobby. To be honest the small 2500 machines can be damn good but you need the correct ink (of which i have of course) . If you dont prnt a lot of shirts forget DTG especially with a white ink as its a nightmare to keep clean.

Standard presses and transfer paper are either pigment inks machines with something like jetpro soft stretch as mentioned earlier or Sublimation onto a polyester garment.

theres also a pigment ink for cotton which is a direct printing method which not many people take advantage of , funnnily enough i do the inks and machines for all these methods

Feel free to call me and ill explain in good old English (well a geordie version of it) 07776296795 after 830 am and before 7pm please.

Ken