What is the best quality textile printing out there?
January 28, 2016 5:55 PM Subscribe
What is the best way of going about printing on t-shirts, hoodies, and other textiles apart from silk-screening? In your experience, what would constitute "high-end" textile printing and would actually be durable?
I am interested in the kind of quality that you would be willing to pay top dollar for. If you've had experience with any brands that print that kind of quality, that would be very helpful.
I am interested in the kind of quality that you would be willing to pay top dollar for. If you've had experience with any brands that print that kind of quality, that would be very helpful.
The highest quality, most durable, printing onto textiles is going to be dye sublimation. It looks amazing, but generally the highest quality printers, with the best colors and colorfastness, are designed for rolls of textile which can then be sewn into garments.
To be precise, dye-sub is printed onto transfer paper, which is then transferred to the actual textile/product/etc. So there are basic printers which print onto 8.5˝ x 11˝ and can then be transferred onto t shirts, etc. However, these basic printers are usually 4 colors and not necessarily the best quality. The high end ones are usually 7 or more colors, so much brighter, with much better inks.
This is tangential to my job, so I know some things about it, but not all that much.
posted by mhz at 6:17 PM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
To be precise, dye-sub is printed onto transfer paper, which is then transferred to the actual textile/product/etc. So there are basic printers which print onto 8.5˝ x 11˝ and can then be transferred onto t shirts, etc. However, these basic printers are usually 4 colors and not necessarily the best quality. The high end ones are usually 7 or more colors, so much brighter, with much better inks.
This is tangential to my job, so I know some things about it, but not all that much.
posted by mhz at 6:17 PM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: What if there were no colors, and it was specific to black on light textiles and white on dark textiles?
posted by omar.a at 9:11 PM on January 28, 2016
posted by omar.a at 9:11 PM on January 28, 2016
The highest quality black on white is going to be silkscreen, to be honest. Dye-sub works better for four color. You can use different types of inks with silkscreen, plastisol inks will leave the print with the standard thicker, plasticy print, but there are other inks (water-based, for instance) that leave a softer feel.
posted by sleeping bear at 11:56 PM on January 28, 2016
posted by sleeping bear at 11:56 PM on January 28, 2016
Discharge is a type of ink that's applied by screen printing.
It would be more useful to know why you want to avoid screen printing, since the answer to "what is durable and high quality" is generally... high end screen printing.
posted by bradbane at 12:40 AM on January 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
It would be more useful to know why you want to avoid screen printing, since the answer to "what is durable and high quality" is generally... high end screen printing.
posted by bradbane at 12:40 AM on January 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I don't necessarily want to avoid silkscreen printing, I want to know what top quality options there are.
Aside from printing designs, I also learned there was something called "felt applique" as well, so I am open to learning more about all options.
posted by omar.a at 12:52 AM on January 29, 2016
Aside from printing designs, I also learned there was something called "felt applique" as well, so I am open to learning more about all options.
posted by omar.a at 12:52 AM on January 29, 2016
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posted by Juliet Banana at 6:14 PM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]