Specially Formulated Direct to Garment Inks A digital apparel printer’s performance depends heavily on the textile ink used. The quality of ink affects the ink flow, level of printer maintenance, color fidelity and vibrancy as well as print longevity. JD provides specially formulated, high quality textile inks. Our inks have been carefully calibrated and rigorously tested to work for the highest level of graphic quality and consistent ink flow performance.- Pigment ink is ink that stays firmly on a paper and will not, generally speaking, be removed by water or friction. Pigment inks usually contain other agents than those in standard dye inks, and these agents ensure adhesion to the paper. Typically, pigmented inks contain larger particles than other inks; these particles are absorbed by the surfaces they are applied to and are difficult to remove after this point. While water tends to smear simple dye inks, pigment inks, once dry, usually run very little, even when immersed in water. Pigment inks can be used for nearly any purpose that dye inks can be used for, and can even be used as the ink source for printers.
What is Dye Sublimation?
Dye sublimation is a process that uses a special heat sensitive dye to print graphics and text onto paper. The paper is then placed on a sublimatable item and both are placed into a heat press for about 20~45 seconds at 180-230 degrees. When the cycle(sublimation) is completed, the image on the paper has transferred to the item and has actually become a part of the surface. If you run your finger across the surface of a sublimated plate you will feel nothing. The reason for this is that sublimation is always done on a polyester, polymer or polymer coated item. At high temperatures, the solid dye converts into a gas without ever becoming a liquid. The same high temperature opens the pores of the polymer and allows the gas to enter. When the temperature drops, the pores close and the gas reverts to a solid state. It has now become a part of the polymer. For this reason, true dye sublimation cannot be done on natural materials like 100% cotton. Natural fibers and non-coated materials have no “pores” to open. Inkjet printers use a liquid filled inkjet cartridge that has a suspension of the dye in it and requires transfers to be printed on special coated inkjet paper.
