Navigating the Nuances of Textile Printing

Some Things to Consider

Although textile printing can open up possibilities, there are some things that need to be taken into consideration before making an investment.

These sneakers are an example of digitally printed textiles using a dye-sublimation process. Credit: Mark A. Sunderland.

Sunderland points out that not all devices print on every type of fiber and fabric.

“Understanding your market and what market you’re going to go after is going to be very important,” he says. “If you’re going to go after the sports and performance market, you’re going to deal with a lot of fabrics that are polyester, nylon and spandex based. And that’s going to be a very different printer than if you’re going after the pigment printing or cotton market … or high fashion where you might want to do silk printing. If you get a dye-sublimation machine and you think you’re going to be able to print on all these fiber types, you’re going to be terribly mistaken.”

Moreno says that with a good $60,000 investment, a print shop could purchase the two devices necessary for the dye-sublimation process — the printer and the heat transfer system. He points out though, if a printer wanted to try it out before making a full investment in the process, it’s possible to work with local printers who have heaters who may be willing to take the dye-sublimation papers and transfer the prints to the fabric, which is called transferring services, something that MY Prints LA offers.

“Don’t be afraid to experiment,” he suggests. “Try it and see what kind of outcome you can get.”