Screen Printing 100% Polyester

Dye migration or bleeding occurs with polyester garments when the sublimation dyes in polyester fibers are heated to temperatures in excess of 275 degrees Fahrenheit. When plastisol inks are heated to temperatures higher than 275 F, these dyes are released into the ink causing a discoloration of the plastisol ink. The dyes in the garments actually change from a solid to a gas causing the migration. Higher temperatures cause more severe migration so avoid curing temperatures above 320 F.

The Solution:

Screen print with a high quality, low bleed ink when printing on 100% polyester or polyester/lycra blends. Pure Plus White, Sports White, Versamax White, and Versamax Extreme White are very effective options when printing on these garments. The types and colors of the sublimation dyes in different brands of garments can allow one ink to work better than the others. Testing new fabrics, colors, and lots is highly recommended.

All plastisol inks are BLEED RESISTANT not BLEED PROOF. Pure Plus White, Sports White, Versamax White, and Versamax Extreme White are the most bleed resistant inks on the market. There are, however, materials that none of the three will work with when direct printing. When this happens a procedure involving cold peel transfers with Versamax White will give better bleed resistance, stretchability, and soft-hand feel on the garment.

Cold Peel Procedure:

1. Print Versamax White or colors onto silicone coated cold peel paper (60 to 110 mesh recommended).

2. Coat print with coarse or fine transfer adhesive powder (coarse powder gives better adhesion). Do not use adhesive powders from other companies. They may not adhere at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Both adhesive powders we sell will work at this temperature.

3. TOTALLY CURE the transfer at 320 F (cure at the same time and temperature as curing a print on a T-shirt).

4. Heat press the transfer onto the 100% polyester or polyester/lycra material with the transfer press set to 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds at medium pressure. Let the transfer cool and peel the paper.

This procedure never lets the sublimation dyes in the polyester fibers reach the critical point at which they start to sublimate and migrate into the ink. This procedure also works with all three of the low bleed inks mentioned above. The Versamax Series is recommended over the Pure Plus White, Sports Series and Versamax Extreme Series with this procedure in order to give the flexibility of use on cotton and poly/cotton T-shirts.

FYI:
The Versamax Series can also be cold peeled without adhesive powders using the same procedures as a regular 480 Series ink. Gel the print around 265 F on a silicone coated cold peel paper. Press at 375 F for 7 seconds with medium pressure. This works great for any material except the bad 100% polyester bleeders. The procedure described above is best for 100% polyester.