Currently, heat transfer printing technology is being applied by many garment factories because of its outstanding efficiency. Compared to direct thermal printing, this printing technique helps products achieve high quality and sharper images. So what is heat transfer printing technique , what are its advantages and disadvantages? All of these questions will be answered by Four Seasons Uniform. Answer immediately in the article below.
What is heat transfer printing?
Thermal transfer printing is a digital printing technology that uses technology to heat the ribbon coating and adhere to the material to be printed. Normally, heat transfer printing on shirts is divided into two main stages: printing on paper and then heat pressing so that the print can adhere to the shirt.
This method is one of the three most modern thermal printing technology groups today: thermal printing, thermal sublimation dyeing and thermal wax transfer. This printing technique was invented by the SATO Group in Japan with the first printer named SATO M-2311 being born in 1982. The reason this printing technology is prioritized for use is because the product has good quality. More quality, sharper and more durable colors.
Heat transfer printing methods on fabric
When applying this printing technique, the worker will look at the fabric color to have the appropriate printing method. Because each fabric color is different, it will significantly affect the choice of color to print clearly on the shirt. Below are 2 printing technologies on dark and light colored elastic fabric .
3.1. Heat transfer printing technology on dark t-shirt fabric
For dark-colored T-shirts, printing images and text clearly and beautifully is very difficult. Because currently, there is no technology that can print bright colors on dark T-shirts.
Therefore, in this case, paper with two membrane layers is used. It is a type of paper that has a rigid membrane on one side and a heat-resistant rubber membrane on the other. Then, you print the image on a heat-resistant rubber film and press a part of the rubber film onto the fabric surface.
3.2. Heat transfer printing technology on bright colored t-shirts
Compared to dark fabrics, applying heat transfer printing technology to light-colored shirts is much simpler. With the background of the shirt being a light color, you can print any color, except white, which also produces a clear and eye-catching image.
Choosing paper for printing is very easy, you can choose pink base paper or Sublimation paper imported from Korea. Regarding the material, you can choose a shirt with a high PE content, which will help the image transfer be optimal and the color more durable. In particular, you need to pay attention to choosing the right t-shirt material to have the desired image quality after printing.
Advantages and disadvantages of heat transfer printing technique
Heat transfer printing technology on fabric compared to direct printing has many outstanding advantages. However, this technique also has some disadvantages that are not easy to overcome.
4.1. Advantage
- Sharp printing and more advanced printing techniques than direct printing methods.
- Able to flexibly print anywhere on the shirt, convenient for sewing.
- Very good printing and color retention, color saturation, accurate color temperature make the product durable, less peeling and water absorbent.
- The printing method is very simple and mainly uses modern machinery, helping to save time and effort for workers.
- Any motifs and patterns can be printed according to customer requirements.
- Besides printing on fabric, you can also apply printing on other materials such as wood, ceramic, paper… to be able to customize different light and dark colors according to the user’s preferences.
4.2. Defect
- The biggest limitation of this printing technique is that it cannot print on all material surfaces, it can only print on flat and large surfaces.
- Cannot print on soft materials that melt easily such as plastic bags.
- Only uses the heat transfer ability of inks and materials for some common materials such as fabric, wood, ceramics and paper and cannot print on raw materials.
- This printing technique is not compatible on fabrics that cannot withstand heat, it can almost only print on synthetic fabrics made from poly fibers.
- The technology is only suitable for printing on white fabric, it is difficult to print on dark fabric. For fabrics of other colors, the printed image is susceptible to fabric color contamination, printing color errors, and not achieving the desired results.
- Colors are easily damaged if the printing material is stretched.
5. Should I choose silk printing or heat transfer printing on uniform t-shirts?
With the above advantages and disadvantages, the question is whether to choose silk printing or heat transfer printing on uniform t-shirts? In fact, every method has its own outstanding advantages and limitations. Therefore, choosing a technique should be based on the intended use and consider other factors such as fabric material, print difficulty, customer needs and affordability.
In terms of intended use, when you want to print uniforms for class or group shirts and require high color diversity, images, and complex patterns, you should choose heat transfer printing technology . Because this technology will fully meet your above needs thanks to its outstanding advantages.
In terms of funding, heat transfer printing requires a higher initial investment in machinery than silk printing machines. If customers consider price a lot, and care less about quality, you should choose screen printing to meet customer requirements. However, for customers who are especially important about product quality rather than cost, choosing heat transfer printing is the best way to do it. This technique will help the company deliver higher quality products.
In terms of quantity, heat transfer printing on t-shirts can be done in large quantities, so it will meet the delivery time that the company needs.
With all the above factors, hopefully you have the answer and choose the appropriate printing method to receive the trust and favor of customers.