Whenever you are heat printing a polyester garment, dye migration is a common challenge you must guard against. Dye migration occurs when polyester is heated to temperatures above 265 degrees. Whether in the heat press or a hot dryer, polyester fibers open up, releasing unstable dyes and these will bleed from the shirt through the transfer.
There are two easy ways to guard against dye migration. The first is to use a heat transfer material with a dye-blocker designed to inhibit the dyes from coming through. These are available as heat transfer vinyl and digital heat transfer products.
The second strategy starts with choosing a performancewear garment guaranteed not to bleed. Some styles feature a cationic polyester, which delivers deep, brilliant colors without the risk of bleeding.
Stahls’, a GroupeSTAHL company, is a world leader specializing in the development, manufacturing, and distribution of heat printing technologies. Stahls’ provides customers with the most cost effective and efficient ways to decorate garments. Stahls’ is located in Sterling Heights, MI, with GroupeSTAHL operations located throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. For more information, go to stahls.com, call 800.4.STAHLS, or email
info@stahls.com
