Printing Black on 100% Poly

[tonypep]

Its no secret that dye migration is attributed to the dyes releasing gas when subjected to heat. Its also no secret that there is no one cure all solution to the problem to to all the mitigating factors. Take the dreaded Dickies workshirt. In my opinion one of the worst blanks to print on with regards to this problem; most likely due to the sheer mass of dyed fabric. I've found that adding a catalyst to the ink and curing at lower temperature; then leaving the garments to finish curing overnight (unstacked) solved the problem quite well. I know its a PITA but those garments are expensive! I like to keep a variety of polywhites, underbase grays, and a nylobond catalyst around for these occaisions and generally can arrive at a solution.

[Frog]

Here comes the buzz-kill Frog again!

The downside of the Nylobond trick, is a decrease in suppleness (an increase in brittleness)
Can be real funky on thin, somewhat stretchy garments, but probably less of an issue on thicker work shirts like the dreaded Dickies.

Though not allowing temps as low as catalyst does, ink companies do have additives to lower cure temps, like this 3804 from International Coatings

[squeegee]

I think the point about using a poly ink with a lower than average cure temp sounds like a really good idea.  Our mainstay wilflex polywhite cures at 320, so what we're doing now post the latest migration nightmare is probing the ink and making sure we stay as close as possible to 320 at the end of the dryer.  I'm allowing a 20 degree window on cure temps for poly and poly blends, so 320-340.  I'm not sure how effective that will be, but for the interim that's the plan.

I'd sure like to know if someone could recommend a polywhite with exceptional bleed resistance that can cure at a lower temp as itt seems to me that the extent of migration is directly related to excessive heat as many have mentioned, but also prolonged exposure to heat, i.e. hot stacked or packed garments.

My first bad experience was probably about 12 or so years ago on a 2K pc run of royal 50/50's...I can't remember exactly what white it was, but I seem to remember it being one of the performance whites that supposedly had anti migration agents in it, well...aparently not enough because the shirts bled badly.  Since then on poly and poly blends, we have always used only whites we know are highly resistant to bleeding, the unfortunate part in my experience is these whites are thick and heavy, and a PITA to print.

[squeegee]

Just off the phone with Polyone, here's a new series of low cure and low bleed (290 degrees) white, ub grey and a base for mixing colors with wilflex PC's.  Polyone says the bleed resistance is as good as polywhite.

Sounds really good, I'm going to get a sample and see what I think. 

[squeegee]

Well, ordered the sample, but list price on gallons of the white (epic performace white) is $119!

[Frog]

As I said, I avoid colored 50/50 T's whenever possible, but in the past, sometimes clients wanted them for the nickel or dime less in price. There goes that savings! lol!

Interestingly, the Jersey girl tells me that 50/50 is all they want there, while, fortunately, out here on the left coast, its almost all cotton for me.
I rarely get requests for 50/50 , and when I do, it's usually easy to explain and change to cotton.

[tonypep]

I have not repeat not tried this but the Lancer Group has a couple of products of interest. An LCA (low cure additive) and an LBA (low bleed additive).  The LCA reportably enables a standard plastisol to cure at temperatures between 260 and 275 degrees. So what would happen if you added this (they say around 5%) to a really kick ass poly white?

[Fresh Baked Printing]

I used Unions low bleed but it's a bear to pull the squeeze with. Thick.

[Frog]

I have not repeat not tried this but the Lancer Group has a couple of products of interest. An LCA (low cure additive) and an LBA (low bleed additive).  The LCA reportably enables a standard plastisol to cure at temperatures between 260 and 275 degrees. So what would happen if you added this (they say around 5%) to a really kick ass poly white?

Tony, where were you (or the Lancer  Excaliber people) when we just started here a few weeks back? Pierre was asking about a low bleed additive, and we couldn't come up with one! This is a first, as far as I know.
Of course, Excaliber is not widely distributed in my end of the continent. I was quite happy with their Arctic White for cotton that I got as a bonus from the now defunct AArons.

Lancer stuff

[tonypep]

Sorry Andy..........Sometimes I have actual work to do!
Cheers tp

[ZooCity]

The athletic ink we've used in the past are qcm's ATP series in stock colors and once in awhile I'll add a bit of pigment base to the white to get a certain color.  They've worked out very well on a lot of different substrates and definitely are weird as all get out to print.  The white is super runny yet impossible to stroke clear in one hit somehow, it's like a science demonstration for kids or something but what the demonstration is I'm not sure. I cure garments printed with this stuff at around 320 or so on the ray gun. 

We are going to be switching over to the Epic Performance this month it looks like, or next time we get a job requiring it.  I like that it's a base so you just pick up a gallon of that and maybe a gallon of the performance ub grey and you can mix whatever you need with the pc pigments.  Like everything in the epic series the price is a bitch but so far it's been worth every penny in my opinion just for the consistency and peace of mind.

Again, the phthalate-free might be making the difference.  I don't know since I've never printed with phthalate-laden inks but it makes sense that some plasticizers invite dye more than others.   

One more thing, I've yet to get a brittle nylobond print.  I still have this gym bag from the first time I ever printed nylon for a soccer team and it's as supple as could be, actually feels a bit softer than my regular prints. 

[Frog]

One more thing, I've yet to get a brittle nylobond print.  I still have this gym bag from the first time I ever printed nylon for a soccer team and it's as supple as could be, actually feels a bit softer than my regular prints. 

Fortunately, the one thin pass usually needed on water proofed nylon probably helps this, but from experience (and advice from Union techs), as a fixit on problem T's and the unnecessary use on nylon jerseys, it can be a different situation. Those applications need to stretch more.
Using too much is probably another contributing factor.

[Fresh Baked Printing]

Here's the final print on the Gold 100% poly shirts I did.
I did take the applicable tips for dealing with these, like making sure they weren't stacked hot, etc.
The Transfer Express screened numbers came out great and feel like they're not even there. Really smooth.

[sportsshoppe]

One stroke for white, red, ath gold, reg. black works well. biggest thing is speed dryer up and LET THEM COOL BEFORE STACKING!!!! Nice print

[sweetts]

Well just got order for 50 ST478 100% poly red, custy wants black ink only, after reading this I should be ok yeah?? Aside from dont stack, let cool preshrink  ect. no special ink needed is that correct?