Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV)
Most everyone knows what HTV looks and feels like. Its that thin layer of rubbery vinyl that’s melted to the shirt or jersey. Although this has the advantage of being able to apply it to almost any fabric, it does leave a bit to be desired due to it being difficult to layer multiple colors and close to impossible to create intricate designs, as well as having that rubbery feel on the surface. For a basic design with just lettering or simple drawing image, it does provide a less expensive option that will last a very long time. With proper care (washing inside out using cold water and drying with low to medium heat) HTV can very well last as long as the shirt it is on. In the past, there have been issues with vinyl pulling loose or peeling but using thinner ‘stretch’ vinyl allows the design to stretch WITH the material and not be as prone to peeling. What’s more, I myself had a shirt I made utilizing HTV, years ago, that started to peel after about two years of wear, however, I was able to repress the vinyl with an iron set on high with no steam and remelt the vinyl to the fabric and allow me to still wear that shirt today. We continue to offer this option for those that would prefer the more basic designs and durability of HTV.
Sublimation
Sublimation uses a special printer (or converted inkjet printer) and uses a special ink that, in essence, dyes the fabric of the shirt with colors that become a permanent part of the shirt. Although this would seem to be the best way of printing designs on shirts, it does have one huge flaw. The special sublimation ink won’t work on cotton due to the nature of the cotton fibers and how the ink works. Essentially, the ink requires heat to be turned into a gas that dyes the fibers of the fabric. However, cotton fibers expand when heated and allow the ink gasses to bleed through and along the fibers of the cotton which causes the print to become just a big blurry mess (see photo). On top of that, the gasses don’t bond to cotton fibers very well so they just wash out and fade out after a limited number of washes. Polyester fibers don’t expand like cotton does, and the ink is able to dye the polyester fibers very well, which makes for a very bright, clear, distinct image on polyester shirts. Because it is actually dying the fabric, not just adhering to it, Sublimation has no surface feel to it when done on polyester fabric. If you were to close your eyes, you would not be able to tell where the design was by feel alone! The problem I personally have with polyester shirts is that they are so thin (white shirts are almost see-through) it pretty much narrows the possible shirt colors to grey only, anything darker and with any ink color other than black disappears or is overpowered by the color of the fabric.
As far as being limited to polyester fabric only, one workaround that has been found (and I have done) is using DTF adhesive powder between a cotton shirt and the sublimation ink. That is the method I used to sublimate our company logo on the Grey Cotton Hoodie in the picture. In essence, the DTF adhesive powder bonds to the cotton fabric and the sublimation ink dyes the adhesive. Although you can slightly feel the adhesive on the fabric, the feel is far less than that of HTV, or even DTF and screen printing for that matter. However, you are still limited to lighter colored fabrics as the fabric color will overpower the dye coloring.
DFT (Direct To Film)
DTF works similar to sublimation (although the ink is more akin to screen printing ink) in that it uses a special printer to lay down ink similar to your inkjet printer however it puts a white layer between the fabric and the colored ink. This allows us to print light colored designs on black or dark colored fabrics without the design disappearing into the fabric. Think of it like painting a wall, If you tried to paint a light coat of pink on a black wall, the black would bleed through and the pink would disappear. However, if you paint the wall with a coat of white primer first, the primer would block the dark color from coming through and overpowering you light color. These specialized DTF printers work in a similar fashion putting a white ink layer between the fabric and the design allowing us to put vibrant multicolor designs on any color fabric. What’s more, DTF ink (with its adhesive layer) adheres to just about any fabric opening up so many more possibilities for creative designs and putting those designs on the comfortable cotton shirts everyone enjoys. The tradeoff is that the ink print can be felt on the surface of the shirt and will wear in time. Although the DTF ink/print is thinner than DTG (direct to Garment) or screen printing inks which tend to not stretch and crack or peel in time, DTF can still be felt on the surface of the shirt, similar to HTV.
So which is the best? That all depends on your preference and needs. If you want a light weight, light colored shirt with a design that will last a long time, then sublimation on a polyester shirt is the way to go. If you prefer a simpler text slogan or simple drawing and want a shirt that will last, HVT may be your best choice. BUT, if you like the bright, colorful designs and the choice to put them on any color shirt you choose, then DTF is going to be the best choice.
K&R Endeavors LLC 