For customization, consistency, color clarity, and speed, dye sublimation paper transfer (dye-sub) for print media jobs is hard to top. As customers continue to expect tighter and tighter turnaround times, we wanted to offer up a few thoughts on trends to keep your fabric printing projects on-schedule and looking vivid.
From a sampling of textile-compatible printers to emerging categories to printable fabric options that are gaining steam, begin with this quick-start guide and reach out to TVF’s experienced, industry-proven sales consultants to learn more. Or, if you’re planning to attend upcoming print media trade shows like PRINTING United Expo, some see us in our booth.
“With any dye-sub compatible fabric, you’re playing a balancing act and everybody has different ideas about what works best for their needs,” TVF Print Media Sales Consultant Danny Jimenez said in a recent article in Digital Output Magazine. “The fabric and the vibrancy of the print is number one. The end result has to look good FIRST, and everything else follows.”
Danny offers a few suggestions for dye-sub printable fabrics that work exceptionally well for SEG framing systems and will create brilliant, long-lasting results:
“What you’re trying to do is find something you have in your lineup that’s going to work the best for the customer’s application,” adds TVF Print Media Sales Consultant Leif Kristensen during an upcoming episode on the Textile Nerd Podcast from TVF. “We have the print media line, we have our printable apparel line, have the printable industrial line, so it makes it that much easier for me to be able to say well, ‘hey, in this side of our segment… we actually do have something… maybe not directly on our print media side, but we do have something here that could work.’ Other companies don’t really have that.”
Danny says customers are often asking at trade shows and elsewhere about the latest and greatest in technology – software, printers, inks, codecs, and more. While decisions on printers are often based on what’s already in the shop, here are a few printer models to look into for dye-sub-compatible jobs:
- Epson SureColor F9570 series – Wide-format with expanded ink sets, designed for volume-driven businesses.
- Mimaki TS330-3200DS – 3.2-meter hybrid printer with direct-to-fabric and transfer printing capabilities for multiple applications.
- HP Stitch S500 – Designed for unattended and overnight jobs. Includes direct-to-fabric and transfer options.
Additional trends emerging include hybrid printing options that provide flexibility for direct and transfer jobs in one machine, sustainable fabrics that may fit more into the pricepoint of more traditional options due to global tariff fluctuations, and “smarter” technology like artificial intelligence or remote monitoring.
Talk with TVF’s team of dye-sub experts who are immersed in the technologies, trends, and fabric options to grow your business.
