Siser EasyWeed Sub Block ends Dye Migration
Get to know the garment you are decorating. Is it sublimated, patterned, or polyester? What if it’s all three?! Here, I am using a popular pick: an A4 Camo 2-Button Henley baseball shirt that is a patterned sublimated polyester. I see this type of shirt being used quite a bit in the apparel decoration world. I know the name says “camo,” but you can certainly see this shirt from a mile away.
I have talked one on one with a lot of customers that run into the issue you are seeing in the image below. This is referred to as the “migration issue”. What that means is the ink from the garment is trying to escape when heat hits it. This commonly happens with sublimated polyesters, but can sometimes happen with regular polyester garments.
A way to tell whether your garment is a sublimated polyester or a regular polyester- look on the inside of the garment and if it is white, and not the same as the outside of the shirt, then it is a sublimated polyester. Being able to identify a sublimated polyester versus a regular polyester is a good skill to have, but what if you don’t even know what sublimation is?
Well, I can help you answer that! Sublimation is the transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas phase without passing through the intermediate liquid phase So, when heat hits something that is sublimated the “solid” wants to turn back into a “gas” and escape. In this case the dye wants to leave the shirt when heat applying the heat transfer vinyl. If you aren’t using a material that will block that dye migration, then there is a good chance you are going to have results like you see on the left side of the image above. However, this impact is only noticeable when heat applying light colored heat transfer vinyl on darker polyesters.
A major contributing factor for the migration issue is high temperature and high pressure.
Here at Siser, we took this into consideration when we formulated one of the newest members of our EasyWeed family, EasyWeed Sub Block. With EasyWeed Sub Block, the temperature on your press is set at a low 265°F/130°C and a Medium setting for your pressure. EasyWeed™ Sub Block comes in two colors: White and Barcelona Yellow.
EasyWeed Sub Block is a cuttable HTV – if you’re looking for a product that has the same benefits but can be digitally printed, we have you covered!
Check out our Print and Cut material called ColorPrint™ Sublithin. ColorPrint Sublithin is formulated the same way as EasyWeed Sub Block (stops dye migration), but you can print full color images on it with your Solvent Printer like the image you see below.
If you do a lot of work with polyesters and are experiencing the migration issue with your current heat transfer vinyl, give EasyWeed Sub Block or ColorPrint Sublithin a chance to remedy your issue!
Hi,
How do you know if the garment is sublimated if it’s a solid colour? Our sales team sells alot of a specific brand (rather not say) which we have noticed ALL their garments eg: polos shirts, soft shell jackets, rain jackets, light jackets and vests all bleed profusely when regular vinyl is applied whether it’s print/cut or cadcut.
Any tips?
Thanks,
marni
Hi Marni, a sign of sublimated garments is when the outside is full color but the inside is blank white. Having an extra garment to test press is recommended for fabrics that may be heat sensitive or susceptible to dye migration. Test press the garment with a piece of parchment paper on top. If after pressing, the cover sheet has color transferred to it, the garment is migrating.
I have a jersey that I’m trying to press and had color migration, can I repress over the design with new vinyl?
Hi Katie! Sorry you’re experiencing dye migration! You can press new HTV over the already applied vinyl, although I’d recommend going with EasyWeed SubBlock to prevent any future dye migration. If you want the least amount of bulk on the jersey, then you could use an HTV remover like methylene chloride and remove the migrated HTV before applying SubBlock.
Are there any offerings in a stretchy vinyl?
Hi Paul! EasyWeed Sub Block is not offered in a stretch version. Sorry!
Hi,
I used the Colour Print Sublithin on a sublimated football shirt (black and gold in colour). I followed the applications instructions, but noticed a fair amount of dye migration visible?
Is this normal?
Any tips for prevents this i.e. can I reduce the heat of pressure settings slightly>
Thanks
Dave
Hi Dave! Sublithin blocks dye migration for many sublimated fabrics and polyester fabrics that are prone to dye migration. However, there are many types of dyes and while we try to block them all, there are too many different varieties on the market to accomplish this, even though we wish we could. If you ensured that you used the low application temperature of 265°F, then it’s possible the dyes in your garment are too aggressive for the Sublithin.
I really want to keep ink migration from happening but I don’t always want white or yellow as my background color (sub block) what do you suggest using on a dark MX sublimated jersey? Do I use white sub block then a black HTV then a foreground color or can a black HTV block out ink migration itself? Is sub block more for light color HTV on a dark sublimated jersey? Please suggest what HTV is best for this type of process
Thank you!
Hi Rebecca! Dye migration is almost impossible to see on black EasyWeed®. However if you layer another color on top it, you will see dye migration over time. A base layer of EasyWeed Sub Block is is the only way to stop dye migration on any and all sublimated jerseys and polyesters. So in your case, I would suggest layering Sub Block, then EasyWeed black, and your final color on top.
I experience dye migration through my easy subli. Please help!
Hi Christa! If you are applying EasySubli on a sublimated polyester garment, you can experience dye migration. To prevent this in the future, I would suggest applying EasyWeed Sub Block first and then EasySubli on top of the Sub Block.
I used EasySubli on shirts and the sublimation ink bled months after it was pressed. It hasn’t been washed. I’m using SubliHD Ink. The graphic that was sublimated bled.
Hi Kristi! Can you please send the application settings you used along with any photos of the issue to us at Support@SiserNA.com? We would appreciate the opportunity to troubleshoot the problem- thank you!