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Whenever I look for info on Dye Sublimation I get tons of people offering to sell me a machine, but NO information. Does anyone out there know where I might do some learning?
Thanks, Rich Diltz
------------------ Rich Diltz In Sacramento for now, but who knows where next
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If you are looking into dye sublimation you will be amazed with the results of some products. They are very smooth and clean graphics. Won't last in the sun.
You will need a heat press, printer and special inks. All of the substrates have to have a polymer coating. Tshirts are too expensive to be competitive.
Great for small stuff and orders. Go with a colour laser printer if you can afford it. It is more versatile.
------------------ Kevin Landry KnL Signs Halifax NS knlsigns@hfx.eastlink.ca
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True, you have to use SoftLink shirts or the performance type 100% poly shirts, both of which are more expensive than regular cotten t-shirts,but are of much higher quality, customers love the way the SoftLinks feel, the performance fabrics really are much cooler than any other shirt I've ever worn, proven in our 98 degree and 98 percent humidity weather we have in Louisiana in the summer, but in small quantities, say 2 dozen or less, with a full color design, you can compete with a screenprinter. by the time you figure in four screen charges for process color printing it's about the same, plus show me a screenprinter who wants to set all that up for just a couple of dozen shirts. Dye sub actually dye's the fabric, you can not feel at all any difference between the printed part of the shirt and the unprinted part, it will NEVER fade from washing, I print aprons for a one customer, they have to bleach the food stains out, the print stays perfect. UV is a problem, on shirts you would have to be out in the sun all day long long every day for months to see any noticable fading. I have some small signs that are indoors that look great after one year, I wouldn't sell them for exterior use though. New coatings for hard substrates are in the pipeline, hopefully that will address the uv issues. One ink company had a lock on the market until just recently, their patent was overturned, now that new players have entered the market prices have dropped from almost $300 for a set of cartridges for a Epson 900 to $100, which put's my cost at about 80 cents for a full bleed legal size print. I can get 18-20 dollars for single shirt order, 14 to 16 for multiples, and the customers are coming back for more, that's good enough for me!
hey Santo I need a bit more rain so then I can just hook the lawn mower on the back of the boat instead of the tractor
I bet Kevin Landry has relatives down here somewhere
------------------ Mark Perkins Performance Signs & Graphics Eunice, Louisiana "The heart of Cajun Country"
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