Transfer textile printing is a method of printing on synthetic fibers, blends and materials such as carpeting or vinyls by preprinting the design or pattern with “sublimation” or “disperse” dyes on paper called a transfer or release paper.

The most important precondition for correct ink selection is to define all the requirements with regard to the internal manufacturing process and the demands of the customer on the final product.

Since the first day when synthetic fabrics made their way into the screen printing industry, printers have been faced with the issue of dye sublimation and migration. Prior to the technological advancements made in dyestuffs, dyeing techniques and bleed resistant printing inks, dye sublimation and migration was a way of life. Still, with all the advancements made in textile printing inks, flash units and curing technology, dye migration and sublimation still plagues the textile screen printer. To fully understand the solutions to controlling the problem, one must first understand the characteristics of the components involved.

Preparing the screen is the first step in the screen printing process and is probably the most important one. We can’t expect to achieve a good print result when using a screen of poor quality. The objective in any printing process is to reproduce the original artwork as exactly as possible.

UV inks and coatings have become a prominent technology for the screen printing industry, acceptance having come into common use in the past two decades.

The Rz value is a numerical reference to the mesh/emulsion equalization on the screen.