Sublimation on cotton

[CES020]

As far as I know, Vapor Apparel are real shirts.

They are also one of the cheaper ones that you can get that are 100% poly based, and the quality is quite good.

I hate regular heat transfers, I would say that dye sub would be the better method unless you go DTG, but even that has it's draw backs.

As to how much you make off them. Debatable. I can get good profit margins off them as long as the customer is educated about the product. However, that is the key thing.

I didn't mean to imply they weren't "real" shirts, they are, but I was speaking about comparing the price of a normal cotton shirt to the vapor products. The vapor products tended to be a little on the pricey side.

I agree, you can make some money off of them, but in general, the t-shift business is a very competitive market and people fight over 10 cents in that market, so it can be a touch business to be in.

Certainly you can carve out a niche and not have to fight over dimes, which sounds like what you have done. I'll make a shirt from time to time, but I have no desire to be in the t-shirt business.

 

[skdave]

I print tons of dye sub transfer for me and others. We will not do it for those that will not listen. White Polyester only. we have shirts that feel like cotten but are 100% polyester. You can PM me for the lowest prices any where for transfers. I'll print transfer, you heat press at 400 degrees for 40 seconds.
dave@skmfg.com

 

[apscofield]

Personally I love the Vapor shirts and my customers love them as well. The key is get one in their hands and let them feel of it. One customer didn't believe he was holding a poly shirt. I had to show him the label. Once that happens, they're all for it. They are actually cooler than a cotton shirt because they dry out much faster. I buy them for myself and wear them all the time. Color doesn't fade and they don't lose their shape like the cotton shirts.

 

[Masseria]

there's a secret called direct printing....
there are 2 kinds of inks in sub.
Direct Ink and Dye Sub
Dye sub is the tipical ink which you are probably using. You print on a transfer paper and you press it to the polyester and magic. now the white shirt has a design on it....

There is also direct ink.
this is for cotton 100% "sublimation".
But for this you will need another machine or same but LFP.. we do this on a Mimaki Jv33-160 lfp.
you can do this as well in mutoh and roland i think...

with this kind of ink... you can print directly to the cotton shirt... and then send it trhough and oven for about 2-5 minutes depending on colors you want to obtain and of course, temperature....
we print complete cotton rolls...

but you need to understand that for doing this. you need to:
-Have a Large format printer. (about 1.6 meters long)
-Understand very well how the printer works so you can disarm it and make it work with the cotton rolls.
-Need an oven.
-need to import yourselves the ink of course.

Any thoughts.
Just ask or send me PM.

sorry for my english.
Bye.,