knittingfabric is a trademarked microfibre
NOTE: Modal Micro knittingfabric is a trademarked microfibre from Austrian textile company, Lenzing. The fabric is delicate and light and its smooth surface prevents deposits of lime and detergent. It allows the skin to breathe. Made with cellulose from beech trees, this is essentially a variety of rayon, is 50% more water-absorbent than cotton, is soft, with a good drape and relatively crease-resistant and easy to care for.
Question: Can a printer be used for Dye-Sublimation after already having been used with regular inks?
Answer: No. The two types of printers are mutually exclusive to the types of material that are being printed.
The last thing you can do, when seeking a company to work with, is to request samples. Some companies will send them free of charge, while others will charge a nominal fee to print the file on the correct banner fabric ahead of time, then refund the fee when the order is placed. And some simply charge for a prototype, with nothing refunded on the order. You can choose which company you prefer when going through the quote process.
Barry Brown has been in the Sign, Banner, Decal and Display Business for over 20 years. It isn't what he thought he'd do with his life, but he says he knows too much now to do anything else!
He has been marketing these products online since 1998, and the company he was general manager of in 1998 was the first sign company to be listed on Yahoo!
Barry is a great resource for information regarding Signs, Banners, Decals, and Displays, and is also an outstanding source of information on how to shop online without getting ripped off.
Question: Do outdoor graphics require wind slits?
Answer: This is a favorite topic of mine as there are so many misconceptions about wind slits or wind pockets being cut into banners.
First, traditional dye sublimation printing of cloths and fabrics is done with a CMYO ink set, which is different from CMYK. The CMYO ("O" stands for the clear over-print) printing is printed to a transfer paper, and then applied to the fabric using heat and pressure. The "O" then becomes the black, so the net result is CMYK.
Newer dye sub printers use a CMYK print configuration as they are direct-to-fabric printing, but they are still different inks than what you would print vinyl banners or decals with. The chemical formulation of the inks used for direct dye sub printing are specifically for Single Jersey synthetic materials such as nylon or polyester.