Fabric Printing Machine: Which One is Best for Your Business?

At MTuTech, we focus on providing solutions for your current and future large-format printing needs. These devices enable businesses to print stunning graphics on fabric for trade show displays, home textiles, fashion design, decorative arts, advertising, soft signage, banners, feather flags, and more.

There are two types of large-format fabric printing machines to consider - direct-to-fabric printers and digital dye-sublimation printers. (Direct vs. Transfer Printing)

Which type is best for your business depends on the type of work you intend to create. Let's take a look at these two printing technologies and analyze in detail which printer is most suitable for your current and future plans.

Direct Printing vs. Transfer Printing in Digital Textile Printing Machines

Whether direct or transfer, the output results of the two methods are not significantly different. The color gamut of dye-sublimation printers is slightly wider and suitable for printing fluorescent colors. However, direct ink saturation can be higher. Still, the pattern resolution of dye-sublimation printing is higher, resulting in clearer images.

In terms of the printing process, direct printers require a special coating on the fabric before use, typically applied by the fabric manufacturer. On the other hand, dye-sublimation printers usually use untreated polyester. So, which one is suitable for your business?

Direct Printers

Direct-to-fabric printers apply ink directly to the fabric. In certain applications like feather flags, a significant amount of ink can even be applied, allowing colors to penetrate both sides. This technique is known as "penetration" and is particularly useful for applications where the graphic needs to be visible from both sides.

Direct printers are well-suited for printing on natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, silk, and more. Controlling the ink load of the printer is crucial for creating backlit displays, as the ink volume required for backlight graphics is significantly higher than traditional front-lit printing. It must saturate a denser backlight-specific substrate to ensure colors do not appear faded when illuminated from behind.

Both feather flags and backlit displays are often produced using direct printing machines. Due to the high ink load requirement, dye-sublimation printers typically cannot print these elements as effectively as direct-to-fabric printers. This is something to consider if your business currently or plans to offer these products.

Dye-Sublimation Printers

Dye-sublimation printers are another type of digital textile printer used by sign and graphics shops. In this process, ink is first applied to a roll of transfer paper instead of directly to the fabric. The ink is then transferred to the substrate using a heat press or roll-to-roll calender, forcing the ink on the transfer paper to sublimate into the fabric.

Dye-sublimation printers are suitable for printing on a variety of mixed fabrics, with polyester being its most ideal substrate.

When creating large-format fabric graphics, shops often use untreated polyester fabrics. These fabrics vary in characteristics such as weight, dot gain, hand (the feel when touched), and stretchability. When evaluating costs, you may find untreated polyester to be cheaper than coated polyester. However, as transfer paper costs increase, the material costs for direct-to-fabric printing and dye-sublimation (transfer) printing become very similar.

Digital Textile Printing Machines – Where to Start

MTuTech is pleased to offer a variety of direct-to-fabric and dye-sublimation digital textile printers suitable for your business. For businesses dealing with a variety of materials for more flexible applications, we recommend using direct-to-fabric printers, such as the MT-Belt R8 model. These models can be used for printing on home textiles, advertising, soft signage, and art.

Are you planning to print your work in fluorescent colors? Dye-sublimation printers like the MT-1908 A1 model are well-suited for shops that need heat-sublimation equipment for this specific application.

Still unsure which one is suitable for your business? We are ready to assist you. Contact MTuTech now for personalized analysis.