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Merch Library · Glossary

Dye migration

Definition

When dye from a polyester garment turns to gas under curing heat and moves into the ink above it, tinting a white or light print with the garment's color.

Polyester is colored with disperse dyes, which can sublimate (go from solid straight to gas) when heated. In the dryer, that dye can rise into a plastisol print, so a white logo on a red performance shirt slowly turns pink. Sometimes it shows at once; sometimes it appears days later as the dye keeps moving.

Printers fight it with low-bleed or bleed-blocker inks, gray or black blocker underbases that trap the dye, and the lowest cure temperature the ink allows. Low-cure plastisols exist largely for this reason. Reds, maroons and other deep colors are frequent offenders, as are sublimated jerseys and some heathers and tri-blends.

If your order uses polyester or blends, tell the printer the exact blank and color, and ask how they test for migration. A test print left to sit for a day or two is a sensible step on any untried combination. More in the inks guide.

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