Not sure which printing technique to use for your children's fashion brand?
It’s important to keep in mind that the technique can either enhance the strength of your print — or reduce it. That’s because there are specific techniques suited to each type of print and material composition.
Shall we explore them together?
Placement prints with lots of details, fine lines, or realistic images work well with the DTF technique — which doesn’t require specific fabric compositions for good adhesion — and with sheet sublimation, which needs at least 80% polyester to achieve vibrant colors and proper fixation.
DTF
Direct To Film
The artwork is printed onto a special film using pigmented ink (usually water-based).
A heat-melt adhesive powder is then applied over the still-wet ink.
Once cured, the film can be transferred onto the fabric using a heat press.
Sheet Sublimation
It’s a process where the print is first transferred onto a special sheet (sublimation paper) using specific inks (sublimation inks). Then:
The sheet is placed on top of the fabric.
With a heat press, the combination of heat and pressure turns the ink into gas, allowing it to penetrate the fibers of the fabric.
For repeated print — or continuous prints, as you may prefer to call them — with fine lines, detailed elements, or realistic designs, rotary sublimation or digital printing (DTG) are the best options. While both aim to achieve similar results, let me explain the difference between them:
Rotary sublimation is recommended for fabrics with more than 80% polyester in their composition. This is the minimum required to ensure the print adheres well and doesn’t fade.
Digital printing (DTG) is recommended for fabrics made of natural fibers. A minimum of 70% cotton, for example, is required to ensure proper ink adhesion.
Now let’s talk about Silk Screen printing:
You know that frame where the ink is transferred by pulling a squeegee across the screen? That’s the technique. It’s best suited for prints with solid colors, no gradient effects, fewer color variations, and without fine or very small details.
The silk screen technique works well for placement prints. However, this same ink transfer method can also be used for repeated patterns through large perforated cylinders — a process known as Rotary screen printing.
These are the main techniques used today, but of course there are other resources that allow us to achieve effects such as:
