As it warms, it converts from a solid to a gas and diffuses into the surrounding air as a temporary fog. Unfortunately, textile screen printers must deal with sublimation on a regular basis. Heat-set dyes are used in fabrics that contain polyester, and when these dyes are heated to their sublimation temperature, they convert to a gas. If this sublimation process takes place in the presence of plastisol ink, the sublimated dye can migrate into the plastisol. And that, of course, leads to bleeding in your print.
Any fabric containing polyester is vulnerable to dye migration and bleeding.
It also includes polyester-cotton blends, such as the samples depicted in Figures 2A and 2B . Some colors are more prone to dye sublimation than others, and red shades are notorious for being the worst. But all colors are capable of sublimating to some degree. The best rule of thumb is that every dark shade of fabric containing polyester should be treated with respect and tested as discussed later in this article. The mechanics of dye migration On polyester fabrics, the gaseous, sublimated dye becomes trapped underneath the plastisol ink layer, and it solidifies as it cools.