Concept
Textile Substrate
Any fabric-based material a transfer can be applied to, including cotton, polyester, blends, and synthetic knits.
Definition
Textile substrate is the category covering any fabric-based material that accepts a transfer or print. Common textile substrates include 100 percent cotton, ringspun cotton, 50/50 cotton-poly blends, tri-blends, performance polyester, fleece, terry, canvas duck, denim, and nylon shells. DTF is the most fabric-agnostic transfer technology and bonds to nearly all textile substrates with appropriate press settings. Pre-treatment is rarely required. Substrate-specific challenges include dye migration on sublimated polyester and edge lift on heavy fleece. Performance polyester runs at lower press temperatures with a cold peel.
Related Terms
Substrate
Any material onto which a transfer or print is applied. Includes apparel, hard goods, leather, and rigid surfaces.
Hard-Good Substrate
Any rigid non-textile material a transfer can be applied to, including glass, metal, ceramic, acrylic, and wood.
DTF
Direct-to-film transfer printing process used to produce full-color heat-applied graphics for apparel decoration.
Dye Migration
Sublimated polyester dye bleeding through a transfer and discoloring the printed design.