What do We Need to Know about Offset Sublimation Printing Ink in Vietnam?

Hi, my name is Chris. I have been following the growth of offset sublimation printing in Vietnam since 2008. One of the biggest challenges is knowing what ink the printers are using. Remember that all inks have two basic components:

Carriers
Colorants

Carriers will be either water or oil. Colorants will be either dyes or pigments.


With this basic knowledge the next question is which combination has the lowest price, best print quality and is least toxic.

I can introduce you to both digital and offset Sublimation Printing in Vietnam.

Imagine that you have an idea to produce sublimated surf shorts, sports jerseys or mouse pads. Would it be great to get inside a sublimation apparel factory to see how they print and sew? Would you like to check the quality yourself? I can get you inside Vietnamese sublimation factories for a tour. Watch my video for more details.

Most printers will not give you the option to use one ink or the other. The ink they choose is their proprietary information. If you are able to choose then I recommend a mild solvent as opposed to a hard solvent because mild solvents have less toxic chemicals. I recommend pigment inks because the prints will last longer. Dyes (water-based) tend to fade faster especially if exposed to the elements.

May I assist you with offset Sublimation Printing in Vietnam?

First remember that there are two kinds of dye sublimation ink: aqueous and solvent (aka water and oil.)

Aqueous Dye Sublimation Ink

In aqueous dye sublimation ink, water is the solvent in which the pigments and other ingredients are suspended, and the water will typically make up 30-95% of the weight of the ink. The dye particles make up 1-10% of the solution, and must have a melting point of 200 degrees Celsius or higher. 5% to 40% of the solution may be a co-solvent such as glycerol, propylene glycol, and dipropylene glycol. 0.01% to 5% of the weight will be a surfactant, which will reduce the tension between the other ingredients and act as an emulsifier. The solution will also include a biocide such as Procel GXL as a preservative, at 0.01% to 5% of the final product’s weight.

Solvent Dye Sublimation Ink

Solvent dye sublimation inks are basically pigments suspended in an oil base, but of course there are other stabilizers and surfactants in the mix. Solvent inks may contain a chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer at 2-6%, a polymeric amide at 0-4%, a ethyl acetate at 0-4%, 2-methoxy-1-mthylethyl at 0-1.25%, N-butyl acetate at 0-2.5%, and Butan-2-OL at 0-0.5%. There will also be a distillate at 0-3%, and at least one subliminal disperse dye at a rate of 0.25% to 9%, which must be insoluble in either an included ether or acetate. Propylene glycol must be included in the range of 0% to 2%, and an additional acetate will make up 78% to 95% of the solution. This entire solvent based dye sublimation ink solution must, when mixed properly, be able to flow through the head of an ink jet printer in order to function properly.

Source: https://www.subtransferpaper.com/whats-inside-dye-sublimation-ink/

Can I introduce you to suppliers of offset Sublimation Printing in Vietnam?

Sublimation inks range in price from $5/liter to $20/liter.

Contact the following ink suppliers to get accurate up to date pricing.

J-tec (Hanrun Paper)
Kiian
Inktec
Mimaki Vietnam

Which ink do you prefer for offset Sublimation Printing in Vietnam?