Polyester is a fabric that is a polymer-based material made from PET or polyethylene terephthalate.
What is polyester?
Some polyesters are plant-based from natural chemicals, although they are a minority. Some of these natural polyesters, and some synthetic ones like polybutyrate, are biodegradable, but most are not.
Some polyesters are “thermoplastic” and are of the type used in polyester fabric.
Polyester fabrics are widely used in the clothing industry, furniture manufacturing, bedding (sheets, blankets and coverings), as well as in the graphic advertising universe.
The fiber is also used in rope, tire reinforcement, conveyor belts, seat belts, and coated fabrics. Other elements that can be manufactured with PET are tarps, bottles, LCD screens, holograms, insulating tapes, filters, canoes, capacitor foils, foils, cable insulation, etc. Polyesters can be used in high-quality wood finishes on pianos and guitars and inside cars and trucks. It has the ability to be used as a putty in porous woods such as oak or mahogany. It is sandable and polishable and, finally, durable.
Polyester fabric is very resistant to stains and only certain special dyes can permanently color the fabric. These dyes are used in combination with heat and pressure to print commercial designs or graphics on this material. You may have seen this fabric used in front of your favorite fast food restaurant on flabby banner poles.
Polyester can be “blended” or spun with natural fibers, such as cotton, to create a fabric that won’t wrinkle, is tear resistant, and won’t shrink in the washer and dryer like cotton alone. Polyester, mixed with cotton or other natural fibers, will also be more resistant to mold and mildew better than a simple natural fiber such as cotton or linen.
The only downside is that polyethylene fabrics are more susceptible to flames than other fabrics, although due to the lightweight nature of the fabric, it is unlikely to add much fuel to an already burning fire.
Polyesters have also been manufactured to reflect natural fibers. An example is the “polysilk” fiber, which obviously mimics silk. Polyknits have been used for more than 50 years, but now they can emulate cotton or wool or taffeta or other natural or synthetic fibers, often with superior durability.
Still, polyesters are a miracle of science, and life as you know it would go back 75 years without them.
Will the polyester shrink?
Yes and no. If you put a polyester t-shirt or banner or whatever in the washing machine on high and the dryer on high, no. Polyester is susceptible to heat, but more than you would normally find in a washer or dryer, especially if you have a dryer that automatically shuts off once it detects that most of the moisture has dissipated. This would mean that the fabric never gets too hot or too dry. So if you don’t overheat it in your dryer, there’s not much to worry about.
So what will make the polyester shrink? If you have read any of my articles on dye-sublimation printing, you know that a brief exposure to heat and pressure, to transfer a CMYO image from a transfer sheet to a polyester fabric, not only does not shrink, but creates glare. continuous-tone graphics, unlike the dot resolution of a digital press.
What type of heat will polyester shrink? Prolonged heat is more likely to cause at least some shrinkage. Could your dryer shrink a banner? Sure, but you really would have to put in the effort.
What are the benefits of high poly blends?
In a sense, we have already answered this question with respect to fabrics that are “enriched” with polyester, such as cotton. Risking too much repetition, a 50/50 cotton t-shirt is really a 50/50 cotton polyester t-shirt. In the realm of polyester flags, cotton is not a necessity and would probably be inconvenient as it is very comfortable to wear, but it would not be as durable as 100% polyester fabric.
Polyester Flag Banner Printing
What is “Dye-sublimation Printing” and how long is the production time?
First, let me tell you, thank you for asking me about my personal favorite product and topic!
Second, let me tell you that these are actually two separate questions, so I will analyze them as if they were two questions, but in paragraph form … actually, in multiple paragraph form but with a notice that I am answering the second one. part of the question about “how long is the production time”.
Dye-sublimation printing is a process of creating a graphic, art, or copy, or all three, on a sheet of polyester fabric. Yes, I realize I just gave you a clichéd answer, but be patient, as I am going to explain precisely what that entails.
First, if you are familiar with ink sets, you probably know that in digital printing, directly onto fabric or substrate, you would use a CMYK color set to produce a 4CP (four color process or full color) print on anything. , from static decals affixed to corrugated plastic to vinyl cloth banners or cloth (the latter, in my opinion, is inferior to ink underprinting on polyester banner material).
However, with dye-sublimation printing, someone much smarter than me had a revelation, a vision so to speak, of printing an image on thermal transfer paper, not using the standard CMYK printing colors, but rather to print a set of CMYO tints, which stands for CyanMagentaYellowClear. Who comes up with this?
Regardless of who, how, or why, said genius conceived the most amazing print category of all time, using dye, heat, and pressure, I won’t bother going into heat and pressure and why he or she was able to do it. decides to use the hitherto unknown CYMO dye set, printing it on paper, gluing it to PET fabric, and sending it through 400F (205C) rollers at 400 lbs. pressure to create beautiful continuous tone prints, but whatever it was, it worked!
As for the production time (now I present the second part of the question in case you, dear reader, missed it), it takes a little more time than a direct-to-substrate digital printing because it has to marry the substrate of printing, also known as the Transfer the paper to the fabric, then carefully, to avoid wrinkles, pass it through the pressurized heated rollers.
I would say if you are creating a 4ft. by 8 feet. banner with dye-sublimation printing, it may take half an hour. Of course, if you have 10 copies of that banner it might only take an hour, which is why we offer, in our industry, quantity discounts. Not because we’re nice, of course, but because our competitors do!
How many colors can be reproduced by dye sublimation?
Let me answer that question by asking you a question. How many colors are in the CYMK or CYMO color spectrum? I don’t know either, but the sky is the limit. We have artists who trust us to print their paintings, photographers who trust us to make their photographs, and commercial artists with very small amounts of commercially shameless artistic skill to print their designs. We are able to imitate real life in full color and in a way that is superior to almost any other type of printing.
Is dye-sublimation used only for the four-color process?
This is easier to answer than the previous question. The answer is: read the previous answer. If we can print in full color, we can also print in black and white. Actually, that was a bogus question, since no one would ask that question, right? I don’t think so … I think my secretary screwed it up. Fake news, fake question!
Polyester flags versus other substrates
Are heavyweight nylon and polyester flags comparable in durability?
While nylon, for example, can be printed, it cannot be printed by dye-sublimation printing. Durability as a fabric? I’m not sure about that, but as a user of both, I would say this is an apples to oranges comparison, although I have found in my personal experience that they are quite similar, albeit with many different uses for each. other.
What is the difference between woven, woven and fully sewn polyester flags?
All polyester fabric is knitted, and “knitted” is a misnomer that gives one a picture of Grandma on the couch with knitting needles. “Fully sewn” is also misleading as it means the hems are sewn, not woven, or hot knife finished.
What is the shelf life of polyester woven, woven and fully sewn flags?
It varies. How is the flag secured? Where is it insured? What are the wind and sun weather conditions in the area where the flags will be used? The sun and the wind are the enemies of all banners and their installations, but in flags, if they are secured on a pole, the wind is a less important factor than the sun.
However, a flag on a pole, like the flag of a country or state, has a half-life of 6 to 12 months. However, a flag taped to a wall can last for years, as the wind will have little effect. On the north side of a building, this banner can last five or ten years. On the south, west, or east side, the sun will reduce the longevity of that flag, perhaps as much as 50% or more.
Why choose fabric over vinyl?
In a word, “elegance”. Is that even a word? Regardless, would you rather wear a gorgeous dress or a piece of vinyl? Personally, I would wear a soft fabric dress by hand any day, although my wife might be offended by me wearing it.
Vinyl looks like, well, vinyl. Fabric posters look natural, not like a platinum blonde with a nose job and false eyelashes. Simply put, they look natural, not fake, like the aforementioned platinum blonde!