What is Dye Migration (Bleed)?
Technical definition, shop floor implications, and pricing strategies for commercial apparel decorators.
A chemical defect where disperse synthetic dyes inside polyester or poly-blend fabrics sublimate into gas under heat and bleed into the cured ink layer, turning white ink pink or grey.
Deep Dive & Practical Application
Polyester garments (including 50/50 blends, tri-blends, and 100% performance athletic poly) are colored using synthetic disperse dyes that turn into gas at temperatures between 260°F and 330°F.
When standard plastisol inks are heated in a conveyor dryer at 320°F, the polyester dyes vaporize, rise upward through the cotton fibers, and dissolve into the plasticizer of the ink film. A crisp white print on a red polyester hoodie may look perfect on press, but turn bright pink 24 to 48 hours later as the dye migrates.
Prevention requires low-cure inks (curing at 260°F–280°F) or specialized carbon-barrier bleed-blocker underbase inks.
Shop Floor & Profitability Impact
Dye migration ruins entire production batches after the customer takes delivery, making low-cure ink policies and clear garment composition tracking essential in your job traveler.
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