Disperse ink is an ink made of disperse dyes. Disperse dyes are divided into low-temperature type, medium-temperature type and high-temperature type based on heat resistance.

The "high-temperature" of high-temperature disperse dye inks means heat resistance, not color development temperature, which is a easily misunderstood. Many people mistakenly believe that high-temperature disperse dye inks have a higher color development temperature than low-temperature disperse dye inks, it is wrong.

Common sublimation inks are low-temperature type, that is, they are not resistant to high temperatures. High-temperature thermal transfer is the process of transferring dyes from thermal transfer paper to fabric by sublimating the dyes at high temperatures.

High-temperature disperse dye inks can withstand high temperatures and will not sublimate at high temperatures. This is also the main method to determine whether the ink is high-temperature type. Therefore, the high-temperature disperse dye ink cannot be printed on paper and then thermally transferred. It uses direct injection process and a high-temperature baking color development process, and it must be washed.

We all know that thermal transfer inks have disadvantages such as poor permeability and low color migration fastness. For orders with high fastness requirements, they often cannot meet the requirements.

The high-temperature disperse ink is with high color migration fastness, high sunlight resistance, and high-temperature ironing resistance. Due to the use of direct injection technology, the penetration is good.

Therefore, in recent years, in order to meet the needs of high-fastness, the high-temperature dispersion ink process has been rapidly developed.

According to the survey data of the China Printing and Dyeing Industry Association, the proportion of high-temperature disperse ink digital printing had reached 2% in 2021. HONGSAM is currently in a leading position in the domestic market.

The following is the difference between high-temperature disperse ink digital printing and thermal transfer printing and traditional high-temperature dispersion printing, from which we can see the advantages of high-temperature disperse ink inkjet digital printing in all aspects.

Characteristic	Sublimation Ink	Traditional High temperature Disperse Ink	Digital High temperature Disperse Ink
Permeability	Bad	Good	Best
Double Permeability	Difficult to all fabric	Difficult to thin fabric	Easy to thin fabric
Color Migration Fastness	Bad	Good	Good
Color Fastness to Heat Pressing	Bad	Good	Good
Fastness to Sunlight	Bad	Good	Good
Color	Bright	Very bright	Very bright
Process Time	Short	Long	Next day delivery at the soonest
Colour register	Infinitely many	Less than dozens	Infinitely many
Cost	Low	Small batch: high, large batch:   low	Small batch: low

As we all know, digital printing in Europe started early and developed rapidly. European countries, mainly Italy, realized large-scale industrial production earlier. At present, the output of digital inkjet printing products accounts for more than 25% of their total printing output.

However, in terms of high-temperature dispersed direct-injection digital printing, according to the feedback from Turkish customers, Turkey, as a textile power, does not have many printing machines for high-temperature dispersed printing. At present, China has a large number of printing machines for high-temperature disperse ink printing, perhaps more than Europe.

High-temperature dispersed digital printing is developing rapidly. In addition to scanners, several Single Pass digital printing machines for high-temperature dispersed printing have been installed in China, which will gradually replace traditional rotary screen printing machines and flat screen printing machines. As the largest market share of polyester dispersed printing, the market prospects of high-temperature dispersed digital printing are very impressive.

Can the high-temperature dispersion printing process be done without washing? This is a common question raised by customers.

High-temperature dispersion direct printing is mainly used for clothing fabrics. Clothing fabrics have strict regulations on chemical residues on fabrics, so clothing fabrics using high-temperature dispersion digital printing technology must be washed. Washing can also make the color more vivid.

Therefore, if customers want to launch high-temperature dispersion direct printing projects, they must first solve the problem of sewage discharge, have sewage discharge indicators, and have complete production lines such as steamers and washing machines. For some special applications other than clothing fabrics, whether it can be done without washing depends on the specific situation. For example, light box advertising cloth can be done without washing.

The high-temperature dispersion direct printing process looks simple, but in fact, the process requires more attention. We found that almost all new customers will take detours when they first start, so it is very important to strictly follow our high-temperature dispersion process guidance.

Founded in 2001, Zhengzhou Hongsam Digital Science and Technology Co., Ltd. is a national high-tech enterprise focusing on the research and development, production and sales of inkjet inks, and a Public Listed Company in National Equities Exchange and Quotations (Stock Code: 430616).

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