We have evolved into a non-ironing, stain repelling, and moisture management
society. Our customers are now asking us, “How does this shirt perform?” It
is not enough now to just look at and evaluate a particular T-shirt based on
style; our customers want to know how the shirt will perform and what features
it offers. 10 years ago that was not the case at all. It was either cotton or
there was a cotton polyester blend. Those were the only two options available.
Technology has crossed over to every sector of our lives and the wearable
industry is no exception. They are doing something with polyester these days
that actually wicks moisture away from your skin. I remember back in the day
around the 1970’s when leisure suits were in fashion. These were composed of
100% polyester. They were not only hot, but they were ugly as well! There were
no moisture management options, no wrinkle free, and no performance
features to speak of. Let’s face it. We are living in a performance-based society. The
golfing market has led the way in the evolution of sports wear. What has been
selling at all the Pro shops has always had an influence on corporate America.
Companies like Nike, Adidas and Izod have led the way in the development of
performance-based sports wear, all in the name of comfort and style. Polyester
T-shirts are made of a much lighter weight and  thinner yarn than most cotton.
It offers natural moisture wicking advantages while lending itself to a better
fitting tee shirt. The shift from cotton being the shirt material of choice to
high tech polyester has grabbed this industry by storm. With the advance of
high-tech polyester, it has forced the screen printing and embroidery industry
to come up with high tech inks and silkscreen equipment.

Screen printing on polyester poses challenges that are not incurred when
transferring a logo to a cotton garment.

The application will require a white under base in order to reduce what is
commonly known in our industry as sublimation and/or dye migration.
For example, if you are placing a white ink on a red tee shirt without an under base, then
there will probably be a tendency to end up with a pink image. The dye of the
shirt will want to migrate into the ink over time.

Another challenge is that poly does not lend itself to inkjet or digital
applications. If the shirt is composed of a 90/10 blend, then 90% of the ink
will remain and the other 10% will come out in the wash machine when being
laundered.

It is my opinion that the manufacturers of these high-tech inkjet
printers will come up with solutions to these challenges in the near future.