Dye Migration: The Answer to "Why did my white print turn pink?"
“Wow! I ordered a red shirt with a cool white ink design on it and when I received it, the ink was pink! What the heck happened to my shirt I paid good money for?” Dye Migration is what happened to his shirt. Dye migration occurs when the dye from the polyester fibers gets released and bleeds into the ink applied for decoration. This happens when the garment is 100% polyester, and after the ink goes through the curing process (heat) it can change the color of the ink. Essentially the dye in the polyester is getting sublimated by the heat. The sublimated dye stains the ink. Cotton garments typically do not experience dye migration as the dye will absorb into the cotton fibers. Even a 50/50 cotton/polyester blend will not migrate unlike 100% polyester tends to do. Red, dark green, and maroon are the main colors that must be treated with caution during the decoration process. This is not to say these colors can’t be decorated; we know millions of polyester garment...