In less than two years, Dye Into Print, Inc. of Clifton, NJ, has already churned out more than 1000 jobs of dye-sublimated fabric for clients nationwide. Typical applications are banners, flags, table cloths with corporate logos, and more. The company operates in a 55,000-sq-ft printing plant with several electrostatic printers, two giant heat-press machines, and 75 people in the finishing department. "We're totally vertical," says president Danny Schwartz. "This is not a one or two printer operation. We can turn [orders] in as fast as 24 hours if we have to. It's a very flexible operation for people who don't want to make an enormous investment in equipment, learning curve, and a support staff." Asked his secret for growing a dynamic dye-sub business in such a short time, Schwartz is quick to cite the "voodoo magic" aspects of this craft. "What you see is not what you get; it's not that easy," he says, then goes down the list of entry barriers. First, there's the equipment expense. He's presently using electrostatic printers from Xerox and Raster Graphics, although he hasn't ruled out inkjet in the future. "New machines can run anywhere from $65,000 to well over $ 100,000 per machine. Software can run anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000. Then you have the cost of supplies; the toners are very expensive and the paper is expensive. Plus, the biggest factor in the business is waste. Because you don't see what you get the first time out, you have to constantly make proofs and keep color correcting. You can waste tremendous amounts of paper." On long runs, the toners tend to dissipate, so the color on the first piece isn't the same as the fiftieth. Schwartz solves this problem by constantly checking color, even in the middle of a run. If it's okay, he goes on. If not, he adjusts the toners and rechecks the colors before proceeding. Also, the toners have to be repeatedly agitated. "if you start to run a job at 9:00 am, by noon you have to agitate the toners to make sure there is no sediment, this is to make sure you'll get the same quality." The learning curve is a minimum of six months, he says, using people who understand digital printing. "When we started this business, believe me, we had plenty of problems the first five or six months. More than once, we thought, 'What do we need this for? We'll throw in the towel.' But then we said, 'No, we're going to hang on; we'll see this through,' and all of a sudden, we came out of the tunnel!" With inkjet printing, you actually see what you're getting, but dye sub is an intrinsically challenging process. The color black comes up as brown on the transfer paper, and the intensity of the brown tells you the intensity of the black that will appear on the finished banner, but you won't know for sure until it comes out of the heat press. And every fabric substrate acts differently. Each has to be catalogued with its own color codes, dwell time, heat time, and everything else. "There is no "standard," Schwartz says.

To track the color, Dye Into Print runs a daily Pantone-process color chart to keep in the art department. Sometimes charts are run in the morning and again in the afternoon.  "Everything is numbered," Schwartz explains. "So if we're looking for a particular red, our reference point maybe that morning's run, we then say 'OK, we can get this red, Schwartz is the first to admit he obtained his knowledge and insight the usual way. "We picked a lot of brains. Everybody has his own system, and you've got to build what's best for you. Best for us is that we are constantly checking color. It takes a little longer, it's a little more costly, but we receive no returns or redos." Schwartz calls dye sub "the poor man's screen printing. If you had to pay for screens to get these multitudes of colors, it's very prohibitive in cost. Whether we run one color or 20 colors, our price doesn't change."

The essential factors his customers want are quality, delivery and price. "We put the whole thing together, start to finish. Somebody may call in needing 25 double sided with finishing. No problem, Schwartz says, they get pole sleeves, or grommets, they receive a finished banner, ready to hang. "We're looking to be the largest supplier of dye-sublimation in the country. The minimum order we like to take is $100. " He says the company's mix of small, "onesy-twosy" clients, and larger clients with orders from 10 to 300 pieces averages out in the long run. The company prides itself with on-time delivery. And Schwartz protects his clients. "if we do a job for somebody, shipping to someone else, and the third person tries to come in direct, we don't take the order." However, he will work with end-users that didn't originally come through an agency or broker. Direct printing on textiles is a long-range possibility for the company, but Schwartz is waiting for the technology to be perfected. A veteran of the apparel business, he does agree that direct textile printing is wonderful for strike-offs, and short runs. He says he's always open to new equipment and technology, but he's also very careful about performance claims. "For example, someone says a machine turns out so many square feet per hour. Yeah, it turns out those square feet, but not in continuous tone. Not in 4 color process with full bleeds." It turns it out in black-and-white!" To get to reality, Schwartz says, "I believe 50% of what they tell you, and maybe 25% of it happens. Everybody's looking to sell their equipment, but there really has to be a reason for us to spend $60,000 or $100,000." And resolution isn't one of those reasons, he says. Unless someone gets within inches of the fabric, they're not going to see the difference. Most banners and flags are viewed from at least 15 to 20 ft away, so he feels that 300 dpi is fine. The future of the dye-sublimation business, in Schwartz’s opinion, Will come down to relationships. "There will be a handful of manufacturers who make the investment in equipment and learning curves, and they will supply all the other people. It's going to be what they call "strategic alliances, strategic partnerships". Because you really can't be all things to all people. That's been the downfall of many companies. "Be good at what you do. if you're the best, everybody will find you."