Cure Temperature

Every plastisol ink ships with a published cure curve, and what matters is internal ink temperature, not the number glowing on the dryer's control panel. Standard plastisol cross-links around 320°F held for roughly 60 to 90 seconds; low-cure formulas exist for polyester and nylon at 270°F or so, precisely to protect heat-sensitive garments from scorching or dye migration. A conveyor dryer set to 320°F on the display can still under-cure a heavy white underbase, because the ink itself never climbs to that number before the shirt exits the tunnel.

For a buyer, cure temperature is the invisible variable behind why one supplier's hoodie print survives fifty washes and another's cracks by wash five. A 5.3 oz cotton tee holds heat differently than a 50/50 blend or a 100% polyester performance shirt, so one dryer setting doesn't serve a mixed order well. We've stopped a production run mid-batch with a temp gun because belt speed dialed in for cotton tees was quietly too fast for the polyester jerseys stacked right behind them.

Reputable shops verify cure with an infrared thermometer or a laminated tempstrip in a test print rather than trusting the dryer's readout. Belt speed, ink deposit thickness, and garment color, dark shirts need a heavier underbase that takes longer to heat through, all shift the real number. Ask your printer whether cure gets spot-checked per style, especially across poly blends.

Buyers often assume hotter is always safer, but overshooting cure temperature scorches fabric, yellows white ink, and can melt polyester before the ink itself sets. The goal is hitting the target window consistently, not maximizing heat.