Top 10 Heat Transfer Printing Ink Manufacturers in China

Heat transfer printing has changed significantly over the last decade.

For many buyers, the term heat transfer printing ink once referred mainly to sublimation ink. Today, however, the market includes several very different technologies: silicone heat transfer ink, dye-sublimation ink, DTF pigment ink, offset sublimation ink and other transfer-printing systems.

These technologies should not be treated as interchangeable.

A polyester sportswear factory may need sublimation ink. A garment-label manufacturer producing raised 3D logos may instead require silicone heat transfer ink. A custom T-shirt business may choose DTF, while another manufacturer may use screen-printed transfer systems for high-volume logo production.

Because of these differences, the best heat transfer ink supplier is usually the manufacturer whose technology matches your exact production process.

This 2026 guide introduces 10 representative Chinese suppliers serving different segments of the heat transfer printing market.

The companies below are presented as an editorial supplier guide rather than an official sales, revenue or market-share ranking.

Top 10 Heat Transfer Printing Ink Manufacturers in China

1. Xinguang Silicone / XG Silicone

Best Choice for Silicone Heat Transfer Printing

Ganzhou Xinguang Silicone Co., Ltd. and Huizhou Yirun Silicone Co., Ltd. occupy a different position from conventional sublimation and DTF ink manufacturers.

Xinguang Silicone focuses on liquid silicone materials for textile printing, including direct screen printing, heat transfer, embossing, molding and other garment-decoration processes. Ganzhou Xinguang Silicone was established in 2007, while Huizhou Yirun Silicone was established in 2018 to support international business and export operations.

Core Heat Transfer Technology

One of the company's specialized products is XG-866A-2Y heat transfer silicone ink.

It is designed for silicone transfer printing and can also be combined with high-density silicone to create thicker 3D effects.

The material can be used for products including:

Sportswear

T-shirts

Gloves

Shoes

Socks

Elastic ribbon

Garment logos

Xinguang states that the material can be combined with pigment or effect powders and with matte or glossy silicone systems to create different transfer appearances.

Why This Technology Is Different

Silicone transfer printing creates a physical silicone layer rather than dyeing the polyester fiber.

That makes it especially relevant when buyers want:

Raised logos

Silicone can be printed in multiple layers to build thickness.

High elasticity

The finished transfer is suitable for fabrics that stretch during use.

Premium surface effects

Matte, glossy, dimensional and other effects can be created.

Durability

Properly produced silicone transfers are designed for repeated stretching and washing.

Xinguang's transfer system can be built on PET film and then transferred to the final textile with a heat press. The company publishes both positive and reverse transfer processes.

Recommended for: Sportswear branding, high-density garment logos, shoes, gloves, activewear and premium textile decoration.

2. INKBANK Group Inc.

Best Choice for Large-Scale Digital Sublimation Production

INKBANK represents a very different type of heat-transfer ink manufacturer.

Instead of specializing in screen-printed silicone transfers, the Shenzhen-based company focuses on digital inkjet ink.

Its current textile portfolio includes sublimation ink and DTF-related technologies.

INKBANK reports nearly two decades of inkjet-ink R&D experience, a production and R&D base of approximately 50,000 square meters and annual ink production capacity exceeding 40,000 tons.

Sublimation Ink Technology

Its sublimation ink systems are compatible with industrial printheads including:

Epson I3200

Epson S3200

Epson DX5 / DX7

Kyocera KJ4

Ricoh GEN5 / GEN6

Konica 1024i

This makes the company particularly relevant to industrial digital textile printers rather than conventional manual screen-printing workshops.

Ideal Applications

Polyester fabric

Sports jerseys

Flags

Home textiles

Fashion polyester printing

Large-format textile production

Recommended for: High-volume digital sublimation production and professional industrial inkjet printing.

3. Aman Transfer Printing Technology Co., Ltd.

A Specialist in Traditional Sublimation Transfer Ink

Aman is particularly interesting because transfer printing is not simply one category within a huge general ink catalog-it is central to the company's business.

Aman (Xinxiang) Transfer Printing Technology Co., Ltd. traces its origin to the Xinxiang Sublimation Heat Transfer Research Institute founded in 1996.

Its product portfolio includes:

Digital sublimation ink

Offset sublimation ink

Gravure sublimation ink

Offset printing ink

Why Aman Is Relevant

While many newer suppliers focus primarily on digital inkjet printing, Aman also covers traditional transfer-printing technologies.

That can be useful for manufacturers operating:

Offset transfer printing

Gravure transfer printing

Digital sublimation

Industrial textile transfer processes

Recommended for: Buyers requiring several sublimation transfer technologies rather than only DTF or digital inkjet ink.

4. Ganzhou Bangchen Color-Jet Science & Technology Co., Ltd.

Strong Option for DTF and Sublimation Ink

Ganzhou Bangchen Color-Jet was established in 2004 and specializes in ink and pigment-dispersion technologies.

Its current portfolio includes:

DTF ink

Sublimation ink

Solvent ink

Eco-solvent ink

UV-curable ink

Coatings

The company reports a production base of around 70,000 square meters, more than 30 production lines and approximately 20,000 tons of production capacity.

Where Bangchen Fits

Bangchen is particularly relevant to distributors or printing factories that require several digital ink technologies from one manufacturer.

For heat-transfer applications, the main categories of interest are:

DTF ink for film-to-garment transfer.

Sublimation ink for polyester textile transfer.

Recommended for: DTF printers, sublimation businesses, consumables distributors and digital textile production.

5. Henan Zhongliqi Printing Materials Co., Ltd.

Broad Heat Transfer Product Coverage

Henan Zhongliqi Printing Materials Co., Ltd. was established in 2010 and focuses on printing materials and digital printing technologies.

The company states that its business includes:

Heat transfer ink

Sublimation ink

DTF ink

Offset printing ink

Digital printing ink

DTF printers

Sublimation printers

UV printing equipment

It operates production bases in Xinxiang and Shanghai and reports a combined production-base area of approximately 68,000 square meters.

Why It Is Worth Comparing

Zhongliqi combines ink with printing equipment.

This can be useful for buyers who prefer to source:

Printer + ink + transfer workflow

rather than purchasing ink separately from the machinery.

Recommended for: New transfer-printing production lines and businesses seeking combined equipment and consumable sourcing.

6. Huixing Digital

Best for Buyers Sourcing Ink Together With Transfer Media

Huixing Digital focuses strongly on consumables used around the transfer-printing workflow.

Its main categories include:

Sublimation transfer paper

DTF film

Sublimation ink

DTF ink

The company positions itself as a manufacturing supplier for digital printing materials rather than only an ink company.

Why This Matters

Successful heat transfer printing depends on more than ink.

For example, sublimation performance is affected by the relationship between:

Ink → transfer paper → printer → heat press → fabric

DTF similarly depends on:

Ink → PET film → powder → curing → heat transfer

Working with a supplier that understands the transfer media can simplify compatibility testing.

Recommended for: Distributors and production companies buying transfer paper or DTF film together with compatible inks.

7. Sublistar

Digital Apparel Transfer Printing Focus

Sublistar is active in digital textile and garment-decoration systems, particularly sublimation and DTF-related applications.

Unlike chemical manufacturers that mainly sell bulk ink, suppliers in this category tend to focus more heavily on the complete printing workflow.

Typical systems can involve:

Sublimation printing

DTF printing

Transfer equipment

Heat press production

Textile customization

Where It Fits

Sublistar may be more relevant to garment printing businesses that are choosing a complete digital production method rather than only sourcing raw ink.

Recommended for: Customized apparel, sportswear production and digital heat-transfer businesses.

8. HongSam Digital Science & Technology

Digital Textile Ink Specialist

HongSam operates in the digital textile ink market and has experience with inkjet formulations used in textile production.

Digital textile printing requires very different formulation control from screen-printed transfer silicone.

Important factors include:

Particle size

Ink viscosity

Surface tension

Printhead compatibility

Color density

Jetting stability

Best Application

Companies in this category are more appropriate for industrial digital textile users than manufacturers looking for thick silicone transfer logos.

Recommended for: Textile inkjet operations, digital apparel production and industrial printing systems.

9. Guangzhou Ledi New Material Technology Co., Ltd.

Alternative for Screen-Printed Heat Transfer Materials

Guangzhou Ledi produces several types of printing ink and printing materials.

Its portfolio includes water-based and specialty products relevant to heat-transfer and screen-printing processes.

This represents another segment of the transfer market: screen-printed transfer materials.

Instead of digitally jetting an image onto transfer film, the design can be built through screen-printing layers before being transferred to the textile.

Where It Fits

This method can be useful for:

Higher-volume designs

Special-effect transfers

Strong opaque graphics

Fashion garment decoration

Recommended for: Screen-printing factories adding transfer-printing production.

10. Specialty Textile Heat Transfer Ink Suppliers

China also has many smaller manufacturers specializing in narrow transfer technologies rather than broad ink portfolios.

Typical products include:

Puff heat-transfer ink

Reflective transfer ink

Flocking transfer materials

High-density transfer ink

Metallic effects

Anti-slip silicone

Hot-melt adhesive systems

These suppliers can sometimes be more appropriate for fashion brands requiring unusual effects than large digital ink companies.

The key is to test production samples carefully before placing volume orders.

Recommended for: Fashion effects, custom logos and specialized garment decoration.

Four Heat Transfer Ink Technologies Buyers Should Understand

Before comparing manufacturers, determine which transfer process your factory actually uses.

A. Silicone Heat Transfer Ink

Silicone transfer is designed around flexibility and dimensional effects.

A typical production structure can involve:

Printing silicone onto PET release film

Building the required color or thickness

Printing a bonding or cross-linking layer

Adding hot-melt adhesive

Curing the transfer

Heat pressing it onto the garment

Xinguang Silicone publishes both silicone-first and adhesive-first transfer methods.

Best For

Sportswear
Yoga wear
Shoe uppers
Gloves
Elastic apparel
3D logos

B. Dye-Sublimation Ink

Sublimation operates completely differently.

The design is digitally printed onto sublimation transfer paper.

During heat pressing, sublimation dye moves into compatible polyester material rather than remaining as a conventional surface ink layer.

INKBANK describes typical transfer temperatures around 190–200°C for sublimation systems.

Best For

Polyester jerseys
Sports uniforms
Flags
Polyester fashion
Home textiles

Key Limitation

Sublimation is primarily associated with polyester or suitably coated substrates.

It is not the same solution as silicone transfer for raised logos.

C. DTF Ink

DTF stands for Direct to Film.

The image is digitally printed onto PET transfer film and later applied to the garment.

A typical workflow involves:

DTF pigment ink → PET film → adhesive powder → curing → heat pressing

Best For

Customized T-shirts
Small production runs
Multi-color graphics
Cotton garments
Mixed fabrics
Personalized apparel

DTF has become important because it allows detailed graphics without conventional screen preparation.

D. Offset / Gravure Sublimation Ink

Before modern wide-format digital printing became dominant, sublimation transfer could also be produced using offset or gravure processes.

These methods remain relevant for certain high-volume industrial transfer applications.

Aman is one of the manufacturers in this guide that specifically lists digital, offset and gravure sublimation inks.

Which Heat Transfer Ink Should You Choose?

A useful starting point is the final product rather than the ink itself.

This is why comparing all heat transfer manufacturers purely by price can be misleading.

They may be selling completely different technologies.

Why Silicone Heat Transfer Is Growing in Premium Garment Decoration

Silicone transfer is especially interesting in performance apparel because modern garments increasingly use elastic fabrics.

A conventional rigid decoration may fail when the garment stretches repeatedly.

Silicone can provide:

High elasticity

Dimensional thickness

Soft surface feel

Wash durability

Matte or glossy effects

Strong visual depth

Xinguang Silicone's heat-transfer products are designed for apparel including sports goods, T-shirts, gloves, shoes, socks and ribbon.

This makes silicone heat transfer less of a replacement for sublimation and more of a complementary decoration technology.

For example, a sports jersey may use:

Sublimation for the full garment design

and

Silicone heat transfer for the raised brand logo.

How to Evaluate a Heat Transfer Ink Manufacturer

Instead of asking only, "What is your price per kilogram?", professional buyers should evaluate the complete production system.

Transfer Compatibility

Ask whether the ink has been tested with your:

PET film

Transfer paper

Adhesive

Powder

Heat press

Printer

Fabric

Production Stability

A good sample is not enough.

Ask whether the supplier can reproduce the same:

Viscosity

Color

Elasticity

Curing behavior

Transfer release

Adhesion

from batch to batch.

Technical Support

Heat-transfer failures often involve the process rather than a single raw material.

Your supplier should understand:

Temperature

Pressure

Time

Screen mesh

Film release

Curing

Adhesive compatibility

Testing Capability

For digital inks, printhead compatibility and filtration are critical.

INKBANK, for example, reports dedicated laboratories, particle-analysis equipment and hundreds of printing devices used for testing.

For silicone transfer, physical testing of adhesion, elasticity and wash resistance is more important.

Five Common Heat Transfer Problems

Transfer Peels After Washing

Possible causes include:

Incorrect adhesive

Insufficient curing

Low heat-press temperature

Insufficient pressure

Poor fabric compatibility

Xinguang notes that bonding conditions, curing and pressure can significantly affect silicone transfer durability.

Colors Look Different After Transfer

This can result from:

Incorrect temperature

Wrong ICC profile

Transfer-paper differences

Fabric color

Ink density

This issue is particularly relevant to sublimation.

Transfer Cracks When Stretched

For elastic garments, the decoration must stretch with the fabric.

This is one of the main reasons silicone transfer is used for performance apparel.

DTF White Ink Settles

Pigment-containing digital inks require proper printer maintenance and circulation.

Buyers should confirm printer and printhead compatibility with their supplier.

Film Does Not Release Cleanly

Release performance depends on the entire system rather than only the ink.

PET film, curing conditions and transfer temperature must work together.

What Should You Send the Manufacturer Before Asking for a Sample?

A professional inquiry should include:

Final product

For example: polyester sports jersey.

Fabric composition

For example: 85% polyester / 15% spandex.

Transfer method

Silicone transfer, sublimation, DTF or another system.

Printing equipment

Printer model, screen printing machine or production line.

Transfer media

PET film or sublimation paper.

Desired effect

Flat, glossy, matte, high-density, metallic or other finish.

Heat press conditions

Available temperature, time and pressure.

Order volume

Sample, trial production or industrial quantity.

Providing this information usually produces a much more useful supplier recommendation than simply asking for "heat transfer printing ink."

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Heat Transfer Printing Ink?

Heat transfer printing ink refers to inks designed to create an image or decoration that is first produced on an intermediate carrier-typically PET film or transfer paper-and later transferred to the final substrate using heat and pressure.

Different systems include silicone transfer, sublimation and DTF.

Which Heat Transfer Ink Is Best for Sportswear?

It depends on the decoration.

For full-color polyester designs, sublimation is widely used.

For raised logos and highly elastic branding, silicone heat transfer is a strong option.

The two technologies can also be used on the same garment.

Which Manufacturer Specializes in Silicone Heat Transfer Ink?

Ganzhou Xinguang Silicone Co., Ltd. and Huizhou Xinguang Yirun Silicone Co., Ltd. specialize in textile silicone materials and provide dedicated heat-transfer silicone systems.

Which Manufacturers Are Suitable for Sublimation Ink?

INKBANK, Aman, Bangchen and other digital textile ink manufacturers in this guide offer sublimation technologies.

Is DTF the Same as Sublimation?

No.

DTF uses pigment-based printing and an adhesive-transfer system.

Sublimation uses dyes that transfer under heat and are primarily suited to polyester or compatible coated substrates.

Can Heat Transfer Ink Be Customized?

Yes, depending on the manufacturer.

Customization may include:

Color

Viscosity

Hardness

Elasticity

Surface effect

Transfer conditions

Printer compatibility

Physical testing should always be carried out before mass production.

Conclusion

The Chinese heat transfer printing industry cannot be evaluated as one single ink category.

The market includes at least four major technology routes:

Silicone heat transfer for flexible and dimensional garment decoration.

Sublimation ink for polyester textile printing.

DTF ink for versatile digital garment transfers.

Offset and gravure sublimation systems for certain industrial transfer applications.

For large-scale digital sublimation, companies such as INKBANK provide specialized inkjet technologies and significant production infrastructure.

For suppliers requiring both DTF and sublimation products, Ganzhou Bangchen Color-Jet provides multiple digital ink categories.

For traditional and digital sublimation transfer technologies, Aman Transfer Printing Technology is particularly focused on this field.

For high-elasticity garment logos, sportswear, footwear and 3D decorative transfers, Xinguang Silicone / XG Silicone occupies a more specialized position.

Through Ganzhou Xinguang Silicone Co., Ltd. and Huizhou Yirun Silicone Co., Ltd., Xinguang Silicone develops heat-transfer silicone systems for textile and garment applications, including dedicated silicone inks, bonding materials and production processes.

Rather than choosing a supplier by price alone, buyers should first determine the correct transfer technology and then compare ink performance, production stability, technical support and compatibility with their actual fabric and equipment.

For silicone heat transfer projects, contact Xinguang Silicone with your fabric, transfer film, desired effect and production conditions to obtain a suitable silicone printing solution.