What is Sublimation Printing?
.webp)
Sublimation printing is a method of printing in which a design is transferred from a sublimation paper onto a product by using pressure and heat to change the solid particles of the ink into a gas state which the product absorbs, and when cooled, the ink returns back to solid state. It is an easy and cost-effective way of adding customization to a wide range of products.
What is the term sublimation?
In scientific terms, Sublimation is the transition of a substance directly from a solid state to a gas state. It does not pass through the usual liquid state and only occurs at specific temperatures and pressures.
What products can be customized with sublimation printing?
You can use sublimation printing for a wide range of products. For garments, it is best when used for printing on polyester or polyester mixed garments. In other products it can print in almost all products that have a specialist polymer coating, such as those found on mugs, mouse pads, coasters, and more. Glass can sometimes also be customized using sublimation printing, but it has to be a specific glass that has been treated and prepared correctly for sublimation.
What is the sublimation printing process?
The sublimation printing process is fairly simple and can be done at home. Print shops usually follow these steps when doing sublimation printing:
- A design is printed using a special transfer paper and sublimation inks
- The paper is cut and placed onto the product that is going to be printed and heated with a heat press.
- The heat turns the inks into a gas, and the product surface material absorbs them.
- After it cools down a bit, you get a vibrant print that will not fade over time
Is sublimation printing the same as heat transfer printing?
Although they have similar processes, sublimation printing, and heat transfer are not the same printing method. With sublimation printing, it is only the ink that transfers onto the product, whereas, with heat transfer, a layer gets fully transferred onto the product. As such, with heat transfer, the art/design becomes a layer on top of the product/material being customized.
Benefits of sublimation printing?
- High-quality printing results - when done properly, sublimation printing produces vibrant and detailed prints.
- Durability - Sublimation prints will not fade or peel because the ink is absorbed rather than remaining as a layer on top of the product. Resulting in a long-lasting, vibrant print.
- Printing speed - Because the sublimation process is digital and has a simple setup, a print shop can quickly print products when compared to other print methods like screen printing or DTG, which require a bit more setup.
- Low to no minimums - Most print shops will customize products using sublimation printing without requiring minimum quantities or with low minimums. Sublimation is also a print method available for print-on-demand (POD) providers with products like mugs, all-over-prints, etc.
Limitations of sublimation printing?
- Material printing requirements - For garment products, sublimation printing only works on fabric containing a high percentage of polyester material. Sublimation ink simply does not adhere to natural fibers and will quickly wash off. For other products, it requires the products to have a specialist polymer coating, which is normal for products like mugs, tumblers, mousepads, etc.
- Color limitation - Because sublimation uses CMYK, there is no white ink, making it impossible to print the color white. This is why sublimation is only available for white or very light-color blank products, whereas, for white details, it can be left as the absence of ink and takes the color of the print surface instead. Doing sublimation printing on the back or dark surface will not yield the same results, and it will show the print with weird color undertones.
- White creasing - With sublimation printing requiring the use of white fabric, there are certain areas of a garment that are not printed properly, leaving blank spaces in those hard-to-reach areas. These usually are areas where creases or folding happens. This happens when sublimating garments. This is why it is recommended to use sublimation for cut and sew products, where the fabric is sublimated before it is cut and sewn together to form the final garment.
Related Topics / Questions