What exactly is 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.
It’s a general term that is used to describe the solid-to-gas transition and refers to the physical change in state only.
What is sublimation shirt printing?
Sublimation shirt printing is a specific process of printing that first involves printing onto a special sheet of paper, then transferring that image onto another material (usually polyester or a polyester mix).
The ink is then heated until it disintegrates into the fabric.
The process of sublimation shirt printing costs more than other methods, but it lasts longer, and will not crack or peel over time, like other shirt printing methods.
Are sublimation and heat transfer the same thing?
The foremost difference between heat transfer and sublimation is that with sublimation, it is only the ink that transfers onto the material.
With the heat transfer process, there is usually a transfer layer that will be transferred to the material as well.
Can you sublimate onto anything?
For the best sublimation results, it is best used with polyester materials.
It can be used with a range of materials that have a specialist polymer coating, such as those found on mugs, mouse pads, coasters, and more.
In some cases, it is also possible to use sublimation on glass, but it needs to be normal glass that has been treated and prepared correctly with a specialist spray.
What are the limitations of sublimation?
Aside from the materials that can be used for sublimation, one of the core limitations for sublimation is the colors of any materials. Because sublimation is essentially a dye process, you get the best results when the fabrics are either white or light-colored. If you want to print onto a black shirt or darker materials, then you could be better off using a digital print solution instead.
Can a sublimation printer print white?
Sublimation uses MCYK printing, and there is no combination of any base color ink which is able to produce the color white. You can print onto white materials and any other lighter color for that matter. But, if any of your design has white within it, this will not work with sublimation.
Is sublimation better than screen printing?
When done correctly, both printing methods will produce long-lasting prints that should neither fade nor crack, even with prolonged washing.
While it’s true that both printing methods have their individual benefits, there are a few key factors to consider when trying to decide whether dye sublimation or screen printing is best:
Setup of the Job
One of the most significant limitations of screen printing is that only a single color can be applied to the substrate at any one time. There is also the added concern of the alignment of the different layers of color. As such, screen printing setup times can be extensive when there is more than one color involved.
On the other hand, with sublimation, there is no need to worry about the alignment of the individual colors as this process will print all of the colors at once. Designs can be more easily customized with this process, as you will only need to change the article work and print out a new transfer for the changes to take effect.