In search of a printing methodology that may produce vibrant and long-lasting prints?
Sublimation printing may be simply what you want—it’s a preferred selection for printing on materials, plastic, metallic, ceramic, in addition to glass.
On this weblog publish, we’ll discover the fundamentals of sublimation printing, together with the way it works and the benefits it provides in comparison with different printing strategies. We’ll additionally focus on the supplies it may be used on and reply different widespread questions. By the tip, you’ll have a full understanding of what sublimation printing is and why it’s a terrific selection in the event you’re operating a print-on-demand retailer.
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What’s sublimation printing and the way does it work?
Sublimation printing is a digital printing course of that makes use of warmth, strain, and time to switch dye onto totally different supplies.
Right here’s the total course of:
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You print a design onto particular switch paper utilizing sublimation inks
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Then, you place the printed paper onto a product and warmth it with a warmth press
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The warmth, strain, and time turns the inks right into a fuel, and the fabric absorbs them
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Because of this, you get a everlasting, vibrant print that gained’t fade or crack over time
Sublimation printing professionals
Now that you understand how sublimation printing works, let’s undergo the professionals and cons of this printing method, beginning with the advantages.
1. Vibrant and detailed printing outcomes
What’s most enjoyable about sublimation printing is the power to provide vibrant, detailed prints with sharp traces and unfaded colours. Bear in mind, although, that outcomes might differ relying on the fabric’s floor. For instance, on fuzzy surfaces, small particulars may not come out as sharp.
2. Print sturdiness
An vital factor to notice about dye sublimation is that the ink isn’t simply utilized on prime of the fabric. As an alternative, it sinks in, changing into an integral a part of it. That’s why a sublimation print gained’t fade or wash off, lasting for much longer than a display screen print or a DTG print.
3. Fast turnaround time
One other professional of sublimation printing is its fast turnaround time. As a result of the printing course of is digital and doesn’t require making a bodily display screen or plate, sublimation printers can rapidly produce high-quality prints and require much less handbook labor than, for instance, display screen printing.
4. Number of merchandise
In the case of the selection of supplies, sublimation is flexible and provides you plenty of room for creativity. You can also make custom clothing, baggage, mugs, mousepads, and extra.
5. No order minimums
If you happen to select a print-on-demand service like Printful, you’ll be able to order one-off sublimated products with out worrying about assembly a minimal order requirement. This additionally provides room for experiments—you’ll be able to take a look at merchandise to search out those your clients like with out investing an excessive amount of into stock.
6. Eco-friendliness
The ultimate good thing about sublimation printing is that it’s a comparatively eco-friendly printing course of. In contrast to conventional printing strategies that use water-based inks and solvents, sublimation printing makes use of dry inks. The dry inks are infused into the fabric whereas being printed, leading to minimal waste and lowered environmental influence. As well as, it reduces the quantity of wasted ink by solely making use of it to the areas wanted.
Sublimation printing cons
There are additionally some limitations to sublimation printing. Under we’ve highlighted 3 essential disadvantages it is best to take into account earlier than committing to this printing methodology.
1. Materials limitations
Observe that sublimation solely works on 100% polyester or cloth blends that comprise a excessive share of polyester. The much less polyester within the cloth, the extra light the prints. It is because the chemical properties of sublimation dyes require artificial fibers to correctly stick and create long-lasting outcomes.
If you happen to’re all in favour of cotton, silk, or leather-based garment printing, sublimation gained’t be the appropriate selection. Sublimation dyes merely gained’t adhere to pure fibers or will rapidly wash off.
2. Base coloration limitations
Sublimation’s solely out there for white or very gentle clean merchandise. That’s as a result of there’s no white ink in sublimation printing, and the sublimation inks can’t lighten the bottom coloration.
It’s potential to sublimate on silver and coloured surfaces (like coloured water bottles), that are additionally widespread. However it’s vital to do not forget that the outcomes gained’t be as vibrant as on a white base.
If you happen to sublimate on a black cloth, the dye will technically switch however you gained’t be capable of see the outcomes. For instance, printing a vivid magenta coloration on a black shirt will end in a black print with a reddish undertone.
3. White creasing
When sublimating on a ready-made garment, there’s an opportunity that some areas gained’t get printed correctly, leaving white streaks. This typically occurs round seams or because of unintentional folding.
Supply: Printful
To keep away from any such defect and obtain excellent seam-to-seam protection, we use the lower & sew method (often known as all-over printing) at Printful. First, your design is sublimated onto a chunk of material. Then, we lower out patterns from the printed cloth and our in-house seamsters sew the ultimate product collectively.
Take a look at our Sublimation Print-On-Demand Products weblog publish to search out out extra concerning the printing course of at Printful.
What are you able to sublimate on?
Sublimation printing is appropriate for quite a lot of supplies, providing you with loads of product choices. From attire to mugs, and residential decor to bigger objects like banners and indicators—you title it.
Let’s take a better have a look at a number of the sublimation merchandise we provide at Printful.
Attire
Shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, leggings, clothes, swimsuits, and plenty extra. In the case of garment printing, sublimation has one essential benefit—it lets you cowl an merchandise seam-to-seam. If you happen to don’t wish to put your design in a field because of a restricted printing space, sublimation erases any such constraint.
Take a look at extra sublimated clothes choices right here:

Equipment
In search of assertion equipment to accompany your attire designs? We’ve obtained choices for you:
Mugs
We provide different mug types, all of that are created utilizing the sublimation methodology. The design is first printed onto switch paper utilizing dye sublimation inks by way of an inkjet printer. Then, the paper is rigorously positioned across the mug and secured with a specifically designed wrap to make sure strain and warmth are utilized to switch the picture onto the mug.
White Ceramic Mug with Color Inside
Residence decor
Whether or not you’re trying so as to add a pop of coloration to your front room, a comfortable contact to your bed room, or a classy accent to your workplace, there are many residence & dwelling objects to discover:
Sublimation in comparison with different printing processes
Sublimation vs. display screen printing
Sublimation and display screen printing are each widespread strategies of transferring designs onto cloth, however they’ve a number of key variations:
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Variety of colours. With sublimation, your design can comprise an infinite variety of colours. Display printing is restricted to 1 or just a few colours.
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Materials. Sublimation works finest with polyester and different artificial materials, whereas display screen printing works on pure supplies resembling cotton, linen, and rayon.
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Print space. Sublimation is right for creating seam-to-seam prints on clothes, whereas with display screen printing you’ll at all times be constrained to a smaller printing space.
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Setup time. Sublimation requires much less setup time and is healthier fitted to printing customized one-off merchandise than display screen printing.
Discover out extra in our full information to Sublimation vs. Screen printing.
Sublimation vs. DTG
Questioning how sublimation compares to DTG printing? Right here’s learn how to inform the distinction between the 2:
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Materials. Sublimation is just appropriate for polyester and polyester blends. DTG works finest on 100% combed and ring-spun cotton however may also be used on cotton blends.
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Base coloration. Sublimation is restricted to white or lighter-color supplies. DTG produces vivid prints on any cloth coloration.
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Print space. Sublimation has a bigger print space in comparison with DTG, as it may well cowl the whole garment. DTG print space’s restricted to the scale of the platen of the printer.
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Setup time. DTG is quicker than sublimation as a result of the DTG printer prints instantly on a garment and you’ll skip the switch paper and warmth press course of. With DTG, there’s additionally no want for chopping and stitching the garment after printing.
Sublimation vs. DTF
Direct-to-film (DTF) printing is an rising know-how that is gaining recognition as a sublimation different. Here is a breakdown of their key variations:
- Course of. Sublimation makes use of warmth to switch dye into the material. DTF makes use of a warmth press to use a printed movie with an adhesive backing to the material.
- Materials. Sublimation is finest for polyester and different artificial materials. DTF works on a greater diversity of supplies, together with cotton, blends, and even non-fabric surfaces like metallic and wooden.
- Sturdiness. Sublimation produces a extra sturdy print that’s much less vulnerable to cracking or fading. DTF prints could also be extra prone to put on and tear.
Methods to put together a design file for sublimation printing
Right here’s the factor: to be able to get these superb, vibrant sublimation outcomes, you’ve obtained to ensure your design file is all set. Meaning discovering a terrific picture, changing it to the appropriate format, and double-checking that your colours and backbone are on level.
Study extra: Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Eye-Catching Sublimation Designs
If you happen to’re new to digital print file prep, right here’s all the things you must know to nail your print recordsdata:
File format: We settle for PNG and JPG file codecs. Your recordsdata needs to be in excessive decision (150 DPI or increased) to make sure the very best print high quality.
Colour Profile: Use the sRGB coloration profile to make sure that your design seems to be simply as nice printed because it does on display screen.
Measurement: Be sure your design is the proper dimension for the product you’re ordering. You’ll discover the precise dimensions within the File pointers tab beneath every product. In case your design is bigger than the print space, it’ll be scaled down, so you’ll want to test the print dimension earlier than importing your design.
An instance of print file dimension pointers you could find beneath every Printful product
Bleed: For the very best outcomes, use full-bleed photographs that span throughout the whole doc. In case your design solely covers a portion of the print space, don’t neglect to make the background clear and submit the picture in PNG format.
No white borders: Sublimation printing requires the switch paper to be in full contact with the product, so any white areas in your design will present up as the colour of the product. To realize a full-color print, be certain there aren’t any white borders or areas in your design.

Bonus: Do you know that Printful’s Design Maker provides tons of ready-made sublimation designs? You possibly can print them as they’re or use them as a background to your customized design parts. Right here’s how you could find them.
When you’ve chosen a product, head to Design and click on Background fill.
Below Graphics, Patterns, and Premium photographs, you’ll discover a ton of inventive visuals completely fitted to all-over printing.
Decide one and it’ll be utilized to the product. Voila!
Sublimation’s a process in which a solid substance is transformed directly into a gaseous state, without passing through the liquid phase. In the printing industry, it’s used to print designs on materials such as mugs, clothing, accessories, and other items.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What is a sublimation printer?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”
A sublimation printer is a special type of printer that prints sublimation-capable inks onto special transfer paper.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”How long does sublimation last on shirts?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”
Sublimation printing is built to withstand the test of time. Following correct care instructions is crucial to maintaining the quality of the prints over time. When done right, your designs will stay vibrant and in pristine condition, even after multiple washes and wears. The ink becomes a part of the garment, so you can be sure your prints will look just as good years down the line. No fading, peeling, or cracking to worry about.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Can you sublimate on dark colors?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”
The sublimation printing process requires a white or very light material color to achieve the best printing outcomes.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Whatu2019s the difference between sublimation and screen printing?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”
In a nutshell, sublimation embeds the dye right into the fabric’s fibers, while screen printing applies dye on top of the material. Another difference is that sublimation only works with polyester materials but screen printing is best suited for natural fibers.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”What paper do you use for sublimation printing?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”
The sublimation process requires a specially coated heat transfer paper. It’s designed to withstand high temperatures without burning or smudging.”}}]}
Sublimation FAQs
One thing’s nonetheless unclear? We’ve ready bite-sized solutions to the commonest questions on sublimation.
Sublimation’s a course of during which a stable substance is remodeled instantly right into a gaseous state, with out passing by way of the liquid part. Within the printing business, it’s used to print designs on supplies resembling mugs, clothes, equipment, and different objects.
A sublimation printer is a particular sort of printer that prints sublimation-capable inks onto particular switch paper.
Sublimation printing is constructed to resist the take a look at of time. Following right care directions is essential to sustaining the standard of the prints over time. When accomplished proper, your designs will keep vibrant and in pristine situation, even after a number of washes and wears. The ink turns into part of the garment, so that you might be certain your prints will look simply pretty much as good years down the road. No fading, peeling, or cracking to fret about.
The sublimation printing course of requires a white or very gentle materials coloration to realize the very best printing outcomes.
In a nutshell, sublimation embeds the dye proper into the material’s fibers, whereas display screen printing applies dye on prime of the fabric. One other distinction is that sublimation solely works with polyester supplies however display screen printing is finest fitted to pure fibers.
The sublimation course of requires a specifically coated warmth switch paper. It’s designed to resist excessive temperatures with out burning or smudging.
That’s all about sublimation printing
Now that we’ve answered the commonest questions on sublimation printing, it’s time to go forward and design your first sublimated product.
So, try our product catalog, whether or not you’re a enterprise proprietor trying to promote custom products or a person desperate to create a novel merchandise. You’ll discover over 70 merchandise, from activewear and swimwear to hats, baggage, and mouse pads to select from and make your design concepts come to life.
What are your ideas on the subject? Do you’ve got any expertise with sublimation printing? Be at liberty to share within the feedback part. And have enjoyable creating your personal customized merchandise!
Learn subsequent: Sublimation Print-On-Demand Products You Should Add to Your Store