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When investigating the products and equipment for the first time, businesses seem to have the usual questions:

 

(1) How does the dye sublimation process work?

 

(2) What types of products can be decorated?

 

(3) What equipment makes up a sublimation system?

 

Before knowing these answers, we need to know exactly what is meant by the term “dye sublimation”. Other decorative technologies such as rotary engraving, screen printing and embroidery are part of the general lexicon. Most everyone you speak with has some idea of what each of these technologies entails if only on a basic level. Even vinyl cutting and laser engraving are somewhat intuitive. Unfortunately, the term “sublimation not only describes a decorating technology, it also describes a scientific process”.

 

WHAT IS SUBLIMATION?

 

Scientifically, sublimation is the phase transition of a substance from a solid directly to a gas without going through a liquid phase occurring under specific temperature and pressure conditions.

 

 

 

But how does this fit in to decorating thousands of products with a photo quality image? It helps if you approach this technology by looking first at the word dye. This technology involves a dye process. Hundreds of thousands of everyday products are decorated using colored dyes. Manufacturers of apparel, consumer packaging, consumer goods, electronics, etc., et al add dyes to color their products whether they're made of plastics, fabrics or woods. The dye process is often done at early stages before the individually decorated product components are assembled or sewn together.

 

 

As we are describing dye sublimation, the "solid" part of the equation denotes the microscopic particles of solid ink dyes which rest on the surface of your printed, ready-to-transfer sublimation page which you printed directly from CorelDraw, Adobe Photoshop or a rip program like Wasatch to a supported Epson, Ricoh, Mutoh or Mimaki sublimation printer. When introduced to heat, these solid ink particles turn directly to a gas which then permanently dyes the decorated surface and sub-surface of your product, depending on whether it’s a textile or hard substrate.

 

 

 

THE SUBLIMATION DECORATION PROCESS

 

The first steps of sublimation decoration often involve the same tools used with other technologies like engraving, screen printing and embroidery. It is only after the final image is printed to paper when sublimation sets itself apart from all other technologies.

 

 

 

Here's the step-by-step process required to produce a sublimated product:

 

Design and customize a graphic specific to the final product using professional graphics software. Sublimation products showcase millions of colors utilizing high resolution, true photo quality images and any vector-based graphics and text.

Print the image to a supported inkjet printer using specialty sublimation inks on sublimation-friendly paper.

Face the printed image on the sheet to a sublimation-ready surface (e.g. polyester-based only). Some hard products like plaques and name badges will need to be taped using heat resistant tape. For soft substrates like t-shirts or mouse pads, the transfer can be "tacked" to the product using a light, repositionable adhesive spray available at any hardware, craft or super store, or by using a tacky sublimation paper, currently only available for wide format printers.

Place the product and sublimation print under a heat press. Each product type has its own formula for time, temperature and pressure for optimal decorating. The proper temperature usually hovers between 385° F to 400° F; time varies from 50 seconds for a Vapor Apparel t-shirt to over seven minutes for a glossy, ceramic tile. The required pressure is usually "medium" or around 30-40 psi on a pneumatic press. You're looking for a solid marriage between the heated platen and the face of your sublimation transfer (where the solid ink dyes rest).

After the time expires, remove the product (using protective heat gloves is recommended when handling many sublimation products), tear away the transfer and admire the finished image. Besides assembly for some products (e.g. gift boxes, tile murals, etc.), the product is ready for delivery after cooling.

 

 

WHAT TYPES OF PRODUCTS CAN BE MADE?

 

In order to determine whether you can imprint a product with a wash-fast, scratch-resistant, full-color sublimation image, you'll need to check three items: First, is the decoration area polyester-based? Sublimation is reliant on polyester's unique molecular structure (e.g. its ability to bond with the gassed ink dyes). You cannot sublimate to cotton, nylon, vinyl, wool, leather, etc. Second, will the product hold up to the optimal temperatures (up to 400° F) and pressure required for the dye sublimation process? Lastly, is the color of the product light enough to take an image? Because this is a dye technology, the color of a sublimation product's decoration surface can affect the final colors of your graphic. True white works best, but you can still decorate lighter colored products such as t-shirts or sand-colored stone tiles while achieving 70-80% of the printer's available color gamut.

 

 

 

There are hundreds of ready-to-sublimate products specifically made for the sublimation industry with more and more being introduced continually. There are products for practically every business market. On the awards and recognition side, sublimation allows for full-color, photo quality plaques, signs, name badges and other identification products. The apparel side offers variety and option for the decorator from trendy hooded sweatshirts to engineered, microfibers. Not only will a sublimated image never wash away, but sublimation is the only imprinting technology which doesn't impede the wicking process in performance apparel, allowing you the ability to market customization to the "Under Armour" crowd. On the gift side, what better way to personalize a product than with a photograph realistically recreated on a quality wooden box, coffee mug or other personal item? The promotional industry loves sublimation for the "higher quality" promo products that make a bigger advertising splash due to the full color graphics. The list goes on.

 

 

 

In addition to the ready-made products, you can purchase polyester-coated sheets of Masonite, fiberglass-reinforced plastic and metal which can be cut down to create unique shapes and sizes. By sublimating to raw, polyester fabric in dozens of styles, end users develop their own unique cut-and-sew products from custom soft signs to sports jerseys to high-end fashion.

 

 

 

WHAT MAKES UP A SUBLIMATION SYSTEM?

 

A sublimation system comes in a variety of configurations depending on the decorator’s product offerings and production volume. There are five main components to a typical sublimation system.

 

A COMPUTER - No matter the product or output, a computer with graphics software is necessary. Professional graphics software (either CorelDraw Graphics Suite X3+ or Adobe Creative Suite 3+) which have advanced color management settings and which allow for the use of custom color profiles (e.g. ICC profiles) are recommended. Wide format systems may require RIP software (an advanced print driver which can be calibrated for color and quality specifically based on your individual printer, sublimation ink set, paper and your final product).

 

 

A SUPPORTED INKJET PRINTER - Printer models come in a variety of print widths and ink configurations depending on the products you'll be making and your anticipated production volume. Johnson Plastics offers sublimation systems for all needs. Solutions in our Desktop line (8.5" to 17" print widths) include a variety of Epson and Ricoh printers with either bulk ink systems (external bags or internal cartridges). These systems are typically for businesses concentrating on decorating "ready-to-sublimate" items (e.g. no manufacturing involved) and offer fast, high quality printing for short run environments. For the Wide Format line features print widths of 24", 42", 44" and larger on printing platforms by Epson, Mutoh and Mimaki. These commercial grade, "open ink" systems (ink is purchased in single or multiple liter containers and used to refill open cartridges) offer the most economical output costs for the business who is (a) producing large runs of sublimated products, (b) producing oversized products requiring a larger print size or (c) building custom sublimation products through "cut-and-sew" or other manufacturing techniques.

 

 

SUBLIMATION INKS - Johnson Plastics offers a few different brands of Sawgrass Technologies' available North American region sublimation inks. These inks include: SubliJet IQ (available in a variety of desktop models) which feature Power Driver color correction software; Ricoh-specific SubliJet-R inks; ArTainium UV + inks and custom profiles for both desktop and wide format printer models; and SubliM wide format inks for custom, color output.

 

 

SUBLIMATION PAPER - A paper created specifically for the sublimation market is necessary to complete the process of transfering the image to the blank product.

 

 

A HEAT PRESS - Again, depending on the products being made and output volume, there are a variety of heat presses to choose from. Clamshell and swing-away presses with larger platens offer versatility for sublimating larger products like t-shirts or more products at once like a six-piece tile mural or multiple plastic name badges. For the wide format sublimation business that wants to produce signs that are 4’ x 8’ or larger, or for those wanting to press full-shirt images, Geo Knight has large Triton air-op heat presses as large as 54" x 103". A mug press can deliver a sublimated ceramic mug in five minutes and – depending on volume – often makes sense for a decorator offering single or short-run mug orders. In addition, mugs and other cylindrical items can be produced in a standard convection oven with the use of heat wraps.

 

 

BLANK SUBLIMATION-READY PRODUCTS - There are literally hundreds and hundreds of blank substrates available to the sublimation decorator today from coated metals, woods and ceramics to performance apparel t-shirts.

 

 

WHAT IS DYE SUBLIMATION PRINTING?

 

Dye-sublimation printers allow you to print photo-lab-quality pictures at home. As the price of these printers goes down, more and more digital-camera owners are choosing to take advantage of this technology. In dye-sublimation printing, colors are not laid down as individual dots, as is done in inkjet printers. Individual dots can be distinguished at a relatively close distance, making digital pictures look less realistic.

 

If you looked inside a dye-sublimation printer, you would see a long roll of transparent film that resembles sheets of red, blue, yellow, and gray colored cellophane stuck together end to end. Embedded in this film are solid dyes corresponding to the four basic colors used in printing: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The print head heats up as it passes over the film, causing the dyes to vaporize and permeate the glossy surface of the paper before they return to solid form.

 

So the main difference between this and other types of printing has to do with heat. The vaporized colors permeate the surface of the paper, creating a gentle gradation at the edges of each pixel, instead of the conspicuous border between dye and paper produced by inkjets. And because the color infuses the paper, it is also less vulnerable to fading and distortion over time.

 

WHAT IS DYE SUBLIMATION TRANSFER PRINTING?

 

Sublimation transfer printing also known as thermal Dye Sublimation, are made from special sublimation dyes that penetrate synthetic materials like polyester when you apply heat and pressure. During the transfer process, the dye heats up and turn into a gas those bonds with the synthetic portion of the fabric.

 

No other decorating process can beat sublimation for the brilliance of color and durability. Because the sublimation process dyes the fibers of a garment, instead of putting a layer of ink on top of the fabric, the image cannot crack, peel, or wear off. The trade-off with using the sublimation process is that for the chemistry to work, it must be used with fabrics that have a high polyester content (at least 50%). The more polyester in the shirt, the better the quality of the image.

 

In the past, nobody wanted to wear a polyester shirt because they were uncomfortable and lacked many of the desirable qualities of cotton. But today, a number of manufacturers have come up with new processes that have resulted in polyester shirts that are soft, breathable, and comfortable even in warmer temperatures. These shirts have a polyester yarn on the outside to accept the transfer and a cotton yarn on the inside for comfort. You can get these shirts in light colors only since sublimation does not work on dark garments. In fact, polo shirts are also available using this special knitting process. Sublimation transfers are widely used to decorate bicycle racing jerseys.

 

 

 

WHAT IS SUBLIME SCREEN PRINTING?

 

Sublime printing also known as sublimation transfer printing or sublimation printing or dye sublimation printing include sublime offset printing , sublime digital printing , sublime screen printing and sublime intaglio printing .

 

 

 

WHICH PRINTER IN THE BEST OF DYE SUBLIMATION HEAT TRANSFER PRINTING?

 

Dye sublimation heat transfer imprinting include four type printing

 

Offset (or lithography) - sublimation heat transfer imprinting

 

Digital (or inkjet printing) - sublimation heat transfer imprinting

 

Silk screen - sublimation heat transfer imprinting

 

Rotogravure (or intaglio) - sublimation heat transfer imprinting

 

 

 

Digitalprinting Sublimation Ink was designed for digital printing. It was used on all kinds’ piezoelectric printers and Inkjet printer, such as EPSON, MIMAKI, ROLAND and MUTOH printers.

OffsetSublimation Ink was designed for offset printing. It was used on all kinds offset printing machine such as single-color , dual-color and multi-color offset printing machine .Be adaptable to the demand for medium-speed or high-speed printing .

Silk screenSublimation Ink was designed for silk-screen printing. It is able to be used for various heat transfers printing on fabric, polyester pellicle and metal-coated board. This product is suitable for a variety of domestic or import heat transfer printing machines.

RotogravureSublimation Ink was designed for use on various kinds of rotogravure printing press such as single-color, two-color and multi-color rotogravure printing press. Be adaptable to the demand for medium-speed or high-speed printing.

 

 

DOES SUBLIMATION INK WORKS ON 100% COTTON OR 50/50 OR AND DARK GARMENTS WITH GOLD SOMETHING TRANSFER PAPER?

 

Many people want to find sublimation ink for cotton fabric.

 

Sublimation ink is a special ink and it will NOT work on cotton and just barely work with 65/35 blend. It requires 100% polyester in white or some pastels. Reason is the ink on special paper is turned into a gas by the heat and the pressure forces the gas into the garment where it bonds with the polyester fiber. What is on the cotton fibers will wash out badly. Using 1400 for sublimation, it comes with claria ink which Epson describes as water resistant. It is not a pigment ink as most like to use in ordinary transfer. Some have used Claria ink with JPSS paper and some not. In short, one can use the 1400 for other than sublimation, do a search and you will find a long thread on using the 1400 and Claria ink but you can also buy pigment ink in either carts or CIS.

 

CIS is continuous ink supply - a bulk system, makes the ink cost less per transfer but ink separates and when one can print on dark shirts is not dependent on the printer but on the transfer paper you are using such as Iron All for Dark or similar but check with the vendors here as to what papers they have for dark, If have an order for print on dark...I outsource to a DTG (direct to garment) operator.

 

 

 

HOW DOES SUBLIMATION PRINTING INK WORK ON COTTON FABRIC?

 

At the present time, cotton is not suitable for sublimation transfers.

 

So first we need to print polyester coating on cotton.

 

Use method of Polyester coating: spray finishing or silk screen it well-proportionally on blank cotton fabric (only spray or silk-screen on the image area for need to transfer printing is ok, please do this before transfer printing sublimation ink on cotton). After finishing, make it drying. Please kindly note to that the thickness of Polyester Coating on cotton will be directly affect the final test result.

 

Use method of sublimation ink sample: use a small roller with our ink, roll-coat ink sample on newsprint paper or art paper or offset paper, make it drying.

 

Then put the dried paper with ink on polyester coating cotton, and with printed surface facing downwards on the coated surface of cotton.

 

Put both them in the heat press, with 190-210° C and 20-30 seconds, and pressure, in this process the rotogravure ink sublimates i.e. converts to gaseous form and gets deposited "into" the surface of coated cotton, the final products will be finished.

 

 

 

PRODUCT APPLICATION AREAS

 

Advertising, exhibition, photography, craft products, window cloth, ceramics, apparel printing, metal printing, etc. a variety of industries.

 

Ads: for high-volume printing of flags, and banners.

Light industrial products: for the (shoes, hats, boxes, bags, umbrellas, neckties) printing, garment Accessories.html">accessories, ribbon, printing and other professional fields.

Manufacturing: Ceramic - such as cups, plates, tiles (surface to be coated with acrylic paint drying).

Technology products: key chain, couple cups, mobile phone sets, pillows, etc.

The fabric pattern of the clothing industry transfer: printing and dyeing cloth, sportswear, swimwear, non-woven fabrics, T-shirt.

The printing of the surface pattern of the building and office furniture, decorative materials: wood, chemical fiber, glass, plastic and metal products (surface to be coated with acrylic paint drying), mural wallpaper. Applicable models: EPSON, HP, CANON, LEXMARK, MIMAKI, ROLAND, MUTOH, NOVAJET, such as desktop printers, photo machine, large jet aircraft and some of the emerging domestic inkjet equipment.

 

 

This is the basic idea of versatility of dye sublimation and is not a blog for sublimation users to make a variety of special products to satisfy an individual customer’s diverse needs. Whether it’s providing interior signage, full color plaques, or promotional goods, a single vector logo delivered to a digital decorator can yield hundreds of individually customized, sublimation products. Furthermore, digital decorators from other industries like engraving and embroidery are finding that they can target entire new market segments merely by adding a sublimation system.

 

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2017.03.01