Wouldn’t you like to print on long-lasting, light-colored and high-resolution products? If you want to have the opportunity to print on many different products with the highest quality and at the most affordable cost, sublimation printing is just for you. We provide the service of sublimation printing in Dallas so we are explaining about sublimation printing in this article.

Before we explain in depth what you need to get started, we would like to outline the sublimation printing system . In its simplest terms, sublimation; It is the process of transferring a design you have determined to the products produced for sublimation printing with a special transfer paper by means of heat. The surface of the object to be sublimated should contain a certain amount of polymer in order for the print to hold.

Sublimation printing, which is the most popular printing method in the personalized gift industry, is also the most economical way in terms of initial cost for those who will step into the industry.

HOW IS SUBLIMATION PRINTING DONE?

If we need to explain the sublimation printing process over a sublimation mug;

• The design work of the image we want to print is done.
• The printout of the prepared image is transferred to the sublimation transfer paper by means of an Inkjet Epson printer with sublimation ink.
• Transfer paper is attached to the mug produced for sublimation printing by using thermal heat tape.
• The mug press is set to 185 degrees 180 seconds and the product is printed. (Time and degree settings may vary depending on the press, cup and the characteristics of the transfer printing paper.)
• The sublimation ink on the transfer paper turns into gas by evaporating before it can go into liquid form with the applied heat and pressure.
• The ink that turns into gas form clings to the special polyester structure on the sublimation mug and your mug is ready!

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR SUBLIMATION PRINTING?

•  Computer and Software:  Adobe Photoshop, CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustrator etc. during the design or personalization of the image to be printed. programs can be used. Before printing, it is necessary to check whether the image to be printed is mirror image (reverse) or flat.
• Sublimation Printer:  One of the most important items for sublimation printing is a sublimation ink printer. Inks of sublimation printers are specially produced. Printers suitable for sublimation printing Epson inkjet printer using micro piezo headare. One of the important issues when choosing a sublimation printer is the selection of the printer according to the size of the products to be printed. If it is planned to print sublimation products with small print areas, A4 printer should be selected, and for products with large print areas, A3 printer should be selected. Another important issue is the number of colors. Among the Epson brand fonts, the 4-color ones are mostly household printers. 6-color sublimation printers are for our customers who aim for professional quality and higher quality printing.
• Sublimation Transfer Printing Paper: Sublimation printing can only be done with a special transfer printing paper. There is a special coating on the surface of the paper, which is specially produced for printing, to facilitate the transfer of ink. If the transfer process is attempted with papers that do not have this coating, the printing result will be inefficient. In accordance with the characteristics of the product you will use for the printing process, under the brand name of Subcolor and Subtec, we have A4 and A3 sizes of hard-floor transfer paper that you can use on both mugs and hard surfaces such as metal, as well as textile transfer papers that you can print on products such as t-shirts or mousepads. It should not be forgotten that the factor that regulates the transfer of the ink more or less and thus completely affects the print quality of the final product is the quality of the transfer paper.
• Sublimation Ink:  Sublimation ink is one of the most important components for a healthy and efficient operation of the sublimation system. The quality of this water-based product is very important on the final product. For this reason, we recommend the use of Korean origin Sublinova brand ink.
• Thermal Heat Tape:  It is used to prevent the printed sublimation transfer paper from slipping on the surface to be printed, and to fix it to the product. It is a heat resistant and non-marking sublimation tape.
• Teflon:  It prevents the ink on the transfer paper from getting into the machine and the printing paper from slipping while printing on the products in the press machines.
• Transfer Printing Press: Sublimation press are manual and automatic machines that distribute heat and pressure evenly on the printed product. Sublimation presses differ according to the nature of the work to be done. Some of our presses we offer for sale;

1) Flat Press:  It is a printing press used to print flat surface products. Sublimation products such as textile, ceramic, metal, wood, plaque, medal, metal label, mouse pad, glass clock, puzzle, table flag, wooden clock, coaster can be printed with this type of press.

2) Mug Press:  Mug presses are used to print sublimation ceramic & porcelain mugs, sublimation coffee cups and sublimation raki glasses. Our company has single and double cup presses.

3) Flat Press: It  is a heat press designed to make sublimation, laser and screen printing on the flat. 

4) 3D Vacuum Press:  These are heat presses that can print on products such as mobile phone covers and plates with inclined surfaces thanks to the silicone membrane and vacuum pump on it. With some additional apparatus, mugs, coffee cups and raki glasses can be printed. However, printing on textiles with this type of press is not recommended.

5) Plate Press:  It is used to apply heat transfer process to prints made on porcelain or ceramic plates. Different sizes of plate cores can be printed with changing heating pads.

6) Pen Press:  It is used for applying heat transfer process to sublimation and laser prints on plastic pens.

7) Combo Press:  You can have the features of flat press, hat press, cup press, plate press with a single press. With the combo press, it is possible to press ceramics, porcelain, plate types, key chains, mug types, hats, t-shirts, plaques, puzzles and many other products.

WHICH PRODUCTS ARE SUBLIMATION PRINTING?

With sublimation, which is a printing technique where you can get quality and vivid results, many personalized products and gift materials can be produced. Some of the products produced in accordance with sublimation printing and with polymer coating; Mugs, glasses, plaque plates, medallion necklaces, name badges, puzzle types, coasters, tile types, key chains made of glass, metal, ceramic, wood, stone, plastic materials. In addition to all these, it is possible to print on fabrics and t-shirts. But fabrics for sublimation printing must be polyester. Since there is no polyester substance in cotton fabrics, the ink does not penetrate into the fabric and read about apk, apk, and news.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SUBLIMATION PRINTING ?

Advantages of Sublimation Printing

• Among the printing systems, the investment cost is the most appropriate. It is possible to start production immediately with a desktop Epson printer and press. Compared to the UV printing system, there is both low investment and low operating costs.
• You can get photo quality print results. Print quality may vary depending on the printer, ink, transfer paper and pressure level.
• You can use a sublimation-printed product with the same quality for years. There is no deformation in the products with washing.
• With sublimation transfer printing,  you can print on t-shirts, table nameplates, stones, mugs, watches, tiles, magnets, key chains, jewelry, name tags, plates, album plaques, puzzles, coasters and dozens of different products. Thanks to the wide range of products that can be printed, you can appeal to a wide range of consumers.
• It does not use a mold system as in old-style printing systems. Therefore, while it is possible to produce one piece of a product as a personalized product, you can even produce a thousand pieces for promotional purposes. You do not have any mold costs for this process.
• The construction time is short, it can be made and delivered quickly.

Disadvantages of Sublimation Printing

• One of the biggest limitations of sublimation printing is that it is suitable for polyester coated or polyester textile products.
• Sublimation products must have a white or light colored print area.