General Information about Inkjet Dye Sublimation
Dye sublimation is the process of solid dye particles changing into gas using heat and pressure that bond with a polymers (primarily polyester) and change back into a solid. Using this special type of ink and a release paper, you are able to create a digital printed sublimation transfer. Using a commercial heat press, you will be able to apply the transfer on the release paper to a sublimation-ready blank imprintables. It is important to use the proper time, temperature and pressure to get the best possible finished product. These factors will change depending on the type of imprintable product you are using. Please contact your sublimation distributor for the proper recommendations for each product you use.
A true sublimation transfer is one that you cannot feel the transfer on the item and it will outlast any other type of decorating technique. The release paper that carries the ink to the substrate does not contain any polymer or adhesive on it that is traditionally found on inkjet transfer paper. Cotton molecules will actually shrink and close in when heated to high temperatures. Thus, is the reason why cotton shirts will typically shrink a little when put into the dryer. However, polyester molecules will actually open up. When the dye sublimation inks are heated up and turned into a gaseous state somewhere around 370-400 degrees Fahrenheit, they are absorbed into the molecules of polymer and actually dye the item. Therefore, the sublimation inks actually become part of the item rather than being glued to the surface of the item like a traditional inkjet transfer does.
There are a wide variety of sublimation-ready products that are available in the marketplace. Here is just a brief list of items that are available for you:
- T-Shirts
- Mouse Pads
- License Plates
- Metal
- Ceramic Mugs
- Stainless Steel Mugs
- Ceramic Tiles
- Glass Tiles
- Glass Cutting Boards
- Puzzles
- Aprons
- Ties
- Dog Tags
- And many more products!
Items Needed to Start Doing Sublimation
To get started in sublimation you will need to make a small investment compared to starting other business. Here are the key items that you will need:
- Sublimation Printer
- Sublimation Ink (cartridges or bulk systems)
- Graphics Program (with Color Management capabilities)
- Sublimation Release Paper
- Commercial Heat Press
- Sublimation-Ready Imprintables
For more details and pricing, please contact a sublimation distributor.
Types of Sublimation Printers
For the most part, Epson printers are the most commonly used because of the piezo print-heads used are more suitable for printing the sublimation inks. However, only certain Epson printers have the sublimation inks in the cartridges or have bulk systems manufactured to work for them. Contact a sublimation distributor prior to purchasing a printer because the ink manufacturers will only select specific models in various size formats at a given time.
| In order to get the highest return on your investment for the printer, it is recommend that you buy an 8-color Epson printer (i.e. R1800, 4800, 4880, 7800, 7880, 9800, 9880) for sublimation use. Switching back and forth between sublimation and regular inks is not recommended when you mix the two ink types neither ink type will do the job that it was designed to do. To clear ink out of the lines is an expensive proposition. |
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Types of Sublimation Inks
Sublimation inks are encapsulated inks that don't reach their full color potential until they are exposed to a constant amount of heat (about 385- 400 degrees Fahrenheit). Thus, the colors you see on the release paper will not be the same color that will show up on your finished product until after your heat press the item. Thus, it becomes important to have a high quality color management program, like MultiRIP, that will give you accurate color reproduction consistently. Otherwise, you can lose valuable profits by producing inferior transfers and have to replace the cost of the blank imprintable.
For printers under 44'' wide, all sublimation ink for piezo-head printers sold in the United States comes from Sawgrass Systems (who owns the patent on this type of ink). Sawgrass Systems manufacturers two brands of ink: ArTainium and SubliJet IQ inks. ArTainium inks are the economy-based inks that you can purchase profiles for and print out of PhotoShop or CorelDraw. The SubliJet IQ inks are the premium line of inks that comes with a sublimation specific print-driver (called PowerDriver IQ) for your color management and has a warranty program as well. MultiRIP comes integrated with the profiles for both ArTainium and SubliJet IQ inks for the different sublimation-ready substrates.
Making Money with Sublimation
When considering getting into any decorating technique application, you need to consider the following factors:
- How long does it take to produce a finished product?
- How much does it cost to produce a finished product?
- What markets can I sell this type of decorating to?
- What price can I sell this type of finished products for?
The time required to print and apply a sublimation transfer is determined by the size of the transfer, the amount of ink coverage of the design, the speed of the your printer and the time to heat press the transfer to the blank imprintable. An image 12'' x 12'' in size with heavy coverage on a smaller format printer (i.e. R1800 printer) is going to take 3-4 minutes to print and will cost approximately $1.00 (in ink and paper cost). The cost of the ink and the print time will vary greatly depending on the model of printer and whether a bulk ink system is used. The other time factor in producing a finished item is the time associated with heat applying the transfer to the substrate being used. The time can range from 35 seconds (for polyester fabric) to upwards of 7+ minutes for denser items that are larger (like 12'' x 12'' ceramic tiles).
The profit margins on sublimation products can range from 100% to more than 1000% depending on the uniqueness of the item, the demand for the item and the market it is being sold to. Knowing your target market is important for determining what items you should carry and what price point your target audience can afford. Team sports (high school, college, intramural, adult leagues) and health clubs are perfect to sell micro fiber sublimation shirts to. Corporations are always looking for unique gift ideas for their clients and for employee achievement awards that can be created out sublimation-ready metal. Homebuilders are great for selling full-color tile murals to for walls and floors. Personalized cutting boards are great for home warming parties. These are just of few target markets that you should consider selling to. Custom license plates and mugs are one of the best sellers year-round.
The pricing of sublimation products can vary greatly depending on the geographical markets that you are selling in. We recommend that you visit some of the industry message boards and communicate with other decorators about their pricing structure.
Sublimation Imprintables
All sublimation-ready imprintables are products that are either made out of polyester or have a polyester coating on it that will be receptive to the sublimation inks. The sublimation inks will not bond or adhere to natural materials like cotton, silk and wood without having a coating on it. Here is just a brief list of sublimation-ready products that are available for you:
- T-Shirts, Athletic Jerseys,...
- Mouse Pads
- License Plates
- Metal Signs and Plates
- Ceramic Mugs
- Stainless Steel Mugs
- Ceramic Tiles
- Glass Tiles
- Glass Cutting Boards
- Puzzles
- Aprons
- Ties
- Dog Tags
- Dog and Cat Bowls
- Shot Glasses
- Awards, Medals & Plaques
- Clip Boards
- Signs and Banners
- Sporting Goods
- And many more products!
If you have a unique line of products that you want to sublimate to, there are some companies that can apply the polyester coating to your items. There are also some additional aerosol sprays that you can try to apply the coating yourself. You will need to apply an even, uniform coating to the item in order to get a good result. For more information about this, please contact your sublimation distributor.
Types of Heat Presses
Flat platen heat presses are the most common type of heat presses used for doing sublimation products. There are three styles of commercial grade heat presses that have a flat platen: clamshell, swing away and draw presses. A clamshell style heat press is one that is hinged at the back or top of the platen and the heating element remains over the top of the platen at all times. The swing away heat press allows for the heating element to swing away or move to the side of the platen. A draw heat press has the platen slide out toward the front of the heat press from under the heating element for you to load your garment.
If shirts and other thin items are going to be the main products then either style press will work well. If thicker products, like tiles are going to be pressed, then the swing away press may be a better choice. Traditional flat platen presses start as small as 9'' x12'' and go to 20'' x 25'', but larger format presses can be ordered from several heat press manufacturers. There are also Roll-to-Roll heat presses that run a continuous roll of fabric and transfers through a series of rolls (one of which is heated) to apply the transfers.
For products having a curved surface (for example mugs and caps), special presses are available. Mug presses are designed to wrap the heating element around the curved surface of a mug while applying even heat and pressure to the surface. Cap presses are similar to clamshell style presses with a curved heated platen. Some cap presses can be ordered with interchangeable platen sizes to accommodate various sizes and styles of caps (i.e. golf, baseball and youth caps).
The Drawbacks
The special sublimation inks allows for bright colors and photograph quality images to be transferred to a variety type of sublimation-ready imprintables. However, in order to gain accurate color reproduction - the color of your blank imprintables must be the same color or lighter than the lightest color in the graphic. In layman's terms, sublimation-ready items that are white or light in color are your best options for applying sublimation transfers to. You will not achieve accurate color reproduction on dark garments unless you are only using colors that are darker than the garment itself.
Most of the sublimation-ready products are made out of 100% polyester (i.e. t-shirts, mouse pads,...) or have a polyester coating on them (i.e. license plates, mugs, tiles,...). Unfortunately, the average cost of a sublimation-ready item is usually higher than the cost of any other type of blank imprintables. It is important to understand the difference in your material costs (cost of sublimation inks and imprintables) and properly adjust your pricing. Typically, most decorators will easily get a higher price for a sublimation product if they are able to show a finished sublimation product and explain the differences in quality.
The other thing to remember is that the size of the sublimation ink particles are larger than those that are typically found in traditional dye or pigment-based inks. Thus, sublimation inks can clog up the printer's ink lines or print-head. In order to clean the print-head or line, you will need to run some head cleanings and nozzle checks. Doing these cleaning procedures can use up sublimation inks and increase your cost. Most sublimation decorators recommend printing one sublimation transfer every day or two to help keep the ink flowing.
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