The term “sublimation” has been going around lately. Sublimation printing is a versatile, digital printing method that opens up a world of opportunities to any consumer of decorated good such as custom sublimated shirts no matter what you call it.
So what do you understand by sublimation?
The process by which sublimation dyes are printed onto a transfer medium with a specially prepared inkjet printer is what sublimation or custom sublimation printing is.
Under heat and pressure which is delivered by a commercial heat press, those dyes are then transferred from the medium to an object or garment.
Garments which are made of polyester or given a polyester coating are best suited for sublimation printing.
The dye on the transfer medium sublimates or becomes a gas and is then absorbed into the polyester itself as the print is actually a part of the garment/coating when the heat and pressure are applied.
When it comes to custom sublimated shirts they do not fade easily, wear or have any distortion in texture or weight.
So, what can you draw from it? There are several benefits which are associated with the process and they are:
1. Complete color on smaller runs:
There are no requirements for separate screens, films or a great deal of setup for sublimation, unlike the screen printing.
They might prove less expensive overall than what screen printing is though you might well require having the printing technique to refine the art when you are trying to go for custom all over print shirts.
The requirement for minimum orders lesser. Due to the reduced amount of setup required to print your items, we are more likely to be able to accommodate a smaller order or re-order when you sublimate.
2. Customizations for individuals:
This method makes it much easier to add individual customization to each printed item though art charges may apply for this level of customization seeing as each garment is printed from its own transfer rather than en masse on the same set of screens.
3. Lighter in weight:
The prints are never too heavy or thick is what the nature of sublimation means. Saving for the addition of your art, the garment is unchanged by the process.
4. Durability:
In a sublimated print there are no cracking or peeling as they are long-lasting as the garment itself.
However, there are some restrictions while undergoing all over print shirts through sublimation printing, though you might find that the restrictions are not the kind of deal breakers with the recent innovations in the industry. There are many things to look out for and they are:
1. Lighter/white garments only:
The best result comes from printing on white garments as sublimated color blends with the color on which they are printed.
You can choose to have an entire garment printed though it is much more expensive. You could also cover its surface with an image which you desire to have along with turning your white garment into any color,
2. Going for polyester garments only:
The polyester garments of today are not the heavy impermeable garments of the ’70s that usually comes to your mind though it is true that this process only works on polyester.
The likes are all made of polyester with the largest amount of modern performance fabrics, moisture-wicking fabrics. The cotton-like textured garments are also being made in sublimation-friendly polyester for utmost comfort.
In larger runs, higher price per piece: When compared to the traditional screen printing there comes a point when a large enough run of sublimation will become much more expensive. Even if the blanks are slightly more expensive for smaller runs sublimation proves to be much more economical.
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