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ESSENTIAL: Sublimation Printer with Sublimation Ink Sublimation Transfer Paper Sublimation Blank (Substrate) Design Software Heat Press, 3D Vacuum Press, and/or Convection Oven Parchment or Butcher Paper OPTIONAL: Heat Tape or Sublimation Adhesive Spray Heat Resistant Gloves Shrink Wrap/Sleeve/Film or Silicone Wrap Clear Ruler Heat Conductive Green Rubber Pad and/or Heat Insulating White Nomex Pad Pressing Pillows and Pads Lint Roller Isopropyl Alcohol Masking Tape

Print your design onto the sublimation paper, using sublimation ink. The image needs to be mirrored/flipped. You can either flip it in your design program or some printers allow for that option to be checked before you print. Prep your substrate with a lint roller or wipe with alcohol. Ensure there are no plastic coatings that need to be removed. Check the instructions that accompany your substrate to determine if a pre-press is needed. Adhere the transfer to the substrate using adhesive spray or tape. Sublimate the transfer using a heat press, convection oven, or 3D vacuum press. Use parchment or butcher on top of the transfer and below the substrate. A pressing pillow or pad may be used if necessary. Remove the sublimation paper. Depending on the substrate, there may be extra steps to follow to ensure your transfer is successfully sublimated.

Sublimation blanks are the items that an image is transferred to like T-shirts, mousepads, flags, tote bags, mugs, caps, etc. These items are either made of polyester fabric or have a special polymer coating that allows for the uptake of the sublimation ink. There are many places that you can buy sublimation blanks and other sublimation supplies like paper and ink, but purchase products with caution, especially when using large e-commerce sites like Amazon, Etsy, or eBay. Although some may claim they are for sublimation, they may not have a good quality coating or are not made for sublimation at all. Please check reviews and ask as many questions as you can from the seller. A large number of distributors and wholesalers allow you to purchase blanks in bulk and carry a large variety of items specifically for sublimation. You may pay a little more per item if a business (resale) license is not required to purchase them. Some of the more popular ones are: Coastal Business Supplies - https://www.coastalbusiness.com/ Heat Transfer Warehouse - https://www.heattransferwarehouse.com/ Best Blanks - https://www.bestblanks.com/ Heat Press Nation - https://www.heatpressnation.com/ Pro World - https://www.proworldinc.com/ A few of the larger wholesalers or distributors that require a business (resale) license, carry quality products, and are located in the United States are: Conde’ - https://dyetrans.com/ Johnson Plastics Plus - https://www.jpplus.com/ JDS Industries - https://www.jdsindustries.com/ If you want to bypass the distributors and purchase directly from the manufacturers overseas, you can purchase from Alibaba. You must vet these suppliers and their products and pay particular attention to Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs) and shipping costs. You may also find sublimatable items in local stores like Walmart, Dollar Tree, Five Below, etc. Youtube or a simple search in your browser will reveal some items that others have tested with sublimation. There are also a number of sublimation groups on Facebook where users will share their discoveries of sublimatable items they have tested. Please be careful with testing random items as they can damage your equipment if they burn or melt.

You do not have to be a professional graphic designer to do sublimation. As long as you can print an image, you can sublimate. Some will create and print images in programs specifically for graphics such as those made by Adobe (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and CorelDraw. If you’re on a budget and need functionalities like those aforementioned, you can try less expensive applications such as Affinity Designer or free open-source ones like Inkscape or Gimp. You can also create and print images from applications such as from those a part of Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, etc.) or Apple iWork (Pages, Keynote, etc.). If you have an idea for a design, but do not have the skills or software to do so, you can hire a freelancer from sites such as Upwork or Fiverr. Another alternative is to purchase already made designs and photos specifically for commercial use from places like Shutterstock, Creative Market, VectorStock, or DesignBundles. Besides graphics, another important component of sublimation designs is using different fonts. Free fonts are available through applications installed on your computer and Google Fonts. Other sites that have fonts available for free and purchase are 1001fonts, FontSpace, Creative Fabrica, FontBundles, and DaFont. With graphics and fonts, you want to pay particular attention to copyright and personal/commercial use. Just doing a Google search and using an image does not mean that you legally have the right to do so. A good place to search for photographs and designs that are available for public use is on the Creative Commons site.

When pressing your design onto a substrate, there’s a tendency for the sublimation paper to move slightly. This may cause ghosting or a slight shadow effect on your design. So there are a couple of ways to help keep your design in place. These methods also work if your substrate has a tendency to move around a lot (like satin) or if you want to press multiple designs at the same time. Heat Resistant Tape Heat resistant tape is a film tape with a high-temperature resistant adhesive. It is used in various electrical/electronic product manufacturing processes due to its excellent heat resistance and electrical insulation. They are able to handle the 400°F needed for sublimation and it does not need a residue. You can purchase them in different sizes and make sure to get a heavy-duty tape dispenser that can hold the size of the rolls as it will come in handy. It will work for hard or soft substrates. Depending on the pressure used while pressing, pressing marks where the tape was might appear on certain soft substrates. Sublimation Adhesive Spray The adhesive spray will perform the same task as the tape. It provides a temporary bond to the substrate and is repositionable. It works well for soft substrates.

One important piece of sublimation is pressure must be applied to the substrate for the ink to transfer sufficiently. When an irregular-shaped item that cannot be used in a standard heat press is to be sublimated, pressure must be simulated through the use of shrink wraps/sleeves/films or silicone wraps. Shrink Wrap/Sleeve/Film These are ideal for substrates that have unique curves or shapes. They are highly popular for drinkware such as mugs and tumblers. They usually come as a sleeve that you put over the substrate and are available in different sizes that you can use as-is or cut down to the size you need. A heat gun is then used to shrink the film and wrap it around the substrate tightly. Once the item is sublimated, the shrink wrap can be pulled off. Avoid getting the film on the substrate as it can get baked on. Silicone Wrap Silicone wraps can also be used with substrates such as drinkware. They are reusable and eliminate the need for a heat gun to conform to the shape. Wraps can come in different shapes that can be taped around the substrate or they may come with a clamp to ensure the wrap stays secure and tight. Silicone wraps need to be cooled completely to minimize any stretching of the material. Parchment or butcher paper should be used in between the substrate and the wrap to avoid the transfer of any ink to the wrap.

During the manufacturing process of fabrics, t-shirts, or other substrates, there are almost always bits of dirt and debris in the fibers of the material. When a substrate is sublimated, those invisible particles will turn blue (or other colors) when heated at high temperatures. Unfortunately, they do not wash out. It is recommended that you, at the very least, use a lint roller on your fabrics before you begin sublimating. The lint roller will help pick up any debris or dirt from within the fabric fibers, resulting in a more clean and consistent transfer. If you want to ensure the best results, wash your substrate with no detergent (in case of customers with allergies), dry, and then lint roll prior to sublimating.

With hard surface substrates like drinkware, keychains, license plates, etc., it is recommended that you wipe it down prior to sublimate just to ensure there are no hidden particles or debris. The stronger percentage variations (like 91%) are particularly effective in removing adhesive left behind by any tape used during sublimation.

We all learned in a science class at some point in our lives that matter can exist in three forms or phases: solid, liquid, and gas. Sublimation, in scientific terms, is a phase transition where there’s a conversion from a solid to a gas directly, with no intermediate liquid stage. This transition only occurs at specific temperatures and pressures.

PROS There is no “hand” to the design. This means you cannot feel it on the garment as it actually becomes part of the garment itself. No mess! Just a matter of designing, printing, and heat pressing. It is easy to customize. Since it is so simple to print, it’s no problem customizing each print with text, photographs, backgrounds, and multiple colors. It is fairly cost-effective for maintenance. Sublimation ink and paper are fairly inexpensive. Easy learning curve. The most difficult thing to learn is the software. If you are already using design software for heat transfer vinyl (HTV), you’ll be fine. CONS There is no white ink, so you can only sublimate on light colors. White substrates will give you the most vibrant colors. You are limited to polyester, or at least 50% polyester fabrics, and coated items. You cannot fix any mistakes once a substrate is sublimated. The risk for burning and oversaturating a substrate is high if you try to sublimate the same area again. There is no remedy for removing sublimation ink once pressed.

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The following objectives will help give you an idea of what you will be learning. By the end of this course, you will be able to… Define sublimation in scientific terms and how it relates to the printing process Identify the required and optional equipment for sublimation Review the steps to sublimate a substrate Compare and contrast the pros and cons of sublimation