# Please help a newbie regarding sublimation Printing .



## GCB People (Aug 6, 2014)

Hi All !
Please help me regarding 2 questions which I have regarding Sublimation Printing :

1) What should be the correct TEMP and TIME settings in sublimation printing on a 15*15 manual clamp shell heat press machine on cotton,Polyester, heavy cotton etc materials t shirt individually ?

2) Where to find free vector Graphics to print on T-SHIRTS ?

Regards
GCB


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

You can't do sublimation on cotton. For white or light pastel polyester. Temp 380-400F for 50-60 sec. Search the forum in sublimation area for more info. You can Google the net for free vector. But you get what you pay for. be sure the EULA allows commercial use


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## GCB People (Aug 6, 2014)

Thanks Charles. The information was of great help.


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## Jaimin (Sep 27, 2016)

You can use special t-shirt transfer paper to transfer graphic on your pure cotton Cloth,dark t-shirt transfer paper for dark clothes,light t-shirt transfer paper for light clothing.To other clothing materials, you can use sublimation paper.Generally,the temp is 180-220,15-30s, it can be transfered several times,if you find the picturer is not good. we are sublimation paper manufacturer.---- ink-sublimation


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## STPG Press (Jul 6, 2015)

While they do make a "sublimation setup" for sublimating on cotton, it's an absolutely horrible idea. Here's why.

I've seen demos of this process at several trade shows.

The entire point about sublimation is the ability to transfer the dye from the transfer paper directly into the poly fibers of the garment. This leaves a completely soft feel on the garment with no hand whatsoever. You are essentially dyeing the shirt.

When you try to sublimate on cotton, the cotton fibers will not permanently absorb the colors so the process fails. The way some companies are offering "sublimation on cotton" is to print the transfer the same way with the sublimation inks, then while the transfer paper is still wet from the printer, you coat the entire transfer with finely pulverized polyester resin. Then the transfer process happens with the heat press.

So, what do you get? An image sublimated onto the resin which is then pressed onto the cotton shirt, all in one process, but it's still not a sublimated cotton shirt. It's a marketing gimmick. Period.


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