# How does sublimation work



## rdkjg (Jun 10, 2012)

I was considering a DTG printer. But it just seems like too much as far as problems. I currently do embroidery. And I am wanting to add some kind of T-shirt printing to my business. Just wondering how sublimation works. Is it better that DTG? How durable is it? I read DTG can wash out after a couple of washes.


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

short description of sublimation:
It is ONLY good for 100% polyester...white or light pastel. Using special inks...they are pricey..and special paper..about $18 for 100 sheets..print your image in mirror image..and then using 400F on heat press with at least 40 PSI...for about 60 seconds...This will not wash out as the heat changes the ink into a gas and the pressure forces it into the garment where it bonds with the polyester fibers. If you use a blend of cotton/polyester...the portion that is cotton will show only until washed. If sublimation is used on hard surfaces...tiles etc..same process except the substrate must have a polymer coating.
For more info so a search here and also check out DyeSub.org - An educational site for dye sublimation and digital transfer printing.

you can get started in sublimation with a letter size ricoh printer...with sublimation ink...for less than $500


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## skdave (Apr 11, 2008)

If you have a heat press you can find out how it works and how great it is . I will send you a transfer at no cost for you, to press, test wash etc. 400 degrees for 40 Seconds.
Your art or mine will mail on Monday if you want.
Dave@skmfg.com


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## Garvy (Jul 9, 2012)

charles95405 - Does that mean I can only print on white fabrics? I take it that black fabrics are a big no no when it comes to sublimation?


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

Gareth you are correct, sublimation will only work with white or light pastel garments. Since the process dyes the material other colors won't show. And the process is only for polyester.


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## sister1 (Jun 16, 2008)

Having been burned badly by an extremely ill-considered DTG purchase, and having had nothing but good experiences with sublimation, I recommend the second route. You can get into it much more inexpensively, so you start profiting beyond your initial investment very quickly. 

The major drawback with sublimation is, as has already been pointed out, that it only works on light colored poly shirts. Of course, with the popularity of "performance wear," which is all polyester, this is not such a hard sell anymore.

On the plus side, you can expand your business beyond shirts and into a wide range of other products (coasters, front license plates, key tags, name tags, photo panels, holiday ornaments, clocks, boxes -- hundreds of different items), using the same printer and flat heat press. With a bit more money expended, you can also get into mugs and water bottles. This gave me a much broader customer base, and allowed me to offer a wider range of products, so we get a lot of upselling to existing customers.


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## SickPuppy (Aug 10, 2009)

sister1 said:


> Having been burned badly by an extremely ill-considered DTG purchase, and having had nothing but good experiences with sublimation, I recommend the second route. You can get into it much more inexpensively, so you start profiting beyond your initial investment very quickly.
> 
> The major drawback with sublimation is, as has already been pointed out, that it only works on light colored poly shirts. Of course, with the popularity of "performance wear," which is all polyester, this is not such a hard sell anymore.


I also had some what of a bad experience with DGT printing. White on dark is an art and requires skills that some never acquire. I decided to drop DGT after replacing my print head for the third time and started dye sublimation. Dye sub is cheaper, can be applied to a wider variety of merchandise, has a lower learning curve and you can even do all over T-shirt prints (with a wide format printer and heat press). Go to Conde systems website and watch a few video's they will answer all of your questions.


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## rdkjg (Jun 10, 2012)

I am not to eager to buy a DTG printer after seeing the costs. Unbelievably expensive. I am going to keep looking. I don't want to limited on the colors of shirts. Thanks for your input. Debbie


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## h2opromedia (May 18, 2009)

I have been into the sublimation printing for a couple years now. I not only do t-shirts but many other products as well.

As for t-shirts, it is nice to be able to one-off's really quick. But like explained the limitations of only being able to use whites or lights turned me towards looking into DTG (direct-to-garment) printing. I have alot of requests for black or dark colored shirts.

After researching and researching......I am at a point where I think it may be best to outsource my printing needs to a DTG printer. Some even have order fulfillment where they will blind drop ship for you. I have found a few companies that have pretty reasonable pricing. 

For me it just didn't seem cost effective enough to maintain and run my own DTG machine. They can be a pain to keep going and if your machine is not working, your not doing business. Then also by outsourcing I don't have to worry about any labor to print any shirt orders I get. It frees up alot of my time to focus on other things.

Sublimation was pretty inexpensive to get into and allowed us to offer alot more products to our clients. Conde is a huge distributor for sublimation blanks, I think you will get some good ideas with new products you could expand into with sublimation. Johnson Plastics is another great resource for sublimation blanks. Check them out, it will help give you an idea on whether or not you would want to get into sublimation.


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## bibledude (Jan 13, 2011)

Hi. Can you share a list of potential DTG contract shops? I do DTG myself but occasionally need backup since the machines seem to like to misbehave right when deadlines are tight and jobs are due. Thanks.


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