# Sublimation Ink



## jencuce11 (Mar 7, 2008)

I recently purchased a Sulky transfer pen that contained sublimation ink which could be drawn on regular paper and then the design could be ironed onto cotton fabric. Does anyone know what kind of sublimation ink this could be and if it exists in ink jet printer cartridge form? It seems like most sublimation ink only prints on polyester fiber. Thanks very much!


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

I don't think you saw true sublimation ink...since that requires special paper/ink/pressure and temp... I have done sublimation for years...never heard of this and in the US sublimation ink..for now...is totally controlled by Sawgrass.


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## jencuce11 (Mar 7, 2008)

Thanks for your answer. I called the company that made the transfer pen and they said it was sublimation ink....I guess technically it isn't. I don't know where to go to find out what kind of ink it really was. I'll keep looking. Thanks again!


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

I just checked out the site...interesting...It seems to just be ink within a pen...very much like the silver and gold ink pens used to write on photos. The company is tight lipped about where the ink comes from but from their description, it is a sublimation process. They sort of dance around the type garment it works on...saying it works best on white/light garments. Actually, sublimation works lousy on dark garments..maybe one day we will get something like this for darks


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## buck1 (Dec 31, 2007)

I have to disagree with charles. I do sublimination printing with a hp 4550 printer and use only white typing paper available at any wallmart store. ahilton images sells the dub. cartridges. The initial outlay for the sub. inn is high but you get thousands od copies. Also when a cartridge is being shown as empty it really is'nt. If you black out the light window on the cartridge you can get at least 1000 more copies. buck 1


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

Edwin, what brand of sub ink are you using? I have been doing sub for a long time also and did not know you can get a full ink release with just plain typing paper, can you post some pics of the transfers with typing paper?


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

I have never said you COULD NOT use regular paper...I have said that for me, the results were not acceptable...esp for some hard goods in high end boutiques...If it works for you...go for it...for me...nope I pay a couple cent more for high release paper..


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## cprvh (Jan 23, 2006)

Inkjet and laser sublimation are two different technologies. The HP laser sublimation is most commonly used for sublimating metal and yes you can use plain paper. The sublimation toners are much denser than inkjet sublimation. The toner sits on top of the paper and does not soak in. For inkjet sublimation we need to use specially coated paper to keep the dyes on top of the paper. If you use plain paper for inkjet sublimation the colors are not nearly as saturated and the inks bleed.

There have been sublimation markers available for some time. We used some years ago, but had problems with them drying out. You can also use the Crayola Fabric Crayon for sublimation on plain paper. However, Crayola Fabric Markers are not for sublimation.


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## D.Evo. (Mar 31, 2006)

I've got some sublimation crayons and pens from acyan.co.kr - a lot of fun for kids! Just draw onto normal paper and iron-on/press onto poly garments or anything coated for sublimation. Drawings with crayons look subtle, while pens are very bright. The only problem - if you need to add any text, got to do it in reverse - rather challenging exercise.


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## stephdeo (Mar 5, 2009)

does anyone know of hollow blank markers that could be used to put in your own ink or paint?


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