# How long does sublimation print last before pressing?



## Glassguy1456 (Oct 14, 2018)

Hi everyone, I am new to sub printing and was wondering how long a printed sub image will last after it is printed and before one must press it? I printed a number of mug items but havent been able to press them for a couple weeks and was wondering if they will still work and be OK? thanks and have a good day


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## marianosantosm (Apr 6, 2018)

Glassguy1456 said:


> Hi everyone, I am new to sub printing and was wondering how long a printed sub image will last after it is printed and before one must press it? I printed a number of mug items but havent been able to press them for a couple weeks and was wondering if they will still work and be OK? thanks and have a good day


Just try and see. I've got some prints for a week or so and they just do the job. If it is exposed to humidity or some days of bad weather, let it near the heat of the press to dry it a bit before use.

Enviado desde mi SM-N950F mediante Tapatalk


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

Should last quite a while if you keep them in a folder away from sunlight. You must make sure they are absolutely clean when you come to use them though. Specks of dust etc can completely ruin a job.


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## Glassguy1456 (Oct 14, 2018)

Thank you. I printed them last week (I thought I was having issues with my printer) and am now ready to use them -- yes they were kept up and are clean and dry etc. Thanks for helping me ...Take care.


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## PatWibble (Mar 7, 2014)

There is no definitive time scale, but humidity/damp is your biggest problem. Keep in a container with as many packets of silica that you can lay your hands on.


Damp paper will shrink a small amount when pressed, so you could get a ghost, and badly damp paper will result in a slightly blured print.


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## WalkingZombie (Mar 15, 2014)

I've given replies to this same question a while back. Still holds true to this day. And I STILL have many prints on paper yet to press, both in plastic zip bags and just out in the elements, that were printed years ago. And I still test every so often just to see how long the print on paper will last and the image still comes out great on soft substrates, good on hard substrates. - And I live in a humid environment.

Jan. 2016
https://www.t-shirtforums.com/dye-sublimation/t640010.html

July 2016
https://www.t-shirtforums.com/dye-sublimation/t701930.html


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## PatWibble (Mar 7, 2014)

WalkingZombie said:


> And I live in a humid environment.
> 
> https://www.t-shirtforums.com/dye-sublimation/t701930.html



Damp will be the major problem in the UK during winter. High humidity isn't a regular enough occurance to be much of a factor. I rarely have any problems in the summer but late September onwards I have to be careful how I store both blank paper and printed sheets.


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## WalkingZombie (Mar 15, 2014)

PatWibble said:


> Damp will be the major problem in the UK during winter. High humidity isn't a regular enough occurance to be much of a factor. I rarely have any problems in the summer but late September onwards I have to be careful how I store both blank paper and printed sheets.


Which is why I mentioned in one of those posts


WalkingZombie said:


> ...Of course, this also depends on where you live, hot, cold, dry, humid, etc.... and how it effects the paper and ink.


It's still rainy (hurricane) season here until the end of the month. Poured down on Halloween night.  And won't stop raining. I guess we have about 4-5 months of dampness?  Yet, still, the printed paper left out in the elements (for years now), still press pretty nice. They curl a bit but still press nice.


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## Glassguy1456 (Oct 14, 2018)

Thanks everybody for the input. I will do them up tomorrow. Again hope everyone has a great day


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## Crowmatic (Jul 18, 2018)

As long as the humidity isn't too high and the print hasn't been exposed to the sun for long periods of time, you should be good.
If humidity is an issue, place under your press for a minute or two and you should be fine.


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## sublial (Mar 24, 2011)

My laser toner sublimation prints are just as good as 5 years ago. Not sure about sub inks yet.
AL


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## TCZT (Jan 2, 2022)

sublial said:


> My laser toner sublimation prints are just as good as 5 years ago. Not sure about sub inks yet.
> AL





sublial said:


> My laser toner sublimation prints are just





sublial said:


> My laser toner sublimation prints are just as good as 5 years ago. Not sure about sub inks yet.
> AL


Hi, I want to get started making tshirts. Are you saying you use your laser printer and the ink that comes with it for shirts? If so, how many washes does the image withhold and what brand transfer paper do you use? (Picture if possible) I have a laser printer and was thinking I needed to buy an epson ecotank printer to convert to a sublimation printer. Thanks for any advice you have!


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## TCZT (Jan 2, 2022)

sublial said:


> My laser toner sublimation prints are just as good as 5 years ago. Not sure about sub inks yet.
> AL





sublial said:


> My laser toner sublimation prints are just





sublial said:


> My laser toner sublimation prints are just as good as 5 years ago. Not sure about sub inks yet.
> AL


I also forgot to ask the type of tshirt material. Ploy/cotton? Thanks again


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

TCZT said:


> Hi, I want to get started making tshirts. Are you saying you use your laser printer and the ink that comes with it for shirts? If so, how many washes does the image withhold and what brand transfer paper do you use? (Picture if possible) I have a laser printer and was thinking I needed to buy an epson ecotank printer to convert to a sublimation printer. Thanks for any advice you have!


Laser printers use toner. Check out his website for paper choices Automatic Transfer, Inc. - Sublimation Transfer Inks and Papers

For dye sublimation, most of us do use Epson inkjet printers.


TCZT said:


> I also forgot to ask the type of tshirt material. Ploy/cotton? Thanks again


Dye sublimation ONLY works on polyester.


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