# How do I get Better Color with sublimation?



## MickeyTee

Hey there everyone, My Name is Mickey, I'm new to t.shirt printing and new to this forum  I'm so new to this I am confusing myself with it all..
My problem is with with the color of my prints, there coming out very dull. Any advise on how I can get a nice vibrant print? Thank you Mickey


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## charles95405

if you are talking about the print on paper being dull...that is normal for sublimation...if you are talking about dull image after you have pressed then you can have several issues
paper
ink
time
temp 
and last thee color(s) of your image as sent from the computer and if you are using correct ICC profile


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## texasjack49

MickeyTee said:


> Hey there everyone, My Name is Mickey, I'm new to t.shirt printing and new to this forum  I'm so new to this I am confusing myself with it all..
> My problem is with with the color of my prints, there coming out very dull. Any advise on how I can get a nice vibrant print? Thank you Mickey


 Charles is right, way too little info for anyone to help. Is your print dull or is your finished product dull? What is your finished product, a tile or a T shirt.
What printer and ink are you using? What transfer paper are you using and are you printing on the correct side?
Have you downloaded the correct ICC profile?
If you are just talking about the printed transfer then you may not have a problem, it is supposed to be dull. The magic happens when the heat is applied.


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## skinner1691

Might be your printing on the wrong side of the paper,shinny side is the print side


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## D.Evo.

Last, but not least - what are you printing on? If it's a t-shirt (or anything textile) - what is the fabric composition? Dye-sublimation doesn't work on cotton or any other natural fabrics. If you are working with poly/cotton blend, for example, the print will transfer only onto polyester fibres in the blend and the print will look faded and washed out.
On 100% poly the image colours will "pop".


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## MickeyTee

Hi there thank you for replying. Sorry I didn't put the correct information in.
I am using A Epson Workforce printer, With refillable cartridges.I'm not sure of the ink and paper [there blank/no labelling] stupid I know, I have messaged the company for more details.. I print on the shinny side And press at 200* for 40 sec. I use sublimation polyester t.shirts which are 100% pol on outside and cotton inside. it just doesn't seem to "POP" like what I have seen. I have tried playing around with color and they look a little better but not perfect. Do I need a special color program or something? Thankyou


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## D.Evo.

Try perssing for 60 sec.


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## MickeyTee

D.Evo. said:


> Try perssing for 60 sec.


Thanx for the help. I tried it at 60sec and it didn't really change.
I really don't know what I am doing wrong..


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## Katz Kollection

Hi,
Are you printing direct from the picture or through a programme like Adobe? Because if you are then you need to alter the print quality etc like with the Epson within that programme.


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## MickeyTee

I'm printing directly. Apparently i'm no good at this stuff haha.. Do I need a special program or am I able to do it directly?


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## Katz Kollection

MickeyTee said:


> I'm printing directly. Apparently i'm no good at this stuff haha.. Do I need a special program or am I able to do it directly?


It's fine to print directly but make sure that you have the correct settings. Print quality best photo, advanced icm - no colour adjustment, no edge smoothing and uncheck high speed.


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## MickeyTee

Katz Kollection said:


> It's fine to print directly but make sure that you have the correct settings. Print quality best photo, advanced icm - no colour adjustment, no edge smoothing and uncheck high speed.


I had them all checked!! haha.. I did a test shirt and colour is so much better, Red is actually red and not pink! The only problem now i think is the black,it looks dark brown. still not vibrant, but it works.


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## Katz Kollection

MickeyTee said:


> I had them all checked!! haha.. I did a test shirt and colour is so much better, Red is actually red and not pink! The only problem now i think is the black,it looks dark brown. still not vibrant, but it works.


That's good! Maybe your printer is in need of a bit of a clean? My colours mess up a little if I haven't used it for a couple of days - if I give it a little clean it's like new again. Hope you get the exact results you are looking for soon!


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## MickeyTee

It's all new stuff. Printer, Inks.. I'm a real newbie. But really enjoying it. I'm making alot of Awareness shirts so I want it to all be perfect As I will be fundraising for my daughters hospital 
I look on your website, I love it, Looks great! Are they all sub? Cause mine defiantly don't look that good!! lol


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## Katz Kollection

MickeyTee said:


> It's all new stuff. Printer, Inks.. I'm a real newbie. But really enjoying it. I'm making alot of Awareness shirts so I want it to all be perfect As I will be fundraising for my daughters hospital
> I look on your website, I love it, Looks great! Are they all sub? Cause mine defiantly don't look that good!! lol


Thanks! Just about all the white ones are sublimated. 
I know a lot of people say a medium press is all that is needed but I always press quite hard the annoying thing with that is you get a slight ridge where the paper was but I don't really see that as a problem because it comes out.
I hope your fundraising does well - all the best!


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## jkern24251

He said he is pressing at 200 degrees. I thought sublimation had to be at 400. If not, then there is something else I've learned.


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## D.Evo.

jkern24251 said:


> He said he is pressing at 200 degrees. I thought sublimation had to be at 400. If not, then there is something else I've learned.


If temperature gauge on your heat press is set up in Celcius - you need 200 degrees, if it's in Fahrenheit- it should be 390-400.


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## jkern24251

Gotcha! Thanks


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## MickeyTee

jkern24251 said:


> He said he is pressing at 200 degrees. I thought sublimation had to be at 400. If not, then there is something else I've learned.


He is actually a She  lol

And by the way is that correct 200' for 40 sec on medium pressure? i tried 60 sec and the paper came of brown tinge, is that ok? Thankyou Mikayla AKA Mickey


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## jkern24251

Oops! I do apologize.


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## sben763

For proper sublimation printing you need to print with the proper icc profile for your ink with adobe or corel or any other program that supports icc profiles. You can get ok prints without but awesome print with.


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## bornover

ICC profiles are something that is a definite need for the best prints you can get. The thing is, the ICC profile needs to be specific for the brand of ink you are using, the brand of transfer paper you are using, and even the brand of fabric you are using to get the absolute best prints. As far as I know, the profile having the exact ink and paper is super important, and the fabric a bit less important.

Hopefully the company you bought your supplies from can supply profiles for your printer.


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## MickeyTee

I have Corel it drives me CRAZY.. i don't and can't understand it! Its all a little frustrating , but thank you to everyone! Johnny all good, I guess its the name Mickey


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## byves86

I also have a question...

How do I sublimate neon/hot pink 100% polyester tshirt?

Do I need to change the setting of the printer? and in photoshop, I am using CMYK 8bit not RGB.

My printer setting is C= 25 , M= -3, K= -25, this works and it is very nice to look in white polyester shirts.

Thanks


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## cbs1963

This is a really old thread! Try posting a question to start a new thread.


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