# Can decals/bumper stickers be sublimated?



## Susie

Hi

I'm wondering if anyone out there is sublimating decals/stickers? What do you use for this purpose? I have customers that want stickers for boats/cars/trailers. Is this what the "Mates" products are used for? I don't need fancy shapes - just basic rectangles/squares.

I have an Epson 7800 with Artainium.

Thanks for all the great help
Sue


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## cprvh

Typically dye sub does not do well with direct exposure to sunlight. Really depends on your geographic location. The farther north (assuming you are in the northern hemisphere) the better. 

We are located in KS and can get a couple years using the MultiCal from Laser Reproductions. The MultiCal seems to last much longer than the Mates product. We have a customer a in Seattle I recently visited that had license plates we printed five years ago that still looked great.


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## azballbusters

I tried the Mates vinyl sticker dye sub product from Conde and it works really well. It is really heavy duty and gave me great colors. I have been testing the sticker on my sons paintball hopper which gets more abuse then most applications I can think of and barely has a scratch on it. I would give Alicia a call at Conde 800.826.6332 ext 268. They are not cheap but they are top quality.


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## BRC

You can do stickers with the Mates and other decal material, but keep in mind that dye sub fades outdoors. Also the decal material has a really aggressive adhesive. It can be a real problem to remove it. So be careful when using it on cars unless you don't mind paying for a paintjob. I would warn customers about it and try to limit your liability.


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## Susie

Thanks for the advice!

Yep, I'm up here on the NorthWET Coast - so we get no sun at all. Ok, well, I saw it once or twice. Big bright ball in the sky?

This particular application is for little boat trailers. I don't think the end users will be worried about removing them. It's good to know that the material is tough, as the trailers tend to get bashed about. I'll have to warn my guy though, just for cya.

Good info, thanks
Sue


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## azballbusters

My personal experience is that they are actually easier to get off then a regular sticker. Being that they are much thicker then a regular sticker I have even had people remove the sticker and then be able to reapply that same sticker. You could never do this with a regular sticker. You can supposedly run the stickers through a dishwasher with no effect to the sticker as well so a boat trailor application should work well. Good luck with it.


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## Imaginations

Hi, chiming in 2 years later, but I was wondering if anyone has used sublimation printing on repositionable wall decals for indoor use? We have a versacamm sp 540v and customers are wanting to print to the edge on decals - could the sublimation be a way to get around the curling that you sometimes get from printing to the edge with the solvent inks? Has anybody tried this?


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## Standing Rules

Imaginations said:


> Hi, chiming in 2 years later, but I was wondering if anyone has used sublimation printing on repositionable wall decals for indoor use? We have a versacamm sp 540v and customers are wanting to print to the edge on decals - could the sublimation be a way to get around the curling that you sometimes get from printing to the edge with the solvent inks? Has anybody tried this?



I didnt know there was dye sub ink for the 540v. Our supplier said they dont have any shirt supplies.
ill have to try and get some.

but any way. the only time i have curled edges is if the surface is textured or dirty, and dry wall and certain primer. is the wall completely flat?


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## Skinbus

I use "Imagestix" sticker paper from Newmilford. It's a paper like dark transfer paper. It's not a permanent adhesive so it can be removed easily with no sticky residue, but will stick permanently if you prefer. It's also waterproof. I use pigmented inks & spray the finished product with a clear sealant which you can get most anywhere. When I made the 1st sticker, I let the sealant dry overnight then let it lay in the rain the next day to check for colorfastness. The ink never moved. I've had it on a few weeks, thru some pretty intense rain & it's still perfect. If you want to try it, go to newmilford.com & get a sample pack. 3 sheets 8.5 x 11. I'm sure you'll like it.


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## Imaginations

Thank you for the quick responses. I should have been more specific. Standing Rules, we are considering getting a sublimation printer for promotional items, mugs and such. I was thinking as long as we had it, if it would be reasonable to print the decals on the sublimation printer and then putting it through the versacamm to cut. But it sounds like you aren't having the curling with the solvent inks... are you printing to the edge? 

Skinbus, I'll look up Imagestix - it sounds like a great media.


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## Standing Rules

Imaginations said:


> Thank you for the quick responses. I should have been more specific. Standing Rules, we are considering getting a sublimation printer for promotional items, mugs and such. I was thinking as long as we had it, if it would be reasonable to print the decals on the sublimation printer and then putting it through the versacamm to cut. But it sounds like you aren't having the curling with the solvent inks... are you printing to the edge?
> 
> Skinbus, I'll look up Imagestix - it sounds like a great media.


weve been using Eco sol max ink for 3 years that i know of and when you mean "to the edge" are you talking about ink covering the whole sticker? like after cut lines or trimming? 

oh and ive also had curling when something sets around for a long time with out being installed on something.


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## Imaginations

Standing Rules said:


> weve been using Eco sol max ink for 3 years that i know of and when you mean "to the edge" are you talking about ink covering the whole sticker? like after cut lines or trimming?
> 
> oh and ive also had curling when something sets around for a long time with out being installed on something.


Yes, printing with a bleed. When we cut through the ink the vinyl will curl with the Roland eco sol inks. This is normal but I'm trying to find a way to work around it.
Interesting about it curling when something sits around for a long time without being installed. I'm sure I'll hear about that from a customer at some point...


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## Standing Rules

Imaginations said:


> Yes, printing with a bleed. When we cut through the ink the vinyl will curl with the Roland eco sol inks. This is normal but I'm trying to find a way to work around it.
> Interesting about it curling when something sits around for a long time without being installed. I'm sure I'll hear about that from a customer at some point...


oh and we also have been using some air release vinyl that is pretty thick and it lays on dry with zero bubbles. i think its from orical. the sticky side looks like snake skin. it makes installs so much quicker and nicer.


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## hubkami

Wholesale stickers.

Anugerahsticker


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## haleyevick

Im looking to buy a sublimation printer. But i also want to make colorful stickers. i have a 50'' cutter already an have many color of vinyl. But im wondering how do you buy many colors on stickers and what do you use to print.


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## PedalJustPedal

Stickers/Decals are typically done with an eco solvent printer and they are not cheap. You would be better off doing them on a desktop printer than a dye sub printer.


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## into the T

haleyevick said:


> Im looking to buy a sublimation printer. But i also want to make colorful stickers. i have a 50'' cutter already an have many color of vinyl. But im wondering how do you buy many colors on stickers and what do you use to print.


if you go the epson desktop with refillable cartridges route for your dyesub setup, 
you can swap your original ink carts back in and use these (with one of their uv laminates for outdoor longevity, if needed)

heckuva lot cheaper than buying a specific ecosolvent printer for some stickers, definitely slower and a little more expensive
unless you plan on runs of thousands, then get a dedicated printer

just make sure to do a couple full prints to purge the dyesub out of the printhead (another benefit over cis)


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