# Will sublimation transfers leave the same film as iron-on heat transfers?



## Andrew860 (Mar 23, 2018)

Hello, I am getting back into t-shirt design and I am curious if dye sub transfers leave the same film on a shirt like iron-ons do. I know that iron-ons transfer the whole paper and dye sub transfers just transfer the image but is there anything on the paper that leaves a residue on the shirt?


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

No, no residue at all.

A dyesub print comes off the press (they are not iron-on!) looking and feeling as if it is dyed into the fabric..... which it is!

Unfortunately, you cannot sublimate cotton, only polyester. Your fabric must be white, or pastel coloured, and contain a high percentage of polyester, meaning 100% for the best results. 

Poly/cotton mixes, eg. 65/35, 50/50 etc will produce a faded print in proportion to the the amount of polyester. 

Colours other than white will result in all the white areas of your image being the base colour of the garment, which can work for lighter coloured garments depending on what look you are trying to achieve


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

Dyesub is for poly only. No residue but the nature of poly shirts the edge of the paper will leave a mark. You can do them on lower poly content but the ink will wash off anything that isn't poly so the the image will 'fade' after the first wash for anything under 100% poly.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

Andrew860 said:


> I am curious if dye sub transfers leave the same film on a shirt like iron-ons do.


Regular sublimation paper will not leave any residue, but can only sublimate polyester.


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## Andrew860 (Mar 23, 2018)

Does that poly spray on cotton work? That is what I have been planning to get


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Andrew860 said:


> Does that poly spray on cotton work? That is what I have been planning to get



Oh-Oh. Now you've done it.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

Andrew860 said:


> Does that poly spray on cotton work? That is what I have been planning to get


 It does work, but you don't get the same results as with 100% polyester.
Also you will have residue over the sprayed area. It's a permanent coating.
You are not sublimating the cotton... you are sublimating the coating.


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

splathead said:


> Andrew860 said:
> 
> 
> > Does that poly spray on cotton work? That is what I have been planning to get
> ...


*Holds breath and slowly counts: 10, 9, 8,.....


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## djque (Feb 5, 2013)

deep breath. and the poly spray on cotton.takes a deeper breath.______________flatline


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## Andrew860 (Mar 23, 2018)

So can you give me some advice on what I should do? Would pressing on 65% poly / 35% cotton be ok? Or does it have to be 100% poly? I have about $600 to invest and I would like to buy a heat press and be able to print the designs at home and press them onto the shirts. I think I am going with a Epson printer with the ecotank using dye sub ink.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

Andrew860 said:


> So can you give me some advice on what I should do? Would pressing on 65% poly / 35% cotton be ok? Or does it have to be 100% poly? I have about $600 to invest and I would like to buy a heat press and be able to print the designs at home and press them onto the shirts. I think I am going with a Epson printer with the ecotank using dye sub ink.


Well... $600 is not much, but maybe you can buy a 15x15 inch heat press and a small printer. Start with 100% polyester garments and test the waters... see if you have what it takes, and if people are buying what you are offering. If you look around, you will also find some nice 90% polyester shirts... These will also sublimate well.


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

It goes without saying that you'll need a suitable printer and press, but also take into consideration the cost of the inks you'll be using. The priciest inks aren't necessarily the best, but the cheapest inks may end up costing you a lot in poor results, print head blockages, and the lack of a supplied ICC profile (almost a necessity to get the right colours).

You'll also need software that will print using an ICC profile, so you're looking at Photoshop, Coreldraw, Illustrator, Affinity, or the free Gimp and Inkscape. You'll also need a decent head of hair..... to tear out on those 'challenging' days! 😉


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## Andrew860 (Mar 23, 2018)

After some research last night I am planning to get the gilden G420 for blank shirts. They are 100% polyester but feel like cotton supposedly. I will also be ordering a 15x15 heat press, a epson ecotank printer (only one that prints in 8.5x11 but I figure I could always combine multiple print outs and then press them together) sublimation ink from Etsy and sublimation transfer paper off eBay. By the way, for transfer paper, when they say inkjet and sublimation, is that the kind I want? It seems to be the only kind they offer but I don’t want the paper to be like the iron on paper you buy at Walmart.


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

If you are combining multiple printouts to make a larger print bear in mind that no parts of the image can overlap or you will end up with darker, mismatched colours in these areas. Dyesub ink is semi-transparent. 

Sublimation paper is just that - sublimation paper, and is advertised as such. The most notable name is Trupix, but many other brands exist. It's usually a case of trying a sample out before buying any quantity. 

Also note that sublimation inks have a shelf life - usually around a year, so be careful what you buy and how long you keep them. Make sure you buy inks from a reputable supplier (they can vary dramatically) and make sure the supplier can supply an ICC profile for their inks.


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## Andrew860 (Mar 23, 2018)

I didn't mean that I would try and put a image together with multiple printouts but if it was something like a image with words, I would have the image be one printout and the words be another. Would you be able to recommend a good ink supplier? Thank you for all of your help


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

If you are printing one image then going back and printing another image on the same shirt be careful to cover the first images as the heat will again cause the inks to turn gaseous and may stain the top platen of your press, resulting in ghost images on subsequent pressings.


I'm in the UK and my ink supplier is CIE. InkTec inks are good also. In the US I believe the Cobra inks are good but I'd stay away from Sawgrass which, although decent inks, are horrendously expensive and well overrated.


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

webtrekker said:


> If you are printing one image then going back and printing another image on the same shirt be careful to cover the first images as the heat will again cause the inks to turn gaseous and may stain the top platen of your press, resulting in ghost images on subsequent pressings.



For noncontinious designs larger than 8.5 X 11 he plans on printing 2 sheets and laying them side by side on the press. So for example an image on 1 page and text on the other.


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

splathead said:


> webtrekker said:
> 
> 
> > If you are printing one image then going back and printing another image on the same shirt be careful to cover the first images as the heat will again cause the inks to turn gaseous and may stain the top platen of your press, resulting in ghost images on subsequent pressings.
> ...


I know, splat. That's why I suggested the following in an earlier post... 

"If you are combining multiple printouts to make a larger print bear in mind that no parts of the image can overlap or you will end up with darker, mismatched colours in these areas. Dyesub ink is semi-transparent."

In other words, it's perfectly possible to combine separate images in one pressing, but you won't be able to overlap say two halves of an image to make a larger print. It is possible to butt two prints together but difficult to get a smooth join.


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