# UV Ink vs. Sublimation?



## 49434 (Jul 1, 2008)

Can anyone tell me the difference between UV Ink for printing transfers and using sublimation ink?


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## conde tech (Nov 15, 2007)

Sublimation inks are actually sublimated into the garment. They will last the life of the garment.
Heat transfers paper images will eventually fade and crack with usage and washings.


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## PressForProfit (Jun 11, 2008)

UpNorthOutfitter said:


> Can anyone tell me the difference between UV Ink for printing transfers and using sublimation ink?


Sublimation Ink will only work on 100% polyester fabrics or hard items like mugs that are coated with a durable clear synthetic coating. You print onto a matte coated paper that just releases the ink into the surface of your item at 400 deg F. There is no hand, stiffness or feel to the transferred ink since the ink, dyes or penetrates deep into the surface.

I assume that by UV ink you mean standard inkjet ink that is resistant to fading due to UV light (There is also a class of inks that are cured/hardend with intense UV lights) Standard inkjet ink requires a transfer paper that will release a polymer carrier along with the ink. This will adhere/penetrate into all heat resistant fabrics including 100% cotton, 50/50 and 100% polyester. This bonds your ink along with the coating on the transfer paper into your tshirt or fabric. There is always some initial hand or stiffness to the transferred image. This will greatly diminish with the first wash.

Important: Not all transfer papers are created equal...get samples and wash and test it for yourself. Many lesser quality papers will crack and fade terribly with washing.

Also, not all inks are created equal. You can improve the washability greatly and lower your cost by using a 3rd party replacement ink that is engineered for heat transfer printing like Armur Ink.


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## 49434 (Jul 1, 2008)

Thanks for the information; Mike & Sonya. I guess I was under the assumption that I was currently using Sublimation Ink. I have only done test prints so far, so I am not too far into the game. 

I have a Epson C120 with the Sawgrass Inks - What are those inks considered? Sublimation?

Thanks


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## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

UpNorthOutfitter said:


> Thanks for the information; Mike & Sonya. I guess I was under the assumption that I was currently using Sublimation Ink. I have only done test prints so far, so I am not too far into the game.
> 
> I have a Epson C120 with the Sawgrass Inks - What are those inks considered? Sublimation?
> 
> Thanks


Sawgrass makes both sublimation and inkjet inks.
The inkjet inks I believe are the Chromablast system inks.

Artanium and sublijet iq are the sublimation inks.

I also think they make an ink for DTG.


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## conde tech (Nov 15, 2007)

Hi David,

Did Sawgrass help you with your computer settings? Are you printing using a power driver? If so, you have Sublijet inks. If you do not print with a power driver, you most likely have ArTainium inks.

Please feel free to give me a call. I will be happy to check your settings.


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## MotoskinGraphix (Apr 28, 2006)

conde tech said:


> Hi David,
> 
> Did Sawgrass help you with your computer settings? Are you printing using a power driver? If so, you have Sublijet inks. If you do not print with a power driver, you most likely have ArTainium inks.
> 
> Please feel free to give me a call. I will be happy to check your settings.


Thanks for the offer but we dont use sublimation in our printing.


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## marvi (Jan 2, 2009)

Is Sawgrass or Conde the best place for sublimation ink? i WANT TO TRY THE MUG WRAP IN THE OVEN. Has anyone done this? ow does it work?


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## avee2010 (Jun 7, 2011)

Hi Marvi,

Sawgrass (a manufacturer) sells their own inks. I've used their Sublijet IQ ink in my large format mimaki printer, nothing bad to say about it, worked well, but switched over to a third party (Manoukian) with great results and 50% cost savings.

I've dealt with Conde too, they're a great distributor to deal with, but i'm in Canada so i need to have a large enough order to justify ordering cross border from them. I usually do bolt transfers so i don't order from them on a regular basis anyways.

I recently bought a couple of the mug wraps, they actually work really well in the oven (15 minutes), you just have to make sure it's tight enough or you will get gas seepage on your mug. The wraps are great if you want to do a large # of mugs at a time (vs one offs on a mug press). All you do is print your transfer as you normally would, wrap it around the mug, put the mug wrap over it, make sure it's tight, and away you go. I usually use some tape to keep the paper in place as i put the mug wrap over it to prevent any shifting.

Cheers

Jack


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