# What is the difference between Sublimation and Injet Heat Transfer?



## Bill123 (May 11, 2008)

Hello everyone,

I am kinda new here. And I have a question concerning the differences between inkjet heat transfer and sublimation?

What are the differences?

Is it the same thing?

What is the quality of inkjet heat transfer? And on what t-shirts it works best? 100% cotton? 50-50?

I want to print on white and dark garments.

Thank you very much for the help, this forum is a blessing!


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## Bill123 (May 11, 2008)

any help plz?


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## COEDS (Oct 4, 2006)

I will try to give a brief description: Both types of printing can be done with a injet printer using different inks. A regular transfer can be made using factory ink and can be applied to garment / textile items 1005 cotton or a 50/50 blend. This is a economical way to make a custom item. 

Sublimation process uses a special ink that is designed to work with polyester or products with a polymer coating. This type of printing can be done on plastic,cups,metal,and polyester garments. The sublimation ink is formulated to turn into a gas when it is heated to a tempature of 400 + degrees. when the ink becomes a gas it permiates the polymer/polester coating of the substrate and the image is transfered. 

This is a very brief description of the 2 process'. I want to add that the sublimation ink is quite a bit more expensive to use, verses regular ink. I hope this helps. .... JB


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## Bill123 (May 11, 2008)

Thank you very much for this reply. I think I am tending to go with the inkjet heat transfer. My concern is, I want to print on black t-shirts, with white designs, what is the solution for this? I know printers don't print white, so what do the pro's do in here? What do you do? Thanks again.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

I will just add one other little thing about sublimination. It can only be done on light color garments, so if you are planning on printing darks sublimination will not work.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

As far as printing on darks, and if you want to apply them your self, your choices are opaque transfer paper or ordering plasitol transfers. The fact that you want to print on light and dark garments plasitol transfers might be a perfect option. If you look in the heat press and transfer section of the forums there are alot of really great threads concerning plasitol transfers. Hope this helps


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## COEDS (Oct 4, 2006)

sunnydayz said:


> I will just add one other little thing about sublimination. It can only be done on light color garments, so if you are planning on printing darks sublimination will not work.


Thanks BobbieLee, I forgot to add that.I'm glad you did

If I were going to print white lettering on dark shirts, I would use vinyl. You could either purchase a vinyl cutter or pay some one to cut them for you. Good luck. .... JB


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

Yep JB that is a good idea also, I forgot about vinyl


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## q8kuba (Jul 7, 2014)

how the vinyl feel on cotton and other garment is it heavy or it feel good dose it crack or not


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## Williams32 (Jun 26, 2014)

I mainly do Vinyl T-shirts just looking into doing sublimation T-shirts, but I find the vinyl is fine and also does not carry much weight my work T-shirt has quotation and a image from vinyl and not added any weight at all.


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## BigUncleT13 (Aug 10, 2013)

Sublimation is best when doing the whole thing of what ever your pressing


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## granny8 (Apr 17, 2017)

I am just trying to get started with shirts, hats, cups (metal & glass), plates so I would like to know which would work better the sublimation, heat transfer


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## Gregory Waller (Mar 9, 2018)

You can do both printings with the injet printer using different ink-like, for sublimation using sublimation ink and for heat transfer using pigment ink. Both are same technology, but using the materials are different. Sublimation technology is developed your business in ways of mugs, tiles, awards and heat press is on to t-shirts, garments or any material.


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

Inkjet, laser, screen prints, and htv are ON the garment. Sublimation prints are IN the garment, so there's no feel to the actual print, it's as soft as the garment.


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