Sublimation 101: The Breakdown
When I first considered doing sublimation printing, I actually thought it was called subliminal printing! I had so much to learn. And once I jumped in, I loved it. But I never took the time to break it down for you.
From a very high level, when sublimation ink meets a high temperature, the ink turns into a gas. In that gas state, it gets sucked into a poly substrate/blank (tumbler, tshirt, mug, etc.). This project now becomes permanent. It won’t matter how the blank is washed, the colors are in it forever and ever. It’s a major difference when you compare it to vinyl and heat transfer vinyl.
Where can you get sublimation ink? You can use Artesprix’s markers/paints/ink pads, Cricut’s infusible ink products (markers and sheets), Craft Express’ Sublimation Markers and Sheets, or use a sublimation printer. When I first started, I converted my Eco-Tank into a sublimation printer. So instead of using the ink the printer came with, I put sublimation ink into my brand new printer. Once you have a sublimation printer, you cannot change it back. It will be solely for sublimation printing. I highly recommend having two printers - one is a normal household printer (print out return labels and homework and to craft with printing out labels, stickers, etc.) and the other for sublimation.
About a year or so into it, my printer broke down. Because it’s not meant to be a sublimation printer, there was no remedy. And everything that I read said it’s a done deal - the parts aren’t meant to go through the amount of flushing/head cleaning. Since then I buckled down and went with Sawgrass (and landed on the SG1000).
Why do I love sublimation? Basically it’s about all the colors and all the details! Literally anything can be printed and sublimated - pictures, text, every color you can think of, every little detail - and captured onto a sublimation blank. I am posting a reel later today to show some of my sublimation projects just within the last year or so. There are lots of mugs, tumblers, bags, shirts … I have so many different blanks and so many different projects. Whether it’s a gift or used in my family, everyone is always amazed that I made something that cool.
What do you need to get started? A heat source (heat press, tumbler press, sublimation oven) and sublimation ink (using sublimation ink products or a sublimation printer). Many of us already have a heat press. So it comes down to print or not print - that is the question. LOL. I truly love sublimation and there are so many projects you can do.
Do I recommend the Sawgrass printer? I do. I don’t want to overwhelm with too much information in this post, so I’ll leave you with my favorite reason for using a Sawgrass printer. Wherever you create your project (within Sawgrass’ app or Canva or Inkscape) when you go to print, it goes to Sawgrass’ Print Manager. Did you know that different blanks require different levels of ink? I was shocked to learn that. So guess what - in Print Manager you select the type of substrate (ceramic, polyester, glass, acrylic, etc.) and the type of paper to achieve the best outcome.
I hope this was helpful! I’ll continue adding more Sublimation News/Tips/Tricks!
XOXO,
An
