Sublimation Printing
Sublimation Printing involves the use of custom dye sublimation inks, industrial heat and pressure and polyester garments. The preferred garment type is 100% polyester, but blends of polyester can work well with Sublimation Printing. For example, closely related polyester fabric family members like Rayon, Nylon, Spandex, Satin and others can accept designs.
Sublimation Printing
If you've done a double take on the street after watching someone walk by with a crazy looking T-Shirt on, then you've probably seen Sublimation Printing up close and personal. Sublimated garments are unmistakable, they are bright, colorful crisp designs with photo realistic looks that completely cover a garment.
Sublimation Printing is not very complicated, and most casual on lookers would say that the process involved to create a sublimated t-shirt looks no different that age old iron on transfers, but the truth couldn't be further.
Unlike old style iron on designs that sat on top of the shirt, Sublimation Printing fuses the design itself into the fibers of the T-Shirt. Screen Printing, Heat Transfers, Vinyl Transfers and Foils are all sitting on top of the fabric. If you run your hand on top of any of these designs you can feel the design work.
With Sublimation Printing, since the artwork is fused directly into the fabric fibers, there is no feel to the design at all. With dye sublimation it almost as if the fabric were designed before the t-shirt was sewn together.
In the past Sublimation Printing had to be done in a cut and sew project where fabric panels were cut, sublimated, then sewn together. This ensured that there were no seams missing design. That is partially true today, but advances in dye sublimation printing technology have enabled garment decorators like AMBRO Manufacturing to create some seamless designs on already sewn T-Shirts. While there is some creasing, the cost differential between cut and sew projects and post sewn garments is vast, so small imperfections are often over looked.
If you are considering a Sublimation Printing project, please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.