Frequently Asked Questions
The technical definition of sublimation is the change of a solid particle directly into a gaseous state. In the case of dye sublimation, the specially designed sublimation ink will turn from the solid form of a digitally printed image and when applied heat and pressure for a set amount of time with a heat press, will turn into gas state, allowing the ink to penetrate the pores of the ceramic, metal, glass or polyester substrate that you are transferring onto.
Once the sublimation ink has penetrated into the pores of the substrate, it will then solidify to create a permanent image onto your substrate or apparel product. This is different from a standard inkjet ink or laser toner, in that these standard printer ink and toner technologies do not have the ability to go into a gas state and is restricted to a solid or liquid form only.
The technology of dye sublimation sounds complicated but the process itself is actually quite simple. In order to get started you’ll need the following items: a designated sublimation printer, sublimation ink, sublimation paper, sublimation blanks and a heat press appropriate for the sublimation blank you are working with.
You will need a heat press. You can find all economical heat presses on Amazon. I would suggest purchasing a 15x15 a 16x20 or a 16x24. These sizes are the most common sizes when sublimating the most popular substrates.
You will Need a Sublimation Printer. For time and efficiency its best to use an Epson Eco-Tank with BK Y M C. The models recommended are ET-2800 ET-2803 ET-2850 ET-2700 ET-2720 ET-2760 ET-2750 ET-4700 ET-15000 SC-F170 SC-F570 ET-2710 ET-2700 ET-3700 ET-3710 ET-3750 ET-3760 ET-3830 ET-3850 ET-4700 ET-4750 ET-4760 ET-4800 ET-4820 ST-2000 ST-3000 ET-5800 ET-5850 ET-5880 ET-7750 ET-7700 ET-15000 ET- 16500 ET-16600 ET-16650.
You can purchase sublimation printers from
Sam's Club
Office Max
Office Depot
Best Buy
Amazon
Epson
You will need Sublimation Paper. As a leader in the Sublimation Industry: Our Specially coated paper DOES NOT require butcher paper! Thats RIGHT! NO BUTCHER PAPER REQUIRED!
You can purchase sample packs from BlankoBlanks at BlankoBlanks Sublimation Sample Packs
You will need Sublimation Ink. Our paper is compatible with all Sublimation Ink. We recommend: Blanks Galore Sublimation Ink You can also find all types of Ink available on Amazon.
Please visit our Sublimation Blanks Collection for a full list of sublimation blanks available to you.
Please download our Free Sublimation Supply list for more information. Blanko Blanks Sublimation Supply List
Sublimation can only be used on polyester garments and sublimation blanks. Sublimation blanks are available as ceramic, metal, glass and heat resistant plastic promotional products that are specially coated in polymer coating.
The reason for this is when you put the sublimation blank under high temperatures, pores in the polymer open and allow the ink to enter when it is in its gaseous state.
Examples of sublimation blanks are mugs, ornaments, phone cases, plates, cutting boards, license plates, coasters, photo tiles and puzzles. Sublimation is also popularly used on 100% polyester fabric items.
Examples of this are polyester t-shirts, sweatshirts, masks, socks, polyester top mouse pads, and bags.
Please visit our Sublimation Blanks Collection for a full list of sublimation blanks available to you.
The standard time and temperature is 400 degrees 60 seconds.
However, with BlankoBlanks Sublimation paper you do not have to dwell your substrates as long. Our sublimation papers dwell time is 385 with 50-60 seconds depending on your substrate and heat press.
As a leader in the Sublimation Industry: Our Specially coated paper DOES NOT require butcher paper! Thats RIGHT! NO BUTCHER PAPER REQUIRED!Please download our time and temperature chart at BlankoBlanks Time and Temperature Chart to help you along your sublimation journey!
Unfortunately no. Printing dye sublimation inks onto darker fabrics is still an issue. You cannot sublimate on dark fabrics because these materials are already colored. Additionally, Sublimation ink does not have white, therefore cannot print white onto dark fabric.
As a new crafter, I would suggest using Silhouette Studio. This program has a FREE version to start out with. You can pull in images to print for all keepsakes as most people want their family photos on substrates.
You can also use Canva to bring in high quality photos with high pixel counts. As you advance you can move over into Photoshop and or Affinity Designer!
Happy Crafting!
Most New Crafters start out with small items to master sublimation and using the heat press and printers. I would suggest:
Pillows, Tumblers, Earrings, Face Covering Masks, Keychains, Coffee Mugs, any neoprene items such as mouse pads, can koozies etc.
Happy Crafting!