How to Make A Sublimation Design- 2023 Guide

Last Updated on January 19, 2024 by Fredrick Miller

People nowadays love to customize their stuff. You can find a custom design on the wallet; phone case t-shirts, mugs, etc. This customization is done by the use of a modern technique of sublimation printing.

Sublimation printing is a technique that uses special inks to draw designs on paper, and then people can transfer these designs onto different stuff by using heat press machines.

Sublimation designs are now made even at homes. Most people buy the equipment for sublimation printing, but they lack the proper knowledge of the method and how it is done. A commonly asked query is “how to make a sublimation design?” We have discussed the method of sublimation printing in this article.

Equipment Required for Sublimation Printing:

Before learning to print a design using the sublimation technique, you need to know about the equipment used in sublimation printing. For making a sublimation design, you need the following tools:

Designing Software: First of all, you need a sublimation designing software to sketch your design that is to be printed on the surface you want. For designing, you will need high-end software like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, Canva, Inkscape, and Cricut design space to design the graphics of your sketch effectively. A good design software, such as mentioned above, gives you full control over your design’s colors, texture, and graphics to make a better design.

Sublimation Printers And Inks:

Sublimation inks and printers are important equipment required to transfer your sublimation design. You need a special type of sublimation ink and a sublimation paper or transfer paper. Making the sublimation ink is difficult and expensive, so sublimation inks are also expensive. It is better to use them carefully.

Sublimation inks bond with the object’s surface you want to print when heat is applied. Similarly, transfer paper does not bond with sublimation ink, and it only holds the sublimation ink design you have built so that you can transfer it to the surface you want. 

Heat Press Machine:

People often ask, “how to sublimate ink design?”. A heat press machine is used for sublimating ink design on a target surface. The heat press machine generates a high temperature that sublimates the ink from transfer paper onto the printing surface and helps form a strong ink bond with the printing surface.

Heat press machines are essential in this type of printing process. But please take a lot of care while using one of them as it can generate a temperature of a few hundred degrees Celsius. It can cause serious burns and injuries if not used with care.

Steps Involved In Making a Sublimation Design:

Sublimation printing involves certain steps that you have to follow to get your results. All the steps must be executed carefully to get the best printing results. I have discussed all the steps in detail below:

Choose Your Design:

The first step in making a design on your stuff is to choose a good design. Make sure you look for eye-catching and trendy designs. Sublimation printing is permanent, and sublimation designs are almost impossible to remove. You need to choose your design wisely as you will not get a second chance. If you print the wrong design, this will waste all your hard work and the printing stuff.

Choose Software For Sketching Your Design:

In the second step, you need to sketch the design you have chosen on computer software. Choose any of the graphics software mentioned above. If you are new to designing, you can go for adobe software after watching some tutorials. If you know how to use other software, you can use those applications. Assure that your software has all the tools used in the designing process.

Printing The Design On Sublimation Paper:

You need to print your design on special paper using special inks. Sublimation printers are special printers, so you have to look for them instead of ordinary ones. Some of the best sublimation printers in the market are Epson, hp, and eco jet. Use good-quality sublimation printers and inks to get better design colors and textures. After printing, you are now ready to transfer your design to the targeted surface.

Transferring the Design To Your Stuff:

You must use a heat press machine to transfer the design. A heat press machine generates heat that sublimates the ink from transfer paper onto the targeted surface. Heat press machines are specific for different objects, which mean you need a different heat press machine for different objects, as a mug has a different heat press and a t-shirt has a different heat press. 

Some companies provide different bases to press different objects on the same heat press machine just by changing the mount. You can look for a heat press to make designs on different objects.

After getting your design ready on sublimation paper, you can transfer it to your objects. Ensure you, first and foremost, have sublimation-prepared objects. Assume your designated surface isn’t prepared for sublimation. You want to add a polymer covering initially, as indicated by necessities, onto the designated surface to have durable and better printing results.

To move the plan onto your necessary item, you want to put the printed side of the paper on the article’s surface. Presently, put your item in the squeezing machine, which will engrave the plan onto your article. Ideally, let’s remember the standard temperature and strain for each item and set the squeezing machine.

After Printing Guidance:

After you finish your printing, there are directions to follow to engrave your designated surface with improved results. You ought to remember some cleaning directions for the printed region, such as staying away from hand washing on shirts, including the insurance of printed regions from serious intensity and assurance of the printed region from pointed surfaces as they would scratch off the engraved plan. Ensure you adhere to these guidelines for better solidness.

FAQs Section:

Wrapping Up- Making of Sublimation Design

Sublimation printing is a great technique for making custom designs on different things. Most people perform sublimation printing at home. But, some people are unaware of the process and ask, “How to make a sublimation design?” I hope the answer provided above satisfies you. For more information on sublimation and