You must be aware that the sublimation business is becoming very popular and it’s overgrowing. Sublimation is a technique in which you create personalized and customized designs, phrases, and images on different products.
If you are also interested in starting a sublimation business, this guide, “sublimation for beginners,” has everything you need to know about sublimation to get started. This guide covers everything, so what are you waiting for?
Let’s get started
Table of Contents
Sublimation for Beginners
Before starting the sublimation, you must have many questions in mind, like what is it? How does it work? And what type of products do you need? And many such questions.
Sublimation is easy, and anybody can do it after learning the basic and essential details about it. If you are interested in this business and want to learn and have some queries, then be with us, as
We are here to answer all your queries and tell you in detail about sublimation.
Also Check: Best Sublimation Printer for Beginners 2023
What is Sublimation?
If you are new to this, you must wonder what sublimation is. Sublimation is the process of transferring the images on suitable products like shirts, scarves, mugs, etc. in sublimation, the ink directly turns into a gas and infuses the product.
Why should you do Sublimation Printing?
You must think about why you should do sublimation printing when there are many other options for transferring images and designs on different materials, such as screen printing, embroidery, and vinyl.
Why is sublimation preferred? It is because it’s cost-effective, saves time, and produces high-quality products.
Other methods like garment and screen printing are costly and require huge investment and space, while for sublimation, you require huge investment and place.
Can You Sublimate Anything?
Sublimation is a convenient and cost-effective method of transferring the sublimation designs on different materials, but can you sublimate on anything? The simple answer is “No.”
You can only use those products that are specially designed for sublimation. These products have the type of poly coating in which the sublimation dye sublimates.
While talking about fabrics, you can use those fabrics with a high ratio of polyester and light-colored. You cannot sublimate on dark-colored fabric.
Also Check: What Can You Sublimate On?
Products for Sublimation
As we discussed above, those products and fabrics are suitable for sublimation with a high polymer and polyester ratio, respectively.
But beyond that, you can also sublimate onto the products that contain aluminum and ceramics (if they are specially coated with the material that accepts sublimation ink).
Other than that, if you are shopping for different sublimation blanks, make sure you purchase only those listed as “sublimation ready .”This way, you will be able to work on suitable materials.
Sublimation Design Software
There are many options for sublimation design software, but which is the best? We will tell you about different software and recommend the best one below.
If you buy a Sawgrass virtuoso printer, you will get design software called the creative studio. The creative studio is the best design software, but you need to have a Sawgrass printer.
In our opinion, the best software is Photoshop as it fulfills all your requirements. The only drawback is that you have to bear the monthly subscription cost of the adobe suite.
If talking about the alternatives, then there are a few others like GIMP.
The Sublimation Supplies
The sublimation process is straightforward and to start the process. The material list for sublimation is mentioned below.
Printer: You can use a sublimation-ready printer designed and made for sublimation or convert an inkjet printer to support sublimation. Our recommended printer is an Epson sublimation printer.
Ink: You will also need sublimation ink to print the designs on materials.
Paper: You will also need a sublimation paper. There are many papers available in the market, and you can choose the one per your requirements.
Heat press: A heat press is required to transfer the designs. Ensure you get the heat press with minimum size requirement for transfer and design.
Software: You will need software for making the designs. Our recommended software is Photoshop, but Corel Draw is also a good option if you do not want to pay monthly subscriptions.
Other accessories: You will also need some other accessories like heat-resistant gloves and tapes, craft papers and scissors, etc., but these are not essential items, and you can do the sublimation without them as well.
FAQS
What products can I sublimation onto?
You cannot sublimate on all products, but there are a few specific products you can use for sublimation, like fabrics with a high ratio of polyester and the materials with polymer in them. In some cases, you can also use the products that have aluminum and ceramic.
Do the fabrics have to be 100% polyester?
No, you do not need a fabric to have 100% polyester. The fabrics should have a high ratio of polyester but should not necessarily have 100%.
Can I sublimate onto 100% cotton fabric?
No, you cannot sublimate onto 100% cotton fabrics because their cotton fabrics do not have a polymer responsible for bonding the dye onto the material.
Why can’t I sublimate with dark-colored garments?
You cannot sublimate to dark-colored garments because the design and image will not be visible in dark garments. If you cannot see a design on any product, what’s the use of sublimation then?
Conclusion
We hope that you would have found this guide, “sublimation for beginners,” helpful. We have tried to cover berthing related to sublimation and the things you should do before starting your sublimation process.
Sublimation is easy and cost-effective, and you do not need to have a huge investment and more prominent space for it. You can start it with a significantly less amount and limited space.
If you are also finding it interesting, then with the help of this guide, you can start it.
Fredrik Miller is the Founder of PrinterLake.com, a platform dedicated to providing information on sublimation printing. With a Master’s degree in Information Technology from Reputed University, Fredrik brings a wealth of technical knowledge and expertise to the site.
He leads a team of writers who are experts in the field and strive to deliver the best and most comprehensive information on sublimation printers, inks, and paper.