How To Sublimation Print On T-Shirts, Like A Pro

Sublimation printing on t-shirts is transferring the design printed on a special paper directly to a t-shirt through a heat press.  Sounds magical, right? I will show you how in this article.

How do you sublimation print on t-shirts?  Start this process by having the design printed on a sublimation paper and using a sublimation printer.  Heat press the t-shirt to remove wrinkles, insert protective paper in between, and apply heat press briefly.  Place the printed image on top of the shirt and cover with protective paper. Apply medium pressure at 375F for about 50 seconds.  

This sublimation process, dye diffusion to be more exact, uses heat to transfer the dyes in the design into the fabric.  The dye transitions from a solid to a gas state through the heat press with some liquefying stage in between. You can literally see the magic happen right in front of you.

Sublimation T-Shirt Printing Technique

Known also as dye-sublimation printing or digital sublimation technique, this process is a digital printing technology which utilizes full-color artwork.  It works well with polyester and polymer-coated garments.

When sublimation printing is happening, the unique sublimation dyes are deposited to the sublimation paper via liquid gel ink through a piezoelectric print head.  Piezoelectricity is an electric charge generated from applied mechanical stress.

Image by rendawriter

Dye Sublimation Printer

This printer type works by heating solid ink to a solid surface such as fabric, paper, or plastic.

Dye sublimation printers utilize the cyan, magenta, yellow, overcoating (CMYO) system which is likewise stored on a ribbon.  

Image by peaceandcotton

The overcoating is a thin layer which protects the print from discoloration caused by ultraviolet (UV) lights and air.  It also makes this same print water-resistant.

These printers produce continuous tones thus making the image more accurate when compared to inkjet images.  The inks are placed on the surface one color at a time.

A small heater inside the printer vaporizes the solid dye which is then transferred to the printable surface one color at a time.

You will notice here that during printing, the printer will roll the paper in and out repeatedly until each layer of color is transferred.

The printer places a color at a time with the dye is stored on a polyester ribbon.  Each color is contained in a separate panel and each panel is the size of the medium being printed on.

While printing, the medium and one colored panel are moved by the printer rollers under the thermal printing head.  There is a rapid temperature change in the head which then results on dye being applied to the medium depending on the amount of heat applied.

This process is then repeated after finishing one medium in one color by moving to the next color panel.  

The process is repeated four to five times, depending if there is a need for a black thermal process transfer.  The first three lay the colors to form the image completely and the last one places the laminate on top.

Dye sublimation printers are limited by the speed at which the thermal head elements can change temperature.  

You will also notice that the heating process is easier compared to the cooling process utilized when a shift from the darker to a lighter color is happening.  There is a need for a fan to be attached to the print head to speed up the process.

You can also use multiple heads in printing which enables one print head to cool down while the other one is still working.

Dye Sublimation Printer Upsides

A dye sublimation printer produces a continuous tone quality printout where each dot can be of any color.  The printing process is very clean and there is no ink cleanup needed.

Applications using dye sublimation printers can now be seen operating in photo prints, photo booths, and event photography.  They take advantage of the fact the prints are immediately dry upon exit from the printer.

These printers are built for versatility, fast production, and quality output.

Dye Sublimation Printer Drawbacks

These printers are notorious for wastage.  

Unused dyes left in the panel during the printing process can not be used further in another printing job.  It will leave a blank spot left behind the dye that was used previously if reused. Using four panels for every print job is common.

There is a diffusion of dyes before it is absorbed by the paper which leads to prints that are not very sharp.

Dye sublimation paper and ribbons are sensitive to skin oils and must always be free of dust or any other small particles.

This printer needs to be used at least once a week to make sure that print head does not dry and to keep the ink flowing.

Dye Sublimation Ink

Dye sublimation inks are specialized ink used for sublimation process only.  They need to be able to print images with vibrant colors, intense blacks, sharp contours, and smooth gradations.  New generation inks also produce excellent washfastness with resistance to acid and alkaline perspiration.

There are two types of inks used with dye sublimation printers,  

The first is the aqueous dye sublimation ink which is the more popular one and is used on desktop and large format printers.  The other one is the solvent dye sublimation ink used in Spectra and some Konica wide format printers.

You need to have the same brand of ink and dye sublimation printer to prevent complications.

There are shops that are using Epson and Ricoh dye sublimation inks side by side with inkjet printers made by the same vendors.

Sublimation Process

During the transfer of the image to the t-shirt or sublimation, the heat press applies a combination of time, temperature, and pressure.  This combination effectively transfers the sublimation dyes at the molecular level to the substrate thus forming a permanent, full-color image.

Video by rendawriter

Temperature setting is recommended at a range between 370F to 420F to activate the dyes.

Heat press times range from 40-60 seconds.

When high temperature is applied, it does two things: 1) solid dyes are converted to a gaseous state, and 2) opens the fabric pores which allows the gas to enter.  

When the temperature is lowered, these same pores get closed and the dye reverts to a solid state allowing it to become part of the garment.

Image by rendawriter

Heat Press

If you have purchased a dye sublimation printer, then it makes sense to also make an investment in a good heat press machine.  This is especially so in case your shop is planning to have large format signs and graphics.

There are four types of heat press available in the market:

Small Format Heat Press

This can be used for small items such as t-shirts, caps, mugs, shoes, etc.  Heat and pressure controls are included usually with this type.

Calender Heat Press

This type can handle flags, exterior banners, and other large signage applications.  If a table attachment is added, sewing and cutting process can be handled side by side.

Flatbed Heat Press

This type of heat press can handle image transfer on aluminum, hardboard, floor mats, and other unique items.

3D Vacuum Heat Press

This can allow the transfer of images toward curved surfaces such as phones, plates, trophies, and others.

Sublimation Printing Pros and Cons

Sublimation printing can handle seam to seam printing with extensive color options and maximum detail in the design.

The design formulation is quick and painless since you can basically just copy it from any medium through the power of photography.  The transfer process is also fast and does not demand a lot of materials.

The quality of print on the t-shirt stays longer and will not crack, fade or peel.  The image becomes part of the substrate itself.

There is no added weight or thickness to the product when this method is utilized.

This type of printing is suitable for small batches.  

On the other hand, sublimation printing is limited mostly on polyester and polymer-based fabrics only.  It is used primarily with white and light colored garments.

This type of printing cannot handle large-order requirements hence no volume discounts can be given.

On an ecological standpoint, sublimation printing is not environmentally friendly.  The following reasons show why: 1) it uses paper which demands that trees be cut in order to sustain supplies, 2) the paper used cannot be recycled, and 3) process of sublimation contaminates the air.

Related Questions

Can you use any printer for sublimation?  Generally, no.  Only sublimation ink and printer can be used for this purpose.  However, the heat press normally used by apparel shops can be utilized for the transfer process.

Can you sublimation print on cotton?  It is not possible to do sublimation printing on cotton.  It is recommended that 100% polyester be the fabric of choice when doing sublimation printing.

Which is better sublimation or screen printing?  Sublimation printing allows the dye to permeate to the fibers of the garments whereas screen printing merely places the ink on top of the same.  There is more permanence of design in the former while it is possible that the image may crack in time when the latter method is used.