The basis of sublimation printing technology is the process of thermal sublimation of solid ink. The paint is gaseous and colors the carrier. The gaseous substance penetrates deep into the treated surface and condenses there.
Under the influence of high temperatures, the surface of the painted object begins to melt slightly. Particles of paint are literally soldered to the top layers of the material. The result is a pattern that is resistant to mechanical stress and washing. You can print in this way on almost any item: interior racks, flags, bags, mugs, diplomas, textiles.
If we are talking about prints on footballs, then besides sublimation, there are a number of other printing methods. Read an overview of popular technologies in our article.
For the first time, sublimation printing was used on fabrics. With strong heat, the synthetic fabric becomes looser. On its surface, pores seem to open up, into which ink should get.
Natural fabrics do not have such pore opening. In order for the drawing to hold tightly, it is necessary either to print on textiles containing at least 60% polyester, or to treat the surface with a special primer (primer). If you neglect the preparation, then the image will come off after the first or second wash.
For umbrellas, the durability of the print is very important. Sublimation allows you to get a long-lasting pattern
Types of sublimation printing
Straight
The paints are heated and mixed inside the equipment. The drawing is applied directly to the finished product. Usually, direct printing is used to print on fabrics in the manufacture of flags, curtains.
There are two flavors of this technology:
- Wet. The working surface is treated with a primer (polyester primer). Using an inkjet printer that applies sublimation ink, an image is obtained. Used in mass production to print large batches of products.
- Dry. Uses paper and laser printer.
Indirect (intermediate)
Another name for the technology is thermal transfer. This is a two-phase process that includes the following stages:
- printing a mirror image on siliconized paper for sublimation printer in Pakistan;
- transfer of a drawing to a product using a heat press and thermal transfer ink.
The technology is good for small-scale (from 1 piece) production. Such printing can be performed by inkjet, laser, offset, screen printing, as well as by application.
The possibility of a piece edition will be appreciated by customers of photo printing on mugs
Equipment and materials
a printer
Sublimation printers are produced by many well-known manufacturers: Canon, Mimaki, Mitsubishi, HP, Epson. When choosing, consider:
- The size of the picture. For wallets, handbags and other hand-made, an A4 printer will suffice, for printing on clothes – A4 or A3. To get a drawing on a full-sized canvas, you will need equipment with available A3 or A2 formats.
- Availability of CISS (continuous ink supply system). The plastic cans of this device hold an order of magnitude more ink than cartridges. Self-installation of the CISS deprives the owner of the equipment of the rights to warranty repair.
- Number of colors. The choice is between 4 and 6 colors of the palette. Four-color printers are less likely to clog, but six-color printers produce a more natural image.
MUTOH ValueJet Sublimation Printer
Ink, paper, scotch tape
The choice of ink type depends on the material used for printing: the dyes for printing on mugs and textiles will differ. The color scale of the image also plays a role. For example, Lomond ink allows you to achieve a brighter pattern from InkTec ink. However, the tones will be shifted towards the red spectrum. Durafos ink brightens greens.
The peculiarities of dyes must be taken into account during prepress preparation. Then you need to determine the degree of filling the layout.
The range of sublimation paper is even more diverse than ink. The image on matte photo paper will look more impressive than on a specific analogue. So, for example, ceramics will be better covered with matte Lomond paper, and fabrics with IST brand media. Therefore, it is important to select consumables for the printer model and the material with which you will be working.
The edge of the printed image is cropped to avoid ink marks around the edge of the image. The picture is attached with heat-resistant tape to the working surface. To work with ceramics, you can use ordinary masking tape.
When printing on products with a complex surface, scotch tape is indispensable
Heat press
There are the following types of this equipment:
- Flat – for T-shirts, textiles, ceramic tiles, sheet metal, glass, etc. They are folding and swivel. The latter are better in ergonomics.
- Lace and plate. Used for drawings on dishes, ceramics.
- Baseball caps – for printing on hats and applying small designs, such as logos.
In kruzhechny and plate thermo presses, the dishes are heated unevenly, so they can burst. Therefore, experts warm up the product in advance and, placing it in a heat press, gradually heat it up to the transfer temperature.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the advantages of sublimation are:
- Resistance to fading and multiple washings.
- Photographic clarity of prints: Multi-color images with complex graphics can be captured.
- Absence of the stage of washing the forms, in which toxic solutions are used. Therefore, sublimation printing is much more environmentally friendly than silk- screen printing or stencil.
- You can order any edition – large or small.
- Savings on staff training. The simplicity of the technology does not require special training from employees.
- Obtaining a through two-sided image due to deep staining of tissue. This property is especially valuable in the manufacture of flags.
The technology also has disadvantages:
- A hood is required to remove the unpleasant odor that occurs during the evaporation of ink.
- If you need a contrasting pattern, opt for light, monochromatic fabrics.
- Textiles should consist of synthetics by 60 percent or more.
- High cost of consumables.
- Sublimation printers are slower than inkjet printers .
With the right material chosen, the picture will be bright even on a dark background.
Sublimation printing at home
The technology is so simple that it can be implemented even at home. With Photoshop skills, you can print on a T-shirt or mug.
Dye-sublimation printers for printing on fabric are distinguished by impressive dimensions – about the size of a desk. Lace heat presses are much more compact.
For each type of fabric, size and shape of the mug, the exposure time in the heat press and the type of ink are selected. For training, you will have to allocate several T-shirts and mugs. As a result, the cost of printing increases significantly, and the image quality is not guaranteed.
Watch a video experiment on whether a sublimation print is erased from a T-shirt:
Outcomes
- With the help of sublimation printing, prints are bright and resistant to external influences.
- The technology is best suited for working with synthetic fabrics. Natural textiles require pre-treatment with a primer.
- The equipment is selected based on the material on which you want to apply the pattern.
- Sublimation equipment can be used at home, but the cost of printing will be high.