Dye sublimation printing is a digital printing technology using full colour artwork that works with polyester and polymer-coated substrates. Also referred to as digital sublimation, the process is commonly used for decorating apparel, signs and banners, as well as novelty items such as cell phone covers, plaques, coffee mugs, and other items with sublimation-friendly surfaces. The process uses the science of sublimation, in which heat and pressure are applied to a solid, turning it into a gas through an endothermic reaction without passing through the liquid phase. Only certain surfaces and materials can be branded with sublimation printing.

Promo & Print Co. offers full sublimation and partial sublimation services. A full sublimation is where a garment is made from scratch and individual sublimated panels are sewn together to complete the full garment. Partial sublimation is where only one or a limited number of the parts of a garment or product, typically a blank or white material, are sublimated.

The Process

Sublimation Printing

Firstly, in sublimation printing, unique sublimation dyes are transferred to sheets of “transfer” paper via liquid gel ink through a piezoelectric print head. The ink is deposited on these high-release inkjet papers.

Heat Transfer

Next, the transfer sheets are then placed on a heat press along with the substrate to be sublimated. In order to transfer the image from the paper to the substrate, it requires a heat press process that is a combination of time, temperature and pressure.

Cut Fabric

Once the design has been “transferred” onto the substrate, the design is cut out.

Sew Fabric

The cutout substrate is then taken and the garment sewed into its final form.

Artwork File Types

Hi Res PDF

EPS

AI

Advantages

Images are permanent and do not peel or fade.

Dye does not build up on the fabric.

Colours can be extraordinarily brilliant due to the bonding of the dye to the transparent fibres of the synthetic fabric.

Truly continuous tones can be achieved that are equivalent to photographs, without the use special techniques such as half-screen printing.

The image can be printed all over the entire item, with no difficulty in printing all the way to the edges.