First thing I will share is I am no guru of sublimation, I won't claim to know all things about sublimation, but I will share with you what I have learnt along my journey, the mistakes I have made and the wins,
I will share the products I use and the times and temps, but the first thing you will learn on your sublimation journey is that every heat press, oven, air fryer is different and you ill have to be patient and practice, practice, practice. That being said, once you've got it it a fun and rewarding art form.
What is Sublimation?
To get those beautiful bright crisp images you first need to understand what sublimation is and the process behind it, again not a guru here but this is what I have learnt.
1: It's a process where a substance change from a solid to a gas without ever being a liquid.
2: It's the process where images are printed with specialized sublimation ink onto sublimation paper and then transferred to a coated substrate via heat. Once the sublimation ink is applied to the substrate at high temp, (around 200 degrees celsius) it turns to a gas and the pores of the substrate open up allowing the gas to enter.
This allows a detailed print that wont crack or peel
When it is removed from the heat, it cools down and the pores close trapping the ink.
Intrigued? So what will you need to give it a go?
Equipment Needed
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Sublimation Printer - I have an Epson L1800 but there are so many you can choose from, do your research
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Sublimation Paper - I use Izumi
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Sublimation Ink - I use Izumi ink
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Heat Press - again hundreds of different types on the market and depending on what you are sublimating your needs will vary
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Heat resistant tape
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Substrates/Sublimation Blanks - https://www.newieblanksco.com/
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Teflon Pillow
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Baking Paper
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Lint Brush
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Design Software - I use Affinity Design and Photo, but d your research and find one that you can navigate.
Watch YouTube, ask questions, research everything, there is so much information out there but a lot of it comes down to personal preference.
Printers
I run an EPSON L1800 converted printed, I bought it converted and ready to go, I love it, the beauty in buying one already converted and ready to go is that it came with ICC profiles and someone to answer all my questions (and you will have plenty of them). But there are plenty of EPSONS you can pick up and convert yourself, and plenty of tutorials on how to do it, if you are looking for a cheaper option to get you started.
Of course if your budget stretches there is a lot of buzz around the Sawgrass printers also, but as I have never tried one I can't comment on them.
Also consider what size you will need to print is A4 enough? Or will you need an A# printer
Sublimation Ink
Just as important as your printer selection and depending on the printer you use would depend on the cartridges being used. So do some research, I use Izumi ink with Izumi paper and I have never had a problem with either, the prints are always vibrant, but s I have used this ink from the start I have no comparisons, but you be the judge.
Sublimation Paper
As mentioned above I matched my paper to my ink, you don't have too, there are plenty of options out there for you to choose from, but the one thing you will need to know is there is a definite side to print on when it comes to sublimation paper, and this can make a clear difference to your final print so you want to to make sure you get this right. Some paper comes with a pink back so you know when you are printing on the right side, Izumi is a brighter white on the side you print on.
Heat Press
When searching for your heat press, you don't want to go cheap. You will need to consider what it is you want to sublimate onto and the size of these items. I have a GeoKnight and it is fabulous but I wish now I had bought a swing away as I do a lot of shirts and I feel it would make lining them up easier.
I am about to purchase a tumbler press and I have spent weeks researching the right one for my needs, I am currently using a convection oven for my tumblers and although they are all coming out beautifully I am not getting the results I want on the glass tumblers with this method. So do your research and really think about the size you need and attachments you will want as all of these things start to take up a considerable amount of space, trust me.
Heat Resistant Tape/Adhesive Spray
You'll need tape or spray depending on what you're sublimating to hold the item in place while pressing to prevent what's called ghosting. Trust me, you'll want this. Again get some reviews as cheap tapes can leave marks on your perfect prints.
Baking Paper/Teflon Pillow/Lint Brush
When the ink is activated and turns into a gas, it can transfer onto your heat press plate and then onto your next substrate to avoid that I use baking paper or Teflon sheets between the print and the heat press. Teflon pillows are used for protection and to help sublimate around things like buttons on polo shirts.\
If you press your item without using a lint brush first you may regret it, it can leave it can leaves marks that you will never get out. I also use a lint brush on plush items straight after pressing to help lift the fibers back up.
Substrates/Sublimation Blanks
And finally the fun part. what are you printing on? there are so many possibilities, from tumblers to t shirts, key rings to puzzles.
Do your research again, buy from recommended suppliers, watch more YouTube, make sure you know what materials you can print onto before you spend your money, because while sublimation is great for polyester and poly coated items, cotton will not work.
Design Software
Like everything else sublimation related its a personal preference, each comes with its list of pros and cons, do you already have some photoshop skills? Run with what you know. I use Affinity, designer for well, designing and photo for printing. but there is Photoshop/Illustrator as well as some free ones like Canva and Inkscape. I had no skills in any when I started I bought Affinity after watching hours and hours on YouTube, and I still go back and watch YouTube videos when I want to try something new.
So the takeaway is research, sublimation is super fun and rewarding but it can be expensive and its not a plug it all in and start selling kind of medium, it can take some tweaking with getting your colours right, eliminating ghosting, choosing the right substrates and even getting your design right.
Ask questions watch videos, practice and play, have fun, it can be very rewarding when you have it working, also reach out if you have questions, I am happy to help where and when I can.
