Getting Started in the Sublimation Industry

Posted by Mary Yaeger - 6/15/2017

Also seen on Printwear 

How many of you have walked the streets of your downtown area, coffee in hand, and stepped into one of the really fascinating boutiques? I’m guessing all of you. I know I have! One of the great things about downtown areas is that they thrive because of small shops that specialize in unique products and apparel. With the rise of entrepreneurial communities and desire for economic efficiency, we are right in the middle of a great opportunity to strut our creative stuff.

If you spend any time on the internet (I’m looking at you Pinterest), what you will find is that a big trend happening is sublimation. Sublimation is the printing of an image (or images) onto specialty items – like keychains you can get at the zoo or quirky coffee mugs at coffee shops. This versatile printing method opens a whole world of opportunities that may not have been available before.

The Benefits

From personalized gifts to home décor to promotional products and everything in between, there is an endless possibility of items waiting to be sublimated. A big difference that you will notice with sublimation verses any other printing method, is that the process is simpler and in some ways, more effective. Not only can you print full color images on a variety of surfaces, the prints are infused with a special coating that protects and preserves so when you wash the item, you don’t have any worry about what it will look like when it’s done. When set up properly, sublimation can save you time and money. Even more important than that is the customer satisfaction that will come of it.

• You can do full color images, even for smaller print jobs, that won’t cost your customers an arm and leg.
• You also don’t have to worry about a great deal of setup for the process. 
• You don’t have to worry about losing a customer because of a minimum order number
•  Sublimation can accommodate any print job that you are willing to take on.
•  The prints are not thick and provide a soft hand feel. Your customers will love the natural feel    of the garments. 
•  Sublimated products are durable. You don’t have to worry about cracking or peeling.

Getting Started

As with any process or business it is going to take money to make money so you will need to consider your startup costs. Here are a few items that you will need to get started:

•  Sublimation Printer  
• Ink 
• Sublimation Paper 
• Design Software 
• Blank items (to practice on and have for print jobs) 
• Heat Press

It is also important to note that if you are going to sublimate apparel, the process only works on polyester materials. Sublimation can be a great place to start in the printing industry. It is also a great addition to any existing print shop! The print industry is diverse – the customer demand even more so. Sublimation may just be the answer you need to keep the revenue flowing. The most important thing you can do is assess your needs and come up with a plan that fits.

Dye Migration and How to Prevent it

Posted by Mary Yaeger - 6/16/2017

Also seen on Printwear.

If you have been in the industry long enough, you have probably heard the term dye migration. You have probably also learned that it is one of the biggest pain in the necks for screen printers, but there are a few simple tricks that will keep you from a headache later on. Before we get to the tips, it is important to understand what dye migration is and how it occurs. Understanding that will equip you with the knowledge to prevent it from happening in your future prints.

Note the washed-out color of the shirt on the right.
That is cause by dye migration.

Dye migration is caused by curing the ink too hot. This unwanted reaction occurs when the heat turns the shirt’s dye into a gas. That gas seeps into the plastisol ink causing an adverse reaction. What is even worse is that it can take up to days before you realize you have been subject to dye migration. This could mean that you already sent out product to your paying customer, they wash the shirts, the print comes out diminished and your shop gets a bad review. That is the last thing we want to happen. The surest way is doing a test run/wash to see if the colors “run” or bleed. If they do – that’s dye migration. But before you panic and decide to never print a single shirt again, there are a few tips below that can help!

The Truth Behind Inks 

Firstly, there is no such thing as “no bleed” inks. Every ink bleeds to some degree, but there are a couple of options out there that are specially formulated to be as “bleed resistant” as possible. When using low-bleed inks, you will likely have to print a white under base and print your colors on top. While low-bleed inks work more for polyester materials, printing the white under base ensures that your colors will appear just as vibrant when you first print them because white has a good dye migration resistance. A second option is to print with silicone ink. The down side to using silicone is that you will get a thicker print which may not be what you need for the specific print job you are working on.

Try a Blocker

A third option for you is to try a blocker as an under base. They act as a shield to protect the plastisol print from the shirt dye. An under base may just be your shops best friend in fighting dye migration. There are “blockers” that are specially designed for use as a dye migration-blocking under base on polyester and performance fabrics. 

Cure at a Lower Temperature

One of the most important factors to consider is curing temperature. Polyester starts to release its dye around 280F, but most plastisol inks don’t start curing until 320F. Then what happens is the dye of the shirt seeps into the plastisol so when you go to wash it you will find the print is less than perfect. Another factor is the color of the shirt. Dye migration is most common on dark or bright colored garments like red, blue and black.