As the popularity of poly-performance apparel grows, so does the interest in sublimation, since it’s the ideal choice for decorating anything made of polyester. Though it has a few limitations — such as a lack of white ink — sublimation delivers stunning, full-color images on white and light-colored garments with ease. Plus, it’s one of the only decoration processes that won’t fade, crack or peel when laundered, due to the molecular nature of the sublimation process.
Combine that with the low entry cost of apparel sublimation equipment (printer packages start at $550) and it’s easy to see why sublimation is such a hot technique in the apparel decoration industry.
In this TechTips Newsletter and accompanying video, we’ll show you how to properly sublimate a poly-performance T-shirt. The same concepts will work on other polyester apparel products, with some minor adjustments in settings.
In Part 1 of this series, step-by-step techniques were listed for everything from press setup to preparing pallets and applying pallet adhesive. In Part 2, we'll start with emulsion practices and sufficient coverage on screens.
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From the moment I enrolled in my high school printing class as a freshman to the time I printed my first shirt, I’ve been hooked on screen printing.
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One of the top complaints I have heard in my career is that textile inks, whites in particular, are not opaque enough.
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