Have you ever wondered how some regularly used products have appealing prints that never seem to fade away? It is not some magical secret, but a very interesting and effective technique that plays a role here. That technique is called Dye Sublimation Printing.

 

The principle of dye sublimation transfer refers to the fact that when the heat sublimation ink is heated to a specific temperature, the dye will sublimate from a solid state to a gaseous state, and when the temperature drops, the dye will return to a solid state, and then the dye can penetrate into the surface of the transferred fabric to achieve the transfer effect.

The technique is so effective that the colors or prints do not fade away or crack after multiple times of washing. The finish is smooth and soft as the print gets embedded into the fabric.

Moreover, dye sublimation printing allows for more creative, intricate, and unique designs.

What is the Process?

• Choosing the right fabric: For dye sublimation fabric printing it is essential to use the fabric with more than 70% polyester fiber, or polyester fiber + spandex and laminated composite material substrate can also be used, and white fabric is better.
• Choosing the right ink: Disperse dye inks are the best choice for dye sublimation printing as they are long-lasting and waterproof. These inks change their form from solid to gaseous at high temperatures, which is important in binding the ink to fabrics.
• Choosing the inkjet printer: Specialized inkjet printers are easily available in the market for dye sublimation printing. These utilize the dispersed dye to print on the transfer paper.
• Printing process: For printing, the pattern to be printed is first created as a graphic. Then, it is printed through an inkjet printer on a large transfer paper using sublimation ink. The ink is in a liquid state in the cartridge but converts to a solid form once printed. The printed side of the paper is placed on the fabric. Heat is applied to the paper using a flatbed heat press or a heating roller. When a temperature of 350-420 Fahrenheit is maintained for 30-40 seconds, the ink vaporizes, and the pores of the fabric open. The ink binds to the fabric pores. As soon as the heat is removed the pores close, and the ink solidifies. Essentially, the ink thoroughly infuses with the fabric, making the print long-lasting.

What are the applications of Sublimation Printing?

• Home Decor: Home decor products like cushion covers, pillows, upholstery, bedsheets, and tapestries are common targets.
• Lifestyle sporting goods: Silk scarves, T-shirts, scarves, and head scarves are often printed using the printing technique. Sportswear such as sweatshirts, swimwear, sports towels, etc. is also ideal for dye sublimation printing.
• Masks: Fabric masks, non-woven masks, one-piece masks, and other protective masks.
• Other items: Some applications of fabric printing also include fabric-printed banners, various flags, string flags, hand flags, election vests, and other marketing equipment.

Dye-sublimation printing of fabrics used to be an expensive technique due to the multi-step process and the equipment involved. With technological advancements, simpler and more cost-effective equipment has made the process pocket friendly.

What is the difference between traditional screen printing and dye sublimation printing?

Traditional Screen Printing: After the printer confirms the file, the file will be divided into colors and screened according to CMYK, this step is called "color separation".

Dye sublimation printing: This is the general output center of the printing machine, this printing method does not need to go through the plate production, only the design layout file output data is printed out, and most of them are used for small, fast, and diverse printing.

Comparison of differences: