What Is Sublimation Paper? The Ultimate Guide

A sublimation paper is a specialty paper used to print on shirts, mugs, and other sublimation blanks. Many beginner and professional printers use sublimation printing because it’s cost-efficient and produces vivid prints.

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You’ve landed on this page for one reason — you’re trying to find out what a sublimation paper is. If you’re a beginner in the sublimation printing industry, this ultimate guide will help you understand the ins and outs of sublimation paper.

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What Is Sublimation Paper? 

First of all, you need to learn what a sublimation transfer paper is made of. A sublimation paper is made of a special polyester coating on its print area. This special coating keeps the dye ink inside the paper which then transfers to the merchandise when exposed to heat.

Think of a sublimation paper as the vessel or the carrier of the sublimation ink. A sublimation paper is a vessel to transfer the dye sublimation ink into merchandise. That is the basic working principle of a sublimation paper. For getting more information about what is sublimation paper? check our blog.

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How Do You Print On A Sublimation Paper? 

To print on a sublimation paper, you’ll need an inkjet printer that contains dye sublimation ink. There’s no other way around it. You can’t use regular printer ink to print on sublimation paper because it won’t work. Furthermore, you can’t print on a regular printing paper using dye sublimation ink and use it for sublimation printing. In a nutshell, for sublimation printing, you’ll need sublimation paper and an inkjet printer with sublimation ink.

How Does The Sublimation Process Work? 

The sublimation process works in a simple way. Let’s say you have a sublimation paper printed with a design, of course using dye sublimation ink. You’re about to press it into a polyester t-shirt under the heat press machine.

What happens is that the sublimation ink turns into gas. At the same time, the fabric of the polyester shirt opens up and absorbs the ink. Once you’re done pressing the shirt, and it cools off, the gaseous ink that transferred to the merchandise turns solid. This means the ink is permanently printed on the merchandise. For knowing about more information about how to do sublimation shirts: a complete guide check our blog.

What Projects Can I Do With A Sublimation Paper? 

There are plenty of custom-printed projects you can do with sublimation paper. With a sublimation paper, you can print directly on polyester fabric or any polyester-coated sublimation blank.

You can directly sublimate on synthetic fibers like polyester, lycra, nylon, and sportswear. Furthermore, you can also print the sublimation paper over a heat transfer vinyl. You see, directly sublimating on a cotton shirt or a dark-colored shirt won’t work.

Direct sublimation printing on a garment is only recommended for polyester shirts. But if you want to print on a dark-colored shirt or a cotton shirt, you can print the heat transfer vinyl first on the shirt. Then sublimate over it.

As for the sublimation blanks, there are plenty of products available in the market now. This means you can custom-print on plenty of merchandise. For knowing about the best sublimation paper for dark shirts you should check our blog.

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Several Sublimation Blanks Available In The Market Now Are: 

• Round fans
• Mouse Pads
• Tumbler
• Mugs
• Aluminum plate
• Earrings
• Keychain
• Pet bandana
• Tote bags
• Cup coasters
• Pillow covers
• Jigsaw puzzle
• Cosmetic bags
• Pens
• Caps
• Baby bib

You can’t sublimate on random merchandise. It must be a ‘sublimation blank’ because it has a special polymer coating wherein the dye sublimation ink will bond. For instance, you can’t expect to sublimate on a regular mug bought at a craft store. It must be a sublimation mug. All of these sublimation blanks are in white colors.

What Do I Need For Sublimation Printing?

As mentioned, for sublimation printing, of course, you’ll need sublimation paper and a sublimation printer that contains dye sublimation ink. One more machine you need to invest in is a heat press machine and each one has its purpose.

Here Are The Different Kinds Of Heat Presses Available:

• Flat heat press machine: Available in swing type or clamshell type. Recommended for use for t-shirts, tote bags, jigsaw puzzles, pillowcases, mouse pads, and other flat-surfaced items.
• Tumbler heat press machine
• Cap press machine
• Mug press machine
• Mini heat press machine (not recommended for sublimation printing)

Do you need to invest in all these heat press machines? The more heat press machines you have, the better! But if the budget does not allow it, starting with a flat heat press machine and mastering t-shirt printing first is a good way to start.

With sublimation printing, you’ll need other supplies like thermal transfer paper or tape, scissors, a Teflon sheet, and a silicone rubber pad. A bright desktop lamp on your workspace can also help you big time when printing. For knowing about the sublimation temperature chart check our blog.

Sublimation Temperature Chart

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How To Sublimate Merchandise? 

Sublimating merchandise is a simple process. Print and press! That’s it! Whether you’re printing on a shirt or a sublimation blank. Whether you’re sublimating on a shirt or a mug, the transfer process is fairly similar. To give you an idea, here are the steps.

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• Print the design on your computer using sublimation paper.
• Don’t forget to use the highest quality print setting on your computer.
• Print on the white side of the sublimation paper.
• Don’t forget to mirror the design.
• Let the ink on the sublimation paper dry for a few minutes.
• Cut the un-printed part of the sublimation paper.
• Prepare the heat press machine for its recommended time and temperature.
• Take note that the time and temperature of the heat press vary on the product you want to sublimate on. Make sure to check out the manufacturer’s recommendation.
• Place the printed image, with the printed side facing down on the merchandise.
• Secure the sublimation paper on the merchandise by using thermal transfer tape.
• Heat press the merchandise.
• Remove the merchandise from the heat press and remove the sublimation paper.
• You’re done!

Sublimation Vs Heat Transfer Paper: Which Is Better?

You may have heard of another transfer printing method using heat transfer paper. These heat transfer papers are called dark transfer paper and light transfer paper. These types of special printing paper are coated with wax and pigment which transfers into the canvas.

Unlike sublimation paper where the dye-based ink turns into a gas and only the ink transfers into the merchandise. Sublimation printing and heat transfer paper printing are both different printing methods.

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Heat transfer paper is available in laser heat transfer paper printed on a laser printer. There’s also the inkjet heat transfer paper to be printed on the inkjet printer only. Which printer do you use when working on a heat transfer paper design? Inkjet or laser printer?

Inkjet or laser transfer paper is commonly used as an iron-on print. But which printing method is better? Sublimation or heat transfer printing? This depends on your preference. If you don’t want the wax coating transferred onto the heat transfer paper garments, sublimation printing is preferred.

Which Printers Can You Use With Sublimation Paper?

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