Sublimation is used in many decoration services. It is probably the most well-known way to create custom mugs, mousepads, water bottles, pet tags, license plates, etc. Sublimation print is the process of transferring dye straight into the substrate using heat. This blog will explain everything you need to know about sublimation.
Sublimation Is Ceramic Printing Magic
The process of sublimation is fantastic because it allows you to get vibrant, full-color, all-over prints directly onto the substrate. These designs are also incredibly durable. The magic comes from the printing technology that is used to do sublimation. The designs become a part of the item. It does not get more durable than that.
How Does Sublimation Actually Work?
Custom print sublimation is a method of printing that uses heat to transfer colors from a solid to a gas that embeds itself into polymer surfaces. This may not seem like a lot, but we have come up with ways of embedding these polymers into products like fabric (mousepads, koozies), ceramic (mugs, ornaments, shot glasses) metal with coating (water bottles, travel mugs, pet tags, license plates), and glass (beer steins). The color on the substrate is not painted on, but actually becomes part of the items itself.
Sublimation works with wax-based inks because they have a low melting point. The combination of heat and pressure opens the molecules and allows them to become gas. This allows them to change into gas form when heated, which then deposits onto the polymer as a dye.
The sublimation process starts with a digital image being printed onto paper with an inkjet printer. The paper is then placed into a special machine that heats up the ink until it turns into gas form, which then transfers onto the substrate underneath it while still hot enough to melt onto the polymer coating.
What Can Be Sublimated?
Anything that is polyester or polymer coated can be sublimated. So we can not typically take a client’s items for these design requests because they need to be items made for sublimation.
But if the order is large enough, we can get you speciality pricing on items we do not carry. Visit us to get printing in Las Vegas.
What Kind of Designs Can You Sublimate?
Literally any artwork you give us can be put on mugs, pet tags, license plates, water bottles, shot glasses, beer steins, tiles, koozies, wood boxes, etc. If you can think it, we can ink it!
To see a full page just dedicated to what we can sublimate on, visit this link in the picture!
Why Can’t Customistic Sublimate Garments?
We do sometimes do sublimation on bear shirts and hats, but other than that, we do not sublimate on garments. We focus on fast turn arounds and already do SOOOOOO many different printing services that we decided to specialize in DTG, Vinyl and Custom Screen printing, and would rather refer out that other business to other good shops in the valley. If you need shirts sublimated, give us a call, and we will happily refer you to a local printer we love and trust to help you. Just know there is generally a long lead time on those types of orders.
