Category Archives: Sublimation

18Apr/14

Sublimation Printing

All Over Screen Printing Companies, All Over T Shirt Printing, Sublimation, Wholesale Screen Printing

Sublimation Printing

Sublimation Printing is the process used to create amazing t-shirts and other garments with an eye popping color that looks almost identical to a photograph.  Sublimation printing begins with a 100% polyester garment, typically a T-Shirt.  Some poly blends can be used, but the lower the percentage of polyester, the more dull your Sublimation Printing product will appear.

Sublimation Printing relies on opaque inks that at a specific temperature turn into a gas and embed themselves into polyester fabric.  Since they are opaque, the substrate (T-Shirt) has to be white to start with, as the white of the fabric plays a major part in the Sublimation Printing results.  You can’t sublimate the color white, so any design element in your Sublimated T Shirt that is white, is actually the absence of sublimation dye.

Sublimation Printing

Through the use of Dye Sublimation, you can accomplish a result that covers an entire T Shirt with your design.  This means that your design concept can be printed on the sleeves and from the neck down to the bottom of the t shirt and all over the front and back.  Most of the T Shirts that you see in a retail store are sublimated while the T Shirt is still just a roll of fabric.  The fabric is then cut and sewn into a T-Shirt which provides true 100% sublimation coverage.  However, the technology has advanced to the point where you can sublimate on a T Shirt that has already been sewn.  There will be small gaps of white near the arm pits that can’t be helped due to a pre-sewn T Shirt with gaps near specific areas.

Typically, Sublimation Printing companies require high minimums and all over t shirt printing is costly as well, however, there are some companies that specialize in Sublimation Printing like AMBRO Manufacturing that will run small Sublimation Printing jobs in the range of 25-50 shirts per order.  AMBRO prints large runs of thousands of T Shirts as well, but AMBRO Manufacturing has found a niche in the small Sublimation Printing arena.

If you are interested in large or small quantity Sublimation Printing T Shirts, please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.

Sublimation Printing

Sublimation Printing

14Apr/14

Dye Sub

All Over Screen Printing Companies, All Over T Shirt Printing, Sublimation

Dye Sub

The process of Dye Sub Printing occurs on 100% polyester garments and produces a very vivid and eye catching color spectrum.  Many of today’s professional, college and even some high school football, basketball and lacrosse uniforms are printed using the dye sub printing method.

When printing with dye sub, your substrate (T-Shirt, Jersey etc …) must start out completely white and must be made out of 100% polyester, or at the very least a high polyester content, with cousins of polyester present for the balance of the fabric (Rayon, Nylon etc …)  Cotton and dye sub don’t mix and result in muted colors.

Dye Sub

Dye sub inks are opaque, in order to create every color in the spectrum with CMYK the ink base needs to be opaque so that the printer can layer inks and create different colors.  As a result, the base garment must be white to start.  The white fabric is dyed with the design.  In sublimation printing, there is no white ink, white in the design is the absence of dyes.  If you were to attempt to dye sub on a black garment, you would not see any image.

Professional dye sub companies produce some amazing results on pre and post sewn garments.  Most of the industry dye sublimates fabric while it is still on the roll and then those rolls of dye sub material are then cut and sewn into the finished garment.

However, recently garment decorating companies have been using dye sub on already finished garments and getting spectacular results.  Polyester (performance, moisture wicking) t-shirts can be dye sublimated on the front and back with acceptable results.

Dye sub on pre-sewn garments won’t yield perfect results, examples are that creases and folds usually near the arm pits and seams will result in white t-shirt showing through, but if the artist designs the t-shirt art properly, the results can look quite amazing.

If you are searching for a dye sub partner to help you with dye sublimated t-shirts, please consider giving us a call (908) 806-8337 or email us.

Dye Sub

Dye Sub