THE 10 MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON SUBLIMATION PRINTING
Mar 29, 2022
1. What do I need to start a sublimation business? What is the average cost of printing with sublimation ink?
Prior to anything else, you should choose the type of project you want to work on. Will you print on fabrics for apparel, or will you cut and sew them? Are you going to make fabrics for your home or for athletic wear? Is space designated for a printer and heat press? Have you thought about the potential costs in addition to the capital expenditures and supplies to be used? Your answers to these questions will have a significant impact on the preferences you choose.
Take your production volume into consideration before making your initial printer and heat press investments. Depending on your workflow and daily or monthly output volume, you must choose the printer's size and capacity. Should your manufacturing involve the cutting and stitching process,
you need to make additional investment in your machine. When you buy an equipment, you need to calculate the return of investment. In case of any possible technical problem that your printer may experience, you should take a number of factors into consideration like maintenance service and supply of replacement parts and you need to spend your time not only for researching opportunities your printer offer but also for supplier/manufacturer company.
The prices for the amount of fabric to be used, transfer paper, and ink use may then be estimated further. When you first launch your sublimation business, you'll need to factor in additional daily expenses in addition to your capital investment. Remember that there will always be additional costs for things like printer operator salary, energy, air conditioning, and heating in addition to basic running expenditures.
And last, your printer software is another essential element. It will assist you in managing the entire printing and production process in addition to helping you make your concepts come to life. You'll be able to do your work more easily and efficiently, saving time and money, with robust software and realistic color management.
2. Does the sublimation printing reduce the quality of the product?
The biggest advantage of sublimation printing is its permanent feature. It also offers wide color gamut. Sublimation printing allows the ink to permenate the surface of the item being printed and correspondingly the ink does not adhere on the surface of the fabric. Thus, images on fabric won’t crack, fade or peel. The colors will stay vibrant even after multiple washings.
3. Are polyester fabrics unhealthy? How can I manage to sell products made by sublimation printing?
As far as we know, only polyester fabrics—at least 60% polyester—can be sublimated. Polyesters are still viewed by many as harmful and worthless materials. On the other hand, polyester fabric technology has advanced remarkably. The polyester materials used in modern clothing are more elastic, better at wicking away moisture, and antimicrobial. Make touch with your clients, show them your printing samples one-on-one, and request that they test them in order to dispel common misconceptions. Second, show your clients a variety of sublimation patterns and decorating methods. Analyzing the demands of your clients is crucial. Speak with your clients and let them investigate the countless possibilities sublimation has for whatever kind of design they would like to produce.
4. How can I choose the right transfer paper?
Selecting the appropriate transfer paper is essential since it lowers the amount of ink used and the cost of manufacturing. The type of application, printer, and ink you plan to use, as well as the paper's transfer rate, drying time, transfer productivity, and coating chemistry, all influence which transfer paper is best for you. The paper's coating characteristics and grammage will change based on the kind of application you're using and the printing options you choose. Thickner transfer sheets work well when using high-density sublimation ink, whereas thinner papers work better when printing at a fast speed. Selecting the paper makes the printer type important. Your transfer paper must be designed in a way that perfectly works with the printer brand and model. Similarly, your transfer paper must harmonize with the ink because it is one of the most key factors in terms of print production.
When choosing the right transfer paper, get information about the technical features of the paper. A high-quality transfer paper provides higher transfer productivity, fast ink absorption, and drying. The coating formulation of your transfer paper is another vital issue. A fine coating formulation is the most significant part of a transfer paper production and it is the core of the business for many manufacturing companies. A transfer paper with the high-quality coating will help you reduce ink consumption and costs, yielding high-quality dye transfer.
5. What is the difference between Tacky Transfer Paper and Non-Tacky Transfer Paper?
There are two types of paper in the market now: the Non-tacky Transfer Papers and Tacky Transfer Papers. You can use regular coated transfer paper for standard fabrics. But make sure that you use tacky transfer paper for more elastic fabrics like sportswear products. During the heat transfer process, the paper will firmly adhere to the fabric and it will prevent the paper from moving and yields high-quality prints.
A sublimation paper's drying rate is determined by the surface of its coating. The quantity and composition of the coating on the base paper's surface affect how long it takes to dry. A good sticky transfer paper should have a quick drying time, a good ink transfer, and consistent production. Therefore, select the appropriate sticky transfer paper based on the needs you have for printing. If you have a preference for sticky paper, pay attention to the humidity levels of the paper, fabric, and printing/heat-press environment.
6. What kind of role does heat press play for high-quality sublimation printing?
If you’ve invested in a high-quality sublimation print, you will need a heat press which helps you run high-volume production simultaneously. A good heat press can work for many years and can continue operating in line with the increased production capacity in your business. Before you add a heat press to your production line, make sure you are well aware of your production requirements.
Heat press plays a vital role by allowing the ink to permeate the fabric appropriately. However, if the heating temperature fluctuates too much or the correct pressure value is not maintained, you can get the low quality or inconsistent results. As a result, the color of some areas seems light, while some areas result in darker colors. To eliminate such problems, you need to invest in a high quality heat press. Otherwise, you will end up with higher costs and waste of time.
7. Do I need daily printer cleaning to eliminate the problem of clogged printhead nozzles?
It is entirely dependent upon what your printer needs. While some printers clean themselves automatically every day, there are instances when human cleaning is required. Remember to leave your printer switched on when it starts cleaning itself. If you have to do it by hand, you must either print every day or use extra software to maintain your printer on a regular basis. A very minimal amount of ink is needed for circulation in such a maintenance procedure. In order to prevent clogged heads, it is thus important to use your printer a few times every week.
8. How can I avoid moisture issues in sublimation printing?
Moisture can cause negative effects on the sublimation process and yield unwanted results such as color shifting; colors lose accuracy, bleeding of the image, and uneven transfer of solid filled areas of design. When you do not adopt high-quality transfer paper, the sublimation transfer paper curls because of high humidity and scratches the print heads and damages the heads. To minimize the effects of moisture, the first thing you need to do is to keep the printing room and storing space at the stable moisture. Make sure that you store your transfer paper in a dry place. 50-60% of indoor humidity will be ideal for sublimation printing.
If your transfer paper has excess moisture, you may encounter unwanted problems during pressing. To avoid it, it is important to prevent the paper from moisture absorption. A number of methods can be applied. First, you can leave the printed paper in the heat press room or nearby area so that the moisture will evaporate. Additionally, you can opt to press garment to remove the excess moisture caused by printing.
9. How can I save the sublimation ink?
The first step is to keep your printer running continuously and to never switch it off. In order to maintain consistent ink circulation in print heads, it is essential. If the cleaning procedure is started by your printer automatically, switch it on and give it a few runs each week. It will only take a little ink to complete this procedure.
If you don't use the proper transfer paper, a lot of ink will remain on the paper without transferring and the paper will absorb far more ink than is necessary. Thus, for effective ink use, employing coated paper of superior quality is essential.
Thus, the paper absorbs the ink at the optimal level and ink will be transferred to the fabric at the highest rate possible.
Many set up programs of sublimation software ensure high quality at optimum ink consumption. But, you can reduce ink consumption with the ink-saving mode. If the result of the print satisfies you, go ahead. If you want to have the highest print quality, change your software’s settings.
