When sublimation inks are heated to 400 f with a heat press they turn into a gas and form a permanent bond to white or light colored polyester fabrics or items with a polymer coating.
Vinyl vs sublimation printing.
Sublimation vs heat transfer sublimation.
It can crack or peel off of shirts with heavy wear washing and sun exposure.
Vinyl does have a few drawbacks.
Sublimation starter packages such as the sawgrass virtuoso sg400 contain everything you need to start sublimating minus the heat press at a very affordable price.
Heat pressed vinyl tends not to hold up as well as screen printing or sublimation over time.
Initially invented for the plastic items printing like the sheets awards etc the sublimation printing technology has been used for a long time now.
Sublimation printing is a popular technique for transferring full color images onto plastic substrate items and apparel.
Cut vinyl cut vinyl is a tried and true process that has been around in the custom apparel business for dozens of years.
Vinyl is typically used to personalize orders as a cheaper alternative to embroidery.
Sublimation has a limited product set compared to the digital heatfx system and the was ability is not as good.
In this digital printing method bonding is made on the material on a molecular level.
We have already explored what sublimation means and what the sublimation printing process looks like in this guide we break down the pros and cons of sublimation printing compared with other printing techniques.
So if you re working with a dark or strongly colored item you might want to opt for heat transfer vinyl as opposed to sublimation.
This includes the sublimation printer sublimation paper essential software and a sample pack of products you can sublimate.
Sublimation printing has a bit higher start up coast when compared to heat transfer vinyl but maybe a better option based on final results.
Sublimation is a great way to add a premium full color photographic quality image to your project especially since it will not crack peel or wash away.
Like sublimation printing vinyl has no minimum order amount.