Heat transfer vs sublimation t-shirt printing
Although more apparel decoration methods involve sublimation and heat transfer printing. In this blog, I will discuss the differences between customizing using transfer paper and sublimation. Also included are some important points so that you may make the best decision for your organization.for more about apparel. you can visit: Custom Apparel Business
Table of Contents
Overview of heat transfer printing
Many people start as apparel decoration with heat transfer printing because it is easy to do and learn. However, not all heat transfer methods are created equal. There are two methods involved, heat transfer paper and heat transfer vinyl. Let me differentiate between these two terms.
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1- Heat transfer paper printing
When we talk about heat transfer printing, we’re talking specifically about heat transfer paper printing. First, you need to understand what heat transfer paper is.
Heat transfer paper:
It can produce full-color images onto a single sheet. It is intended to be used on garments and other items with cotton, blended fabrics, synthetic, polyester such as lycra and nylon, etc. It can permanently transfer the design onto the materials you want. It is because of the polymer film that bonds the ink and fabric. Some papers can transfer design with no visible background or white space. We recommend cutting them by hand or through the contour cutting feature of a vinyl cutter. Heat transfer papers are used for Inkjet, laser, and white toner printers. Let’s explore how it works.
Process
First, we need a transfer that comes in two types, paper to customize dark fabrics and transfer paper to customize white t-shirts. There is a wide variety of brands on the market. I like to use soft and hippo transfer paper for dark colors. For printing dark fabric, you don’t need to set it on mirror mode. But for white fabric, we need to print in mirror mode. Before transferring the signs printed with transfer paper, cut around the design. To transfer the design, you can use a home iron but heat press is highly recommended. For dark fabric, iron or press it for 10 seconds to remove wrinkles before placing the design and clean the surface using a lint roller. Peel off the paper on the back of the design then align it on the fabric. Place a piece of protective paper on top. Find the recommended time and temperature of pressing in the fabric transfer box. The temperature will depend on the brand of the transfer paper. Press the design at 370 degrees for 30 seconds. for more about fabric. you can visit: Top 10 Best Fabric
Heat transfer vinyl printing
It is a special type of vinyl that can be cut, weeded, and applied to t-shirts, hoodies, and more. Let’s suppose, you want to have names and numbers on a blue shirt, simply use white heat-applied vinyl, cut it, and heat press it on a T-shirt. Here, you need to use tweezers or weeding hooks to weed excess vinyl from your design. for more about vinyl. you can visit: Embroider On Vinyl
Difference between heat transfer printing with vinyl and paper:
In a difference between heat transfer vinyl and paper, printing with vinyl takes more time if your design is complex. Moreover, you are limited to one color per design layer with heat transfer vinyl. To print a multicolor design, you must layer and align each color separately with utensils. In durability and feel, heat transfer paper also has a plus point.
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Benefit:
- Give vibrant print
- Less expensive than sublimation printing
- It works nicely on natural materials including cotton, linen, or leather t-shirts.
Drawback:
- Print may fade away with time
- Time-consuming process
Overview of sublimation printing
So to sublimate something is to change the form, not the essence. In the crafting world, sublimation refers to dye sublimation, which is a print-and-transfer method that can duplicate a high-quality and full-color design. Sublimation uses a special ink that can then be transferred to another object with a compatible coating. You first print a design with a sublimation print which uses special sublimation ink onto special sublimation paper. Then we use high heat and pressure to transfer the ink permanently to something else with a coating that can absorb the ink such as a polyester t-shirt or a coated ceramic mug. After the sublimation cools quite quickly, the design becomes embedded on the surface. And it will not crack, peel, rub off, or wash away. Sublimation lasts as long as whatever surface you’re putting it onto, which is way cool. And you can’t feel it, it’s like, it just becomes a part of the object, which it does. So what can you transfer sublimation prints onto? Well, it turns out a lot of things. For more about t-shirt sublimation. you can visit: 5 Best Shirts For Sublimation Printing
Versatile technique
You can sublimate gorgeous, full-color designs onto anything made of polyester, or anything with a polyester coating. So that means polyester t-shirts, tote bags, aprons, garden flags, and pillowcases. But it also means things with a polyester coating of which there are quite a few. You can get sublimation blanks for countless items, ceramic mugs, stainless steel tumblers, mouse pads, puzzles, coasters, oven mitts, there are so many things. It’s also possible to do things like wood and MDF when you use a special layer. If there’s something you want to sublimate, you can find a way to do it. You can use colored objects, like my green shirt here, so long as your design is darker than your surface. for example, if you use black, it will look great, even on a medium-colored surface.
Print quality:
The print quality for sublimation is very high because it infuses itself with the fabric you’re transferring onto. It becomes a permanent part of the fabric and doesn’t feel like an extra layer on top of the garment which you can also easily feel with your hands.
Which shirts can be used for sublimation printing?
Sublimation should only be printed on light-colored garments and substrates. In sublimation, ink goes directly into a T-shirt as a gas and stays there when it solidifies. No layer or ink is sitting on top so it gives a beautiful smooth finish.
Benefit:
- High-quality prints
- You can print any design you want with all the colors including pictures
- Less likely to fade
- Sublimation printed t-shirts still last a long after washes
- No wedding is required, just print and press
- Sublimation printing is available on a variety of items, including t-shirts, caps, hoodies, jackets, and ceramic mugs.
- You can start with as little as a couple hundred bucks, up to $500 or $600, or even $1,000.
Drawback:
1- Sublimation is not able to print white ink or toner. It won’t allow your design to show on a dark background. It also affects productivity.
2– With sublimation, you can only transfer onto polyester-coated materials. So, the T-shirt has to be polyester for the design to stick to the surface.
3– Suitable for small batch orders and a little manual labor involved.
4- You need a printer for sublimation and a heat press because you cannot use household iron.
Sublimation vs heat transfer printing
Sublimation printing was not a popular method before but now it has been used widely in the apparel industry along with heat transfer printing. Let’s discuss how they are different from each other.
How do they work?
Iron on vinyl also known as heat-transferred vinyl is a thin sheet of PVC with a heat-activated adhesive on one side. You can put iron on vinyl on nearly anything of any color, unlike sublimation, but vinyl doesn’t go into the surface the way sublimation does. It just lies on top of it. So you can feel the edges of the vinyl on your surface, whereas sublimation has no feel at all. And vinyl does crack and peel over time, whereas sublimation does not. You also have to weed iron on vinyl which you do not have to do with sublimation and you can’t do full-color designs with HTV without a lot of layering. And the more layering you do, the stiffer and less secure your design gets. Sublimation, on the other hand, does full color like a champ. And because the ink is going right into the surface, you can do these gorgeous watercolor designs with varying colors, shades, and hues that all blend beautifully. for more about irons. you can visit: Top 5 Best Irons
Printer used
To customize with transfer paper you need a laser or inkjet printer. For this process, I like to use my Canon Pixma mega tank. On the other hand for sublimation, you need a special printer to convert. Printers that can be converted into sublimation do not use heat while printing. Most Epson eco tank printers do not use heat technology while printing, therefore they can be converted into sublimation printers.
Printing ink
To customize with transfer paper you can use the ink that comes with your printer such as conventional printing ink. On the contrary, to customize with sublimation, you need to use a special ink so I like to use hippo sublimation ink.
Time and temperature
When you transfer the design printed on white fabric transfer paper, there is no need to remove the paper on the back. Simply place the design facing down, place a piece of protective paper on top, and secure it with heat-resistant tape if you wish. The time and temperature of pressing depend on the transfer paper brand. Remember when transferring the signs printed on transfer paper, you may use a home iron or a heat press. Use a heat press to press it at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 80 seconds. For transferring the design printed with sublimation ink, use polyester fabric. Before placing the design, press it for 10 seconds to remove the wrinkles then clean the surface using a lint roller. Place the design facing down and secure it using heat-resistant tape. Then place a big piece of butcher paper on top of the design. Press it for 60 seconds at 380 degrees. The polyester fabric absorbs the ink to give a vivid print.
Material and color
- Sublimation only works for polyester and light-colored garments. But you can use heat transfer printing on polyester, cotton, or blended fabric such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, polo shirts, etc.
Durability
- Sublimation adds no additional layer of paper on top of the fabric. You can’t feel the difference of the printed image and it provides a long-lasting print. In contrast, heat transfer printing produces a layer of print that gradually fades away.
Application
- With sublimation, you can print hats, scarves, gloves, mugs, coasters, keychains, etc. In the case of t-shirts, you can print only high polyester blanks.
- You can use heat transfer printing on t-shirts (polo and sweatshirts), socks, pillows, hats, and canvas shoes.
Conclusion
Both systems offer potential advantages as well as limits. So the decision is based on your business objectives, what you hope to achieve, and which strategy best meets your client’s needs. Both choices are excellent for growing your apparel decoration business.
FAQs
It can produce full-color images onto a single sheet. It is intended to be used on garments and other items with cotton, blended fabrics, synthetic, polyester such as lycra, nylon, etc. It can permanently transfer the design onto the materials you want. It is because of polymer film that bonds the ink and fabric.
The print quality of sublimation is very high because it infuses itself with the fabric you’re transferring onto. It becomes a permanent part of fabric and doesn’t feel like an extra layer on top of cloth which you can also easily feel with your hands.
You can only use one color per design layer in heat transfer printing. For a multicolor design, you must layer and align each color separately with utensils. Heat transfer paper offers a beneficial effect on longevity and feel.
With sublimation, you can only transfer onto polyester-coated materials. So, the T-shirt has to be polyester for the design to stick to the surface.