After your design has been printed, set it aside until the ink is completely dry to avoid any smears during the cutting process. High-quality sublimation paper is also essential for achieving the best results. Make sure to use sublimation paper that is compatible with your printer and substrate. I recommend A-Sub sublimation paper. Low-quality paper can result in poor quality prints, such as blurry or faded designs. Use the Right Pressure You probably already have in mind the images or artwork you will want to produce and what you would like to print them on. However, the method you choose may limit your creativity. Let’s start with sublimation. Now I know I haven’t covered everything there is to know about sublimation here, but I am always happy to help more! Watch for more sublimation tutorials and please ask any questions you have in our Facebook group or tag me on social media with #jennifermaker.

We also need to preheat the entire shirt before sublimating. When the press is ready, fold the shirt in half the long way and place it on your pressing mat. Press it for 10 seconds to remove moisture and create a central crease.

Can a Sublimation Printer Print on Vinyl?

One of the most noticeable signs of sublimation issues on vinyl is fading or discoloration of the design. If the sublimation process was not carried out correctly or if low-quality materials were used, the colors may appear dull or washed out over time. This can significantly impact the visual appeal and value of the vinyl product. TIP: Since we’re using the Print Then Cut feature on our Cricut, I highly recommend you calibrate your Cricut before beginning this project. See my Print Then Cut Calibration video to learn how.

I also like to have things like heat-resistant tape on hand to keep my prints in place so they don’t shift during the process. Other useful things to have are pressing mats and heat-resistant gloves. Links to everything I’m mentioning here above!

Sublimation Printing, HTV Heat Transfer Vinyl FREE UK Delivery with £100 spend

A computer, either Mac or PC, laptop or desktop, will allow you to use software so you can make your own designs, like I do. It is possible to use an iPad or tablet, but there are fewer software options. I like to make my designs in Photoshop or Illustrator on my computer, but there are many other programs you can use that are free or low-cost such as Inkscape, Gimp, Canva, Affinity Designer, Procreate, Corel, and more. You can even just print from Google Docs, Cricut Design Space, or Silhouette Studio basic edition — which are all free — if you don’t have other options. And the Sawgrass printer comes with its own software! And if you’re not into designing your own things, there are lots of designs out there that you can get specifically for sublimation, including many that I have here on my blog for absolutely free! Once you have a design, you can just open them up in Notes, Google Docs or Microsoft Word to print them. Print Onto Source Paper — To begin with, the design is printed onto the special transfer paper we mentioned earlier using a sublimation printer. You can’t use a standard household printer as it needs to work with dedicated sublimation inks. Best Vinyl for Sublimation The best vinyl for sublimation is white glitter HTV because most types of glitter HTV use polyester flakes for the glitter particles. This makes sublimating onto the surface super easy! The glitter also creates an interesting slightly raised texture in the design, which can look nice on a t-shirt or fabric bag.

Allow the item to soak for a few minutes, but avoid leaving it submerged for too long, as it may cause the colors to bleed. When it comes to cleaning sublimated vinyl, gentle handwashing is the preferred method. This approach helps to preserve the integrity of the design and prevent any damage to the vinyl itself. Here are some steps to follow when handwashing sublimated vinyl: Next, place your printed and cut design face down on top of the layered HTV, making sure it’s properly aligned. The paper will be just slightly larger than the vinyl layers. Use heat-resistant tape to secure it. Using theT-shirt guide, find where you'd like to place the white iron-on vinyl and place it face down.

Sublisheet

Also, because one method utilizes ink and another polyurethane, the durability is likely to vary. Both sublimation and vinyl are print methods, but the different processes limit certain colors designs and even products one can print on. Anything laminated can usually be sublimated, because the lamination coating will soak up the ink as well. For example, this pretty flower is made from MDF — which is made from wood — and all I did was paint it white and add a layer of lamination before I sublimated onto it. Imagine all of the wood items you can make! The equipment and consumables needed for vinyl printing cost far less than sublimation. Thus, hobbyists and start-up small businesses tend to prefer this method to get into the craft. To follow this tutorial using cotton T-Shirts and clear sublimation HTV, you’ll need regular white HTV if you’re making a color shirt, as well as some standard sublimation supplies like a sublimation printer (I’ll use my converted Epson Eco-Tank), a heat press (like a Cricut EasyPress 2, or another style), sublimation transfer paper, and other items you can find in my materials list. Follow my list so you can make sure to get the right products.

And by the way, if you don’t have a large format printer, you can still do large format projects — you just tape smaller sheets of paper together. I made this doormat with three sheets of regular size paper taped together! However, if you wish to cast your nets wider and play on commercial ground, produce high-quality products in unique colors and unrestricted designs, and don’t mind working with polyester or coughing up extra capital, go with sublimation.

Do you want to add the selected products to your shopping basket?

Screen printing uses ink to put a design on a surface, which lies on top of the surface rather than going into the surface to become part of the garment like sublimation. Sublimation differs from traditional printing methods in that you can do some really intricate designs that are a lot harder to do with home screen printing. You can learn more about screen printing here. What do you need to get started in sublimation?