Advantages and Disadvantages of Sublimation Printing

Many people still have no idea what sublimation printing is and how it helps. Sublimation is a method where you can transfer graphics, photo-quality images, or text to a vast range of products, including acrylics, metals, and garments, through heat transfer. For that, you should use exclusive sublimation ink because, when it is heated, it shifts from a solid state to a gas without changing into a liquid. When this gas comes in contact with polymer fibers, it can quickly move through them and dye the fabric so it won’t come out.

For an efficient sublimation process, the items you print must be polymer-based or polymer-coated first. Since polymer coating can be used on almost anything, this method makes it possible to print on everything, including glass, mugs, metal sheets, and non-traditional items like coasters, mousemats, and phone cases, to name a few. Sublimation printers are continuously updating; as long as the product can be heat-pressed and polymer-coated, it is highly possible that you can sublimate it. In this article, we have focused on understanding the advantages and disadvantages of sublimation printing so you can decide if it’s perfect for your business!

Advantages of Sublimation printing

The method helps reduce useless items by using less ink during production and less water when cleaning up later since no paint or ink comes into contact with fabric at any point.

The sublimation process lets you print full-color images over hard surfaces via polymer coating.

Screen printing can be a challenging process when you learn it and become dirty, while sublimation is a more effortless technique to master.

Sublimation enables using a full-color spectrum.

Sublimation printing costs the same as printing 1 item in that it has to print 1000, which means the clients don’t need to order fewer order quantities, which makes sublimation the ideal print procedure for small businesses seeking promotional products or gift personalization market.

The client can customize. Sublimation printing doesn’t need specialist plates or screens, meaning it’s a simple process to personalize designs with any detail that changes, such as team numbers or individual names.

Based on the order, sublimation can be a fast way to do things so that companies can print at the same hour or day.

Disadvantages of sublimation printing

One big problem with sublimation printing is that it only works with certain types of ink. This makes it hard to find a supplier with the right type and colors, especially if you have a lot of orders or want to print unique designs. Here are some more disadvantages of sublimation printing;

When compared to other OEM ink printers, the cost of the inks can be high. This is often taken into account when pricing sublimation products.

For sublimation printing to work well, the items to be printed should either have a polymer coating or be made of polymer fabrics.

Printables must be very light-colored or white. As the color is dyed into the fabric, sublimation printing can’t be used on dark shades such as black umbrellas.

Even though you can access the entire color spectrum with the sublimation process, it’s hard to manage the colors on the printers; the launch of power drivers has helped with it over the years.

These are just some of the many advantages and disadvantages of sublimation printing. If you have any queries about sublimation printing or need help, please don’t hesitate to contact us!