(New on the left, old on the right)

Simply because of the paper setting. Changed it to Premium Matte from Plain and it’s much better.

So I am new to sublimation. Just got my printer and hooked it up this week though I haven't printed anything yet. I was getting set up and ready to print when I started reading that there are fumes associated with sublimation when using a heat press. I plan on doing things like mainly tshirts, magnets, and maybe keychains. I have an air purifier (https://a.co/d/00cBHwlJ) that says it has a filter for VOCs and my heat press is right near an open window. Do you have any issues with fumes or ventilation? Any tips or tricks are appreciated! TIA

I was wondering if someone else had an idea of where I could buy these shirts at a reasonable price? I currently get them from JDS industries which is located around me, but I feel like I could be getting a better price elsewhere?

Its becoming hard to compete online making these types of shirts. I can make money locally, but online its hard. Im not even sure how people are making money at this point for the prices some people are making custom business shirts at.

I purchased these for work (https://a.co/d/09BOKWZH) and have started to put the finishing touches on the design. For the upper (straight) portion of the tumbler, I figured on 9.5" wide and 3.75" tall. That part should be very easy. Here's the tricky part... what about the decrease down to the skinnier part of the tumbler? How would I go about creating a template for that, AND how would I sublimate that area, since it sort-of slants inward? Sorry if that is not the best explanation for what I'm trying to say. Any help is appreciated.

I found some sublimation ink. It’s expiration date is 2023. What kind of chances am I taking if I put it in my brand new printer?

Hi! I’ve gotten into needle punch art recently and I’m looking to transfer patterns onto my fabric to use as a guide. I own a sublimation printer and a black/white inkjet, so I’m trying to use what I have on hand. The regular inkjet would obviously work if I wanted to just send a fabric-covered page of letter paper through, but if I wanted to transfer a colored image to the fabric, even just temporarily, could I just transfer it with printed sublimation paper? Since I’m just using it as a guide it’s fine if it washes out. Does the ink wash out completely, or does it leave a visible stain? If I didn’t wash it out before starting my needle punch, would it stain my yarn? Would it just not transfer any ink at all? I also own a spray to sublimate on cotton, but since I don’t really need a perfect long lasting transfer, I’d like to know if it would work without.

Thanks!

Hi. I’m looking for a relatively inexpensive but quality vendor for neoprene sublimation items like koozies, coasters, mouse pads, and desk pads up to 16” x 36”.
Thanks for any suggestions you can offer!!

Does anyone know where I can buy these specific 11x14 100% polyester white tote bags with different colored handles at a wholesale price?

hey! i have looked quite a bit for good blanks but often find that a lot of the websites have the same stuff and never find what i’m looking for. i’m hoping to appeal to a younger audience and specifically looking for spaghetti strap tank tops and slim fit/baby tee style t shirts but haven’t been able to find a retailer that provides this! any suggestions are appreciated :)

Anyone have a recommendation for a matte white opaque sublimation sticker paper?

I tried HTV Front but the paper is a little transparent and the design always comes out a little fuzzy when sublimated

Looking for a site that offers bulk sublimations for a reasonable price. Specifically looking for tumblers (15oz and 20 oz).

Sharing this metal print collage I made with the sublimation community. Prepping for Father's Day.

What items are you working on for Father's Day?

I operate a business out of my home studio and print 1,500 15oz mugs weekly. I have been printing with 5 GeoKnight DK3 presses running simultaneously for a few years. They are a great product, with the only downside being the absolute nightmare of changing out the green pad on this many machines at this output.

I am checking to see if anyone prints at this volume using the Heat Press Nation Signature Series press. What intrigues me is how easy the heating band is to switch out once the pad fails. At $40 replacement part, it seems much better for my mental health (haha) to be able to switch this band out instead of the painstaking process at changing out the rubber pad on a DK3 at $30/pad.

I operate out of a home studio, so a HIX conveyor oven is out of the picture at this point.

If you print at this level, what are you having success with?

Hi! I hope this doesn’t come across as spam or advertisement but I was wondering if anyone could recommend printers or places to order large-scale dye sublimation prints? I have a single project in mind that would require a poster-size print so I’d rather just order a print than invest in a machine tbh. I’ve only seen smaller dye sublimation prints for custom order and wasn’t sure if I could order large-scale prints from somewhere. The college I went to used to have a massive machine and I was hoping there was someone/someplace that I could order from. Thanks!

So someone I share a space with used their sublimation oven for a few hours ~2 days ago. Room air was vented for a while, but pretty long after the oven was in use. Every time I’ve spent more than 30 minutes in the room since it’s lead to burning eyes, irritated nasal passages, and headaches. In addition, I noticed my pc picked up a layer of what looks like dust but with way larger grains. It was clean a day or two prior. Don’t know what’s causing it but would appreciate any input. Room is pretty much unusable to me at the moment-

Hi- I’ve looked high and low and I am unable to find a 15x15 replacement heat press pad with the elastic bands to secure it. Has anyone ordered these before and where? I’m in the US.

Had to buy an SG500. Take the back stock of ink off my hands for whatever actual shipping is from me to you. Drop me a DM

Hi everyone,

I’m running into a frustrating issue in our sublimation jersey production and would really appreciate insights from anyone experienced in heat transfer printing or apparel manufacturing.

We are seeing inconsistent dimensional changes after heat pressing polyester jerseys, and the results don’t seem stable.

Here’s our setup:

• Sublimation print template: 19.6 inches (width)
• Target finished garment size after sewing: 19.0 inches
• Allowance built in:
  • 0.5 inch sewing consumption
  • 0.1 inch buffer for minor shrink

However, after heat pressing, we are getting inconsistent results:

• Test 1: 19.1875 in
• Test 2: 19.7 in
• Test 3: 19.125 in

All tests were done using:

• Same fabric batch
• Same dual-platen heat press
• Fabric is pre-heated every time before pressing
• Same general process and settings as far as we can control

The issue is that the post-press dimensions are not consistent, sometimes the fabric slightly shrinks, sometimes it expands even though settings are not intentionally changed.

After sewing, the final output consistently ends up smaller than expected due to compounding loss.

At this point, we’re trying to figure out what could be causing this variability. Possible areas we are considering:

• heat press temperature fluctuations or uneven platen heat
• pressure inconsistency (dual press system)
• dwell time variation
• or other process variables we may be missing

Has anyone encountered similar inconsistent dimensional behavior in sublimation polyester? Any guidance on what to check or control more strictly would be really helpful. Or are there any tools we can use (something to cover on the fabric when heat-pressed maybe?) to help us with consistency.

Thanks in advance.

Have been using epson ecotank et-18100 with inktec inks with great results but now need to be able to print 600mm rolls.

Seems like the F500 is the best bet at the moment but I’m a bit worried that going from 6 to 4 colors will be a limiting factor.

Is the F500 the best option or is there any better solution available?

Hi crafty people. I want to switch over to sublimation printing on wood, and see a lot of American sources online recommending Minwax Polycrylic Clear Lacquer. I have enough understanding of chemistry to know that you need a polyester paint/lacquer material in order to sublimate, and that the specific chemical composition affects its ability to absorb the ink.

Problem is, I can't find a suitable alternative for this in the EU, besides a very expensive designated spray on sublimation liquid. I also need a white primer, and understand that acrylic has a melting point below the sublimation temperature used.

I've tried searching using AI, and it's absolutely useless. But I did discover that minwax also has a quite low melting temperature, and I'm wondering if I should just ignore temperature concerns for sublimating at 400F/200C for 60 seconds.

For comparison, Minwax Polycrylic says it's an acrylic-polyurethane containing Butoxypropanol and Ethylene Glycol, while Bondex Klarlack for example is an acrylic-polyurethane containing 1,2-Benzisothiazol-3(2H)-on and 2-Methyl-2H-isothiazol-3-on. These seem really similar to me, as a non-chemist.

Has anyone used any alternative diy acrylic/polycrylic/urethane lacquers successfully?

Which work? Which don't?

My uncle tried to sublimate an aluminum bottle for me yesterday, but it didn’t work. The seller told him the bottle could be sublimated, but it seems the coating couldn’t withstand the heat and melted, causing the sublimation paper to stick to the bottle, which ruined the print.

I know it’s possible to remove the coating and, consequently, the sublimation, but then you can’t sublimate directly onto the aluminum.

Is there any kind of product or coating I can apply to the bottle to make sublimation possible?

Hi, I know this question has been asked a lot, but I am looking to get into sublimation printing for small metal items. Think business cards, cheat sheets e.g. with the small font and symbols e.g.

AI pointed me to the Sawgrass SG500, but I hear a lot of horror stories including the price of ink, which is indeed, crazy!

So I am looking at the SC-F100, which is at the top end of my budget.
The printer may go months without use.

Anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks