How to Sublimate A Shirt?

Learning how to sublimate a shirt is one of the most popular ways to quickly and affordably embellish custom garments. Clothing in pastel colors and sublime promotional items are gaining popularity. Sublimation shirts is an affordable way to start making custom t-shirts. Thinking about decorating options for your garments? Sublimation shirts is a great choice In this tutorial, we'll tell you what does sublimation mean, how to sublimate a shirt, how does sublimation work and some FAQs.

What does sublimation mean？

What does sublimation mean？Sublimation is the process of transferring dyes to different types of fabrics and materials. Create images or designs on a computer or tablet and print onto sublimation paper using sublimation inks. The printed designs are then placed on t-shirts, mugs, socks, hoodies, etc. and a heat press is used to permanently transfer the design to the material through heat and pressure.

It might seem a little complicated, but I assure you, it's not. Basically, sublimation is a process in which heat and pressure are used to transfer ink on a molecular level, resulting in permanent transfer. No matter how many times you wash your scrub or soak the sublimated item - the transfer will stay the same. It's amazing, right?

How to Sublimate A Shirt?

OK, now that we've covered all the ins and outs of sublimation, let's get into a hands-on tutorial to make sure you know exactly How to Sublimate A Shirt.

Trust me when I say getting started with sublimation is easy. Yes, you'll need some supplies, but they're easy to get started and super easy to use.
Supplies needed:
1. Dye sublimation printer/ inkjet printer
2. Sublimation ink
3. Sublimation paper
4. Heat press
5. Cutting machine
6. Design software(Design Space/Silhouette Studio)
7. Teflon Sheet

So, let’s start to sublimate shirts.
Step 1: Create your design on the Design software (Design Space or Silhouette Studio). You can create unique designs and text by yourself, but you can also buy designs that are already made for you. Meanwhile, our website has many free SVG for your reference.

Step 2: Printing. Mirror the sublimation t shirt design before printing. Then, use an inkjet printer or sublimation printer for shirts with sublimation ink to print on the white side of the sublimation paper. Wait for the image to dry, and preheat the fabric to remove wrinkles and moisture.

Step 3: Arrange design. Choose a light-colored polyester T-shirt and arrange your sublimation t shirt design. Prepare Teflon Sheet. You need one Teflon Sheet on the bottom of the press and one between the item and the heating plate to the back of the shirt. Put the shirt on the Teflon Sheet on the heat press and apply the printed sublimation design on the shirt you want. If you don’t know how to correctly place the design on your shirt, you can click the Vinyl Size for Shirts to know more.

Step 4: Heat press. Preheat the heat press to the temperature you set, adjust the pressing time and pressure appropriately, make the printed image face the fabric and start the pressing process.

Step 5: Remove the heat press and peel off the transfer paper. A sublimation t shirt has been finished! It's easy - anyone can do it!

FAQ about sublimation paper :

1. How to sublimate on dark shirts?

Unfortunately, black shirts don't sublime well. Sublimation ink will be darker on the shirt, so it's hard to see.

2. Can you do sublimation on cotton shirts?

Traditionally, sublimation on clothing has been limited to 100% white or very light colored polyester items. 

3.What material can you sublimate on?

The best fabric for sublimation is 100% polyester.

Conclusion

If you want to sublime on items other than t-shirts, you can pretty much use the same process as t-shirts for other items, but you may need to adjust the heat press time depending on what it is. This incredible design technique doesn't just apply to clothing. Artisans and makers can sublimate to mugs, key chains, glasses, pens and many other substrates. As long as your product has the right ingredients, the possibilities are nearly endless. The most popular way designers and artisans use this technique is for sublimation designs on t-shirts. This type of craft is by far a bestseller for many! Using vinyl, printed heat transfer, and similar methods is still a great way to get fancy graphics onto shirts, tank tops, or hoodies. But if you want pops of color, standout details, textures, and a seamless feel between graphics and substrate, sublime designs are the way to go!