Sublimation Printing Business

If you’ve clicked on this article because you’re wondering what the heck ‘sublimation printing’ is, then wonder no more. 

Sublimation printing is a pretty awesome way of printing designs onto materials other than paper, such as fabrics, plastics, and ceramics. 

It’s becoming a popular method for small business owners to DIY their own products and merchandise to retail, such as t-shirts, mugs, and more.

That’s because it’s a pretty simple way of achieving vibrant printing results that can last years.

Interesting, right? Read on if you want to know more…

You might have clicked this article because you’re already interested in sublimation printing for your small business. We’ll explain some of the more technical stuff, as well as what you need and how much it’ll cost you to get going.

Technically speaking…

All this printing speak can get a bit confusing, so we’ve gathered up the basics and will explain it as simply as possible.

Sublimation printing is called as such because it uses special inks. 

The design is printed onto sublimation paper and then heat pressed onto the desired material. These inks go through a pretty cool transformation from solid to gas in order to get printed.

This is what makes this printing method so popular. The process it goes through allows the ink to be incorporated as part of the fabric, rather than those rough, scratchy, bumpy designs you sometimes get on garments in particular. 

So here’s what you need to get printing

Well, of course, you need a printer. 

There are plenty around designed specifically for sublimation printing. Depending on the size of your products and the scale of your business, you might only need a printer the size of a standard computer one. Great news if you’re short of space!

Specific software is needed to design your patterns correctly so that they work well with the sublimation printing process. 

You’ll also need specific sublimation paper and inks. 

These inks are designed to become incorporated into the material you apply to. The paper is essential, as it cannot absorb the design. It essentially acts as a holding place for the design between printing it from the printer and applying it to the product. 

Then to apply your design to your chosen materials, you’ll need a heat press. Not only are these designed to evenly distribute heat to transfer the design, but also pressure, which is an important part of sublimation printing. 

The specifics of sublimation

Okay, so there are some rules for sublimation printing. 

You can’t just go printing everything on anything and expect good results. Quality takes care and precision. So, aside from the equipment we’ve mentioned above, here are some other specifics to note:

• You can only print on fabrics that are 100% polyester or at least 50% polyester if it’s a blend.
• If you’re not printing on fabric, items need to have a polyester coating in order for them to absorb the sublimation ink and to ensure that it lasts a long time.
• Printing on dark materials will yield less than ideal results, so sublimation printing is mainly designed for white and other light-colored fabrics.
• A heat press is necessary. Don’t think a hot iron and some heavy pressing will do the job. The heat press needs to work at least 180°C, and the heat and pressure need to be applied evenly, which isn’t achievable using an iron. 
• If you’re planning on printing onto items such as mugs (and anything else that is 3D), you’ll need a more complex 3D vacuum heat press (if it’s just mugs you’re looking at printing on, you can buy specially made mug presses).

How much money are you looking at spending?

We know how exciting this all sounds, but you’ve probably got a nagging worry about how much all of this costs.

In all truth, the costs vary wildly depending on the equipment size and quality. 

Like many other things in life, buying cheaper equipment may be a gamble as the quality you’re looking for just might not be there.

You also have the option of purchasing the items of equipment separately or buying bundles, which can be a great money saver and way of getting started.

As a comparison, here are some typical prices for buying the basic equipment separately:

• An A3-sized printer with inks would set you back around $700
• 100 sheets of A3 sublimation printing paper costs around $25
• A heat press would cost you:
  • $350 for a flat press that would fit A3 paper
  • $100 for a mug press
  • $600 for a 3D vacuum press

In contrast, you can get a starter kit including an A3 printer, sublimation paper, computer software, inks, and press for $2400. 

So here, it would be more economical to buy the equipment separately. However, this might not be the case if you buy a smaller or bigger printer, so it’s best to do your research. 

Can you get someone else to print for your business?

Yes. There are companies you can hire to transfer your designs onto materials using sublimation printing. 

If you’re wondering whether you should invest in your own equipment or whether to outsource your printing, we’ve outlined the pros and cons of hiring a printing service.

PROS:

• Don’t have to worry about purchasing equipment and ensuring you have enough ink and paper etc.
• A professional service delivered by experienced printers.
• Often have the blank products ready for you to choose from.
• Some sew garments so you can have the full item sublimated, which is great if you don’t have dress-making skills. 
• Saves you time so that you can focus on the business, not the creative side of things.

CONS:

• Less control over your business. There can be errors in printing and shipping. However, you won’t know about them until you receive a complaint from a disgruntled customer (if the company sends it directly to the consumer).
• No control over stock which could delay your orders, and then it’s a waiting game.
• Often need to place bulk orders, and fulfilling only minimum order sizes can become costly.

The decision to outsource your printing would depend entirely on how you want your business to run. Weigh up the pros and cons and consider the costs before jumping in.

Get going…

How exciting! If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably taking your new sublimation printing business (or at least the idea of setting one up) seriously!  

If you’re a creative person, sublimation printing is a great way to showcase your flair for design and to create awesome products that people will love!