Large Format Products & Brand Supports
The process of embroidery printing involves creating a design or pattern on a piece of fabric using needle and thread. The process can be done manually, which is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task, or it can be done using a machine, which is faster and more efficient.
Flexible Fabric Branding technique BORDERLESS (DTF) PRINTS
DTF printing involves printing onto a transfer film that is then applied to the garment and is more versatile and can be used on a wider range of materials. DTG prints have a softer feel, as the ink is directly absorbed by the fabric. DTF prints may feel slightly thicker due to the transfer film. DTF is best suited for smaller print runs and producing high-quality prints on light-colored fabrics.
Design your own custom t-shirts in minutes using Studio, our free online design app.
Our downloadable t-shirt templates offer an easy way to set up your design. Available in PSD, AI, EPS and PDF format.
Our t-shirt template offers an easy way to set up your design to be printed at maximum quality at any size. The t-shirt template is in PSD, AI, and EPS format.
What is Sublimation ?
Scientifically sublimation is the transition of something from a solid to a gas without becoming a liquid. When you use it to print on T-shirts, you use heat to bring ink and fabric together by first printing your design on a special type of paper using a type of ink that becomes gas when heat is applied before transferring it to some material. The printing is then heated until the ink bleeds into the fabric. Although sublimation printing is more expensive, the effects are permanent, and the design lasts longer as it doesn’t crack or peel over time. The process is similar to a tattoo but on shirt material instead of skin. Sublimation printing is also known as ‘all over printing’ as it can be used to fill an entire shirt with a design. This guide will discuss what fabric is best for sublimation,
What kind of fabric is best for sublimation?
When it comes to fabric, there are basically three choices to use for making a printed T-shirt. Cotton, blended, or polyester:
There are three types of cotton: standard, ring spun and combed. All of these are made from vegetable fibers that are spun into yarn and finally woven into fabric. Unfortunately, cotton is a poor choice for sublimation as the sublimation process doesn’t work well with natural fibers.
Blended: Blended fabrics tend to be 50% cotton, 25% polyester, and 25% rayon. Blended fabrics are also a poor choice for sublimation due to the high cotton content. In addition, the process does not work well on this material.
Polyester: Polyester is an artificial polymer that usually refers to polyethylene terephthalate (PET). It is perfect for the sublimation process as the ink works best on artificial materials.
Choosing the best T-shirt for sublimation printing
Obviously, a polyester shirt is perfect for the sublimation process, but what type of sublimation shirt? The experts at All Day Shirts have some ideas.
A4 N3402: This T-shirt is 100% polyester which makes it perfect for sublimation, is good quality but breathes when you wear it, feels soft, and is at a good price point. This is the most popular T-shirt if you are looking for shirts for the sublimation process.
Jerzees 21M: Although this shirt is 100% polyester, it looks and feels like cotton. While it is a bit on the thin side, it has that nice cotton feel if that is important.
Team 365 TT11: This T-shirt is similar to the 21M but is slightly cheaper and has more options for customization (Women’s style, youth sizes, long sleeves, etc.)
A4 N3142: Instead of a soft cotton feel, the N3142 has a silky dry-fit feel. It has moisture-wicking properties and is odor and stain-resistant. Its price is comparable to the 21M.
Next Level 6200: This is the highest-quality shirt of this group but is a polyester (65%) cotton (35%) blend. You will lose some color in the sublimation process, but this is perfect for vintage shirts where some fading would be expected and add to the overall feel of the shirt.
There are several ways to print T-shirts, like heat transfer, screen printing, and sublimation printing. While heat transfer and screen printing are old-fashioned techniques for printing T-shirts, sublimation printing is the new kid in the block.
It’s a reliable and guaranteed way of printing fascinating T-shirts. So, let’s take a deep dive and discover more about sublimation machines.
Sublimation machines are printers used to transfer an image to another object. In this perspective, the object is your T-shirt. You can use T-shirt sublimation printers to design beautiful-looking T-shirts and shirts.
How’s the method different from other T-shirt printing techniques? You’re probably wondering. The sublimation method results in permanent designs that never come out. During sublimation, the ink is heated, and changes form to gas.
In science, this is a unique change of state in matter. Usually, solids change to liquid before turning to gas. However, in this case, the solid changes straight to gas, and it’s the same principle used by sublimation printers for T-shirts.
When using a sublimation machine, there are steps to follow. So, before printing the new design on your t-shirt, you first have to print it on special paper. Then transfer the design to the T-shirt by applying heat.
High temperature sublimes the solid ink to gas, which is deposited onto the T-shirt. As the gas comes into contact with the T-shirt, it cools down and changes back to solid. As a result, sublimation machines produce sturdy and durable designs that never come out.
Using sublimation printers to make T-shirts is a simple procedure anyone can undertake. Therefore, it’s not compulsory to have special training in this area to print your first sublimation T-shirt. Below is a step-by-step guide to help you get started.
To get started, you need a reliable sublimation printer, specialty paper, printer ink, and a T-shirt or shirt. The best sublimation machine is affordable and easy to use. In addition, the best fabric material is light-colored and easy to print on.
Polyester material is recommended since it gives the desired results compared to other materials like cotton. Lastly, the best specialty paper is porous to allow ink to soak and is also heat resistant.
This is where your creativity comes to play. If you already have design ideas, well and good. If not, you can always find myriad options online. Besides that, you can come up with fantastic designs using computer-aided designs software like CorelDRAW.
When using design software like CorelDraw, link your computer to a sublimation printer to print out your preferred design on the specialty paper. Make sure you choose the appropriate size before hitting the print button.
First, prepare the T-shirt by removing any wrinkles or spots on it. Second, put butcher paper below where you want to apply the design. This is to prevent the design from passing to the other side of the T-shirt.
Third, place the specialty paper on the fabric and seal it with heat-resistant tape on the sides. Then run it through a sublimation machine for 45 seconds to one minute to transfer the design to the T-shirt.
T-shirt or shirts printing is an exciting venture when using top-notch technology like sublimation. To get started, you need a sublimation printer for shirts or T-shirts, some ink, and a design Software like CorelDRAW.
