If you are a creative person who always enjoys making fashionable sublimated apparel and has recently started taking an interest in sublimation, first you need to know the most suitable fabrics for the printing technique.
Sublimation printing can take your designs to the next level! Using heat to transfer dye onto fabrics, this magical technique offers you vivid, long-lasting colors. And, you don’t just get mind-boggling colors but the designs printed with this technology don’t wash away, crack, or peel off easily. Also, the life-like prints are soft and smooth on the body.
When it comes to diy sublimation, polyester, synthetic fibers, and cotton are mostly preferred by the manufacturers, and for good reasons. While polyester is considered the best, synthetic fibers also offer impressive results, and cotton is used with additional procedures for a satisfying outcome. Understanding the qualities of each material will help you make the best decision. After all, you wouldn’t want to compromise on your work, would you?
Because of the specific attributes and benefits it offers, polyester stands out as the go-to fabric for sublimation printing. The main reason lies in its high polymer content, which opens up when exposed to heat. This particular characteristic enables the sublimation ink to penetrate nicely and bond firmly with the fabric. The outcome is a realistic, long-lasting print with impressive detail. But you know what? It’s not 100% polyester but blends are often considered the best for their resilience and enhanced comfort without compromising on quality transfers. Such materials retain most of the desirable features of polyester while adding traits from other materials.
In the sublimation printing world, synthetic fibers like spandex, Lycra, rayon, and nylon are gaining popularity. It’s an exceptional choice for you if you are looking for something different than polyester. Such synthetic fabrics consist of properties that are just perfect for dye sublimation. They can easily use the high temperatures that are used in this printing technique. Going for lower burn temperatures than natural fibers makes them safe to use with sublimate printers. An added advantage is that blending synthetic fabrics leads to successful print results and increases comfort for wearers. So, if you want to explore something new you can consider using fabrics that are made of these adaptive and flexible materials. The synthetic fiber blends open up new opportunities for you.
When cotton is treated with specialized coatings, it opens the door for successful sublimation printing on this type of material. However, the additional steps can affect the quality of the print. In comparison to sublimation done on polyester or synthetic fabrics, the outcome might not be as long-lasting or vibrant.
Now that you know about the 3 top sublimated clothing materials, let’s see how the whole process works.
Going for the perfect material for sublimation printing can make a great difference in the outcome of your project.
Always remember that in the dye sublimation printing technique, high-quality transfer needs material content to comprise at least 40% polyester.
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