Sublimation printing is a modern, more advanced, and efficient printing method that uses heat and pressure to convert ink into a gaseous state. Then this ink is sprayed onto the substrate through a heat transfer paper.
This process might seem complicated, but it occurs within a few seconds—making a sub printer highly productive in quality and delivery. But just like any other printing method, sublimation also has its challenges, and it’s essential to know them and their solutions for timely debugging and resolution.
Read on as we discuss the five common sublimation issues and share useful tips to solve them.
1. Compromised Color Saturation
Blurry and light color saturation, faded lines, and unclear transfers are standard issues many new sub printing experts face. First, ensure that you’re using the right sublimation paper for your printing system. It’s typically bright white and smooth.
Next, you need to ensure the quality of dye sublimation inks. Using regular ink cartridges and chips that aren’t suitable for sublimation printing can throw off your products’ quality and compromise its aesthetic appeal.
Recommended Read: Sublimation Inks— Types and How they are Used
2. Image Ghosting
Inks and transfer papers are the two vital elements of the sublimation printing process. Their quality and quantity play a vital role in determining the final results. Failure to understand the importance of using appropriate sublimation printing supplies leads to ghosting.
It’s a common sub printing problem that causes shadowy and blurry images because the paper isn’t firmly placed against the substrate. Many printing experts who have to print lower output quantity use tap to secure the paper in place, but it’s not an effective troubleshooting technique.
You must get your hands on broad format printing transfer papers that come with high-quality adhesive to ensure flawless, beautiful transfers.
3. Substrate Not Accepting Ink
When sublimation printing, it’s important to note that not every fabric can be printed using a sublimation printer. For dye-sub, the fabric you wish to print must be a poly-blend or has a polyester coating for best transfers.
Pure fabrics such as cotton and woven variants accept partial image transfers during sub printing and produce a less vibrant, stretched look. Therefore, it’s crucial to choose high-poly content fabrics for faster, quicker, and error-free transfers.
Recommended Read: What Fabrics Are Used in the Dye Sublimation Printing Process
Some More Tips to Ensure Smooth Sublimation Printing
The sublimation experts at the Jind Group Limited have shared these five excellent care tips for a smooth and efficient sublimation process:
- Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using sublimation printers, papers, and inks.
- Don’t overlook the significance of yearly maintenance and inspection of your heat press machines and digital sub printers.
- Ensure that you’re printing on the right side of the transfer paper.
- Always use high-quality heat transfer papersthat are eco-solvent, high-quality, and anti-curling.
- Don’t use regular paper products instead of sublimation paper. This affects your sub printer’s efficiency and compromises its hardware’s quality too.
Recommended Read: Best Sublimation Printing Tips and Tricks to Follow
Looking for High-Quality Digital Sublimation Printers and Supplies?
To ensure excellent quality sublimation printing, invest in reliable and fine printing materials. You can find top quality dye sublimation papers, heat transfer paper, and other digital sublimation printing system supplies at Jind Group Limited.
You can also order from our range of dye sublimation ink to create stunning sub-printed products. For further details, get in touch with one of our representatives right away!
