Getting to know the world of dye sublimation printing is an interesting educational journey, and truly worthwhile for any printing business.
Here at Subtransferpaper.com, the team of JD Digital Technology, makes sure that we can provide you with all the required information that you need to know to get familiar with the technology, aiming to be your ultimate online resource on everything related to dye sublimation.
We have previously covered topics such as how dye sublimation ink works, how to choose the right sublimation printer, why polyester is the best fabric choice for dye sublimation printing etc., etc.
Today, we are here to talk about another important component of the printing process and that is the dye sublimation paper.
To make the information easily consumable for you and less overwhelming, we will just cover the basic here, with a promise that we will be back with more advanced information soon.
So without any further ado, let’s get started…
What’s the purpose of using a dye sublimation paper?
Any image or graphic that you want to print on a substrate material—it could be a t-shirt, tile, plastic, wood or any other coated surface—is likely to be stored on your computer. To get the image onto the surface material, you will first have to print it out on a paper using a sublimation printer. That paper is your dye sublimation paper. Later, through heat pressing, the image from the paper is transferred to the desired material.
A dye sublimation paper is NOT your normal paper
Coming onto the properties of a dye sublimation paper, that is, what makes it suitable for the purpose, the following characteristics sets it apart from a normal paper:
- The paper is effective at releasing the dyes when heated.
- The paper is designed to withstand heat of the heat press.
- The paper maintains minimal dot gain post printing job.
Over the years, improved formulations of the paper have been introduced into the market in order to enhance its suitability for dye sublimation printing.
Types of dye sublimation paper
Depending on the type of surface material on which you want to get the image printed, dye sublimation paper can be divided into three categories:
- Dye sublimation paper for soft surfaces
- Dye sublimation paper for hard surfaces
- Dye sublimation paper that can be used with both soft and hard surfaces.
Few things to remember when purchasing a dye sublimation paper
When purchasing a dye sublimation paper, here are few things to remember:
- The paper should be moisture free.
- Not every dye sublimation paper works ideally with every brand of sublimation printer.
- You should always factor in the substrate selection when choosing a dye sublimation paper.
And well, that completes the introduction to dye sublimation transfer paper. If you have any questions about the transfer paper, feel free to reach out.
Till the next post, goodbye!
