If you’re in the printing business, and are wondering how you can extend your product range beyond the typical billboards, signboards, magazines, marketing covers, company portfolios etc., well, we’ve got a suggestion for you…
You can now print fabrics, cups, plates, wooden blocks, tabletops and everything else that you can think of—yes, even metals—using this relatively new method of printing known as sublimation printing.
What Is Sublimation Printing?
Sublimation printing is a type of printing where you take a digital image (you may create it on your own, scan it or capture it through a digital camera), print it on a special type of paper using special type of ink, and transfer the image from the paper onto a substrate of your choice. This transfer is facilitated by a piece of equipment known as heat press.
Prints obtained through sublimation are much higher in quality than your normal prints, can be obtained on various type of substrates and are less prone to fading and other types of damages.
Interested in adding sublimation to your existing printing services?
Then, let’s take a look at what are the things you need to get started.
What equipment do you need to start a sublimation business?
You’ll need the following equipment:
Printer
This is just like your normal desktop printer, but one that can support the special type of ink used in sublimation printing. Epson, Mimaki, Ricoh, Mutoh are the leading brand choices available when it comes to selecting a printer for sublimation printing.
Ink
Ink used in sublimation printing is quite different from your normal ink. It is basically a mixture of water and heat reactive dyes. You can find premium quality cheap sublimation ink here.
Transfer Paper
Next we have transfer paper. Also known as sublimation paper, this paper is available in different sizes and different types. Which type of transfer paper should you choose? It depends on the type of substrate you’re using for the image transfer.
Heat Press
Heat press is the machine that facilitates the transfer of the image from a transfer paper onto a substrate. There are different types of heat presses available in market based on different platen size, heating element types and manual or automatic functioning. Some heat presses are designed for specific uses only, like mug or cup presses, while others can be used for different types of presses.
Designing Software
Last but not the least is the designing software. You don’t necessarily need a designing software for your sublimation printing business, but it’s good to have one as it allows you to create designs of your own and edit images. There are a number of designing software you can choose from, with CorelDraw and Adobe Suite being the most popular ones.
And that’s pretty much all you need to start sublimation printing services.
Do you have any questions that you would like to ask about sublimation printing? Feel free to reach out; our sublimation printing experts will be happy to guide you.
For further reading: Sublimation Printing: A Booming Market on a Global Scenario for Years to Come
