Garment industry has evolved a lot over time from printing simple colorful images to printing customizable images. Almost every T-shirt that has a design on it or an image on must’ve been through some printing machine. Among many other printing machines sublimation printing machines are widely used because of the ease of customization that it provides.
Sublimation printing in the garment industry is common and most manufactures use it to print images and designs on the garments especially the T-shirts. Here is some more information about sublimation printing in the garment industry.
How is the image printed on the garments?
Subliminal printing uses a unique method to print images on the garments. The desired image is not printed directly onto the garment rather it is first printed on a heat resistant transfer paper. This image is then transferred on to the garment by the help of a heat press that is functioning at around 375F. This ensures that the colors are permanently bonded to the fibers of the cloth and the printed image does not start to peel off after repeatedly wearing the T-shirt or after repeatedly washing it.
Is sublimation printing only used in the garment industry?
Apart from the use in the garment industry the sublimation printing is also used in printing images on polyester fibers and polymeric coating. This means, images can be printed on mugs and tiles using the sublimation printing machines. However, the use of sublimation printing machines is highest in this industry when compared to any other industry.
How much time does it take for the image to be printed on the garment?
The garment needs to be in contact with the transfer paper as discussed earlier so that the color is perfectly dyed on the T-shirt, for this the T-shirt needs to be in contact with the transfer paper for a maximum of 40 seconds and the temperature of the sublimation printing machine should not be greater than 375 F.
Why sublimation printing is popular in the garment industry?
If you ever look at a printed T-shirt then there is a high probability that it went through a dye sublimation printing. They are popular within the garment industry because of the extensive color options that are available and the detail in design and images that can be obtained using this technology. Most other printing technologies such as DTG and screen printing are not able to give this precise output when printing on a garment.
Are there any limitations of sublimation printing?
Sublimation printing has quickly gained popularity in a short period of time but there is a limitation of this method of printing. It cannot print on large number of units (T-shirts, mugs or tiles) this is why it cannot efeciently fulfill the increase in demand, but this doesn’t mean that it never will. There are many international projects that are initiated and are focused on the development of large presses so that the increase in demand can be met. These researches will help in elevating the production and thus meeting the demands.
