Custom Sublimation

Sublimation is a type of full-color digital printing.  First, we print out a design using special inks and paper.  Then, we use a heat press to transfer dye from the paper to the fabric.  Once the process is complete, the fabric is actually dyed. You cannot feel the inks.  This gives the printed garment an extremely soft hand. Custom sublimation is also useful in printing hundreds of different personalized items.  We can also print sublimation paper for customers who have a sublimation printer but ran out of ink or paper.

Equipment:

We operate a Sawgrass SG1000 printer, Sublijet UHD inks, and a variety of commercial heat presses for sublimation.

Artwork:

For best results, artwork should ideally come in the following formats:

• Vector: Corel Draw (.cdr), Adobe Illustrator (.ai), or .eps files CMYK or RGB (preferred) format
• Raster: Photoshop: 300 dpi image sized to be the actual print size you want on the shirt; 8-bit; CMYK or RGB (preferred) format
• Items downloaded from the internet (unless purchased from artwork sites) are generally only 72 dpi-low resolution files, and in most cases, illegal to reproduce. If you don’t have professional graphic design software, you can hire a third-party designer.  Additionally, you can have us create something for you. The better the clarity of the file supplied, the better the printed results will be.
• We use stock three paper sizes: 8.5” x 11” (8” x 10.5” printable area), 11” x 17” (10.5” x 16.5” printable area), and 13” x 19” (12.5” x 18.5” printable area).  For lower costs, please setup artwork files to maximize the paper size that is best for your project.  We can special order and print paper up to 13” x 51”.

Decoration Locations and Size:

We can sublimate white polyester fabric, thin metals, and specially coated plastics up to 12.5″ x 18.5″ in size. We do not have the ability to print full bleed, edge-to-edge, or cut and sew apparel.

Printable Fabrics:

For apparel, sublimation is designed for use on 100% white polyester. Sublimation also works on a variety of metals and polymer-coated substrates. We also offer printed sublimation transfer sheets that you can apply with your own heat press.

Ink Colors:

Sublimation uses CMYK ink cartridges, so thousands of colors are available.  Sublimation inks are translucent and a white ink base is not offered, so printing on anything besides white will result in less than ideal vibrancy (and some results may not be visible at all (like printing yellow ink on a black shirt).  Since print costs are based on the size of the image/paper size, a 100 sq inch black square outline costs the same as a 100 sq inch high resolution photograph.

Garment Care:

Once you have your garment, proper care is necessary to achieve a normal garment and print life. For all garments, we recommend cold-water washing inside out and hang drying. You may tumble dry on fluff (no heat). Never iron over the decoration. Following these steps will help you achieve the maximum amount of life for your garment. Remember, no garment or print is designed to last forever!

We have samples of custom sublimation products in our office. Please contact us to schedule an appointment and check them out, get your questions answered, and see if sublimation is right for your apparel project!

A+ Images is based in Indianapolis. Explore our service areas and contact our team to discuss your location and delivery needs.

Contract sublimation services are available.

For questions about custom sublimation, please contact us via email, or call 317-405-8955.