6 Things You Need for a Sublimation Business
, by Abbey H, 4 min reading time
Looking to start a business in sublimation? Well, this blog post is full of information just for you! even if you have a little experience in sublimation, there are some helpful pointers as well. Sublimation is a tricky craft sometimes, and Normally the solution to your problem is nothing that you are thinking. Here are 6 things you need or need to know to start a good sublimation business.
1. You Need A Sublimation Compatible Printer
Sublimation is a transfer printing method, so you must know that a good printer its the first step to starting a good sublimation business. This way, you can print onto items that you couldn’t normally feed through a simple printer. Items such as; T-shirts, mugs, cell phone covers, and more! You will need a dedicated printer for the ink cartridges you want to use. Currently, the brands of printers that are mostly used are Ricoh, Epson, and sawgrass Virtuoso. They carry small and large format printers.
2. You Will Need Sublimation Inks.
After printers, we have to talk about ink. Not only do you need ink to start a sublimation business, but you also need quality ink. This is because sublimation ink isn’t really the same as standard inkjet ink. One thing to note is that sublimation ink must be heated to activate the bright look's colors. Heat also enables the print to stick to the item. This is because of the chemical makeup of the ink.
Another thing to note is that you need a specialized software color profile embedded in the file. This is to the grantee that the colours and the image print the way you want it to look. this is something that only a manufacturer that created the ink can do. This really is the main reason you should know buy ink for sublimation from a quality ink supplier.
3. You Need Quality Transfer Paper.
Sublimation paper is used when you are going to heat transfer a print. An example of that would be when you want to get an image onto a mug or something else that can’t be feed through the printer. An important thing to note is that the sublimation paper isn’t actually a normal A4 paper.
This one may not seem as important as 1 and 2, but let me tell you, this is often overlooked. A lot of crafters spend a lot of time researching printers and ink, Which can be a good use of time but can be a waste with pro-quality paper. Most of the time, when the image doesn’t quite come out right on the paper, crafters tend not to look to the paper as the problem when it is most likely the main problem. If the paper is poor, it will only transfer 50% of sublimation inks to the blanks. You will end up wasting the other 50% of ink every time, and ink is money! So if you are going to run a business with sublimation, the paper is significant!
4. You Will Need a Heat Press or Silicone Press Wraps
To get an image to stick to the item, you need a high level of heat and pressure when you are working with sublimation. This is when a heat press or silicone press wrap becomes important! A heat press is normally the way to go when transferring, but when it has a curve, I would suggest a silicone wrap with a conventional oven to press the item. The silicone wrap provides the pressure, and the over provides the heat! This makes a perfect team.
5. You Will Need Colour Correction Software or Colour Profile
You knew this had to be apart of our list as soon as you read number 2! Now that we know sublimation ink is not the same as inkjet ink, we can talk about your ink's necessary software to come out properly. Some printers may come with a program. The program will analyze your image and create the necessary correction for your colors. If your printer or supplier of ink doesn’t give you a program to use, you can use your trusty Adobe products, such as Photoshop and illustrator.
6. You Will Need Sublimation blanks
Did you know there are blanks made to receive the inks in sublimation specifically? You can’t sublimate on anything that is a dark fabric or made out of cotton. The image will not come out as well onto the item, if at all. The image will be fated and look not as high quality. Color items can be sublimated on, but there is one thing to remember. Your ink is transparent! This means its image may take on the shade go color below it. It can cause poor results in your shirt or other items.
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