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Dye-Sublimation Information
What it is and how it is done, what is needed and what it costs.
Dye Sublimation, as a process is really very simple. It
is the method of applying an image to specially coated ceramics,
metals and polyester cloth, using three main ingredients: sublimation ink, heat and pressure.
Inkjet sublimation is another imprinting process that offers great possibilities. It can be a start-up business by itself and an excellent opportunity for an
existing business to further diversify, by offering their customers a broader selection
of products.
There is no question, that in today's market, opportunities abound for the hard-working entrepreneur. Those who learn the tools of this trade and offer their customers quality products, produced with inkjet sublimation, can earn good money and have fun.
As with our other informational web pages, the purpose of this page is to provide you with imprinting information. The specific information on this site is about inkjet sublimation and imprinting on fabrics, mousepads, mugs, tiles, etc. Your detailed tour will provide the critical information that you need to decide what the best choices are for you.
On this page we teach you about sublimation, sublimation inks, sublimation transfer paper, sublimation products and heat presses. The more you learn the better your chances for success.
Yes, like any other company, we have to provide excellent products and service, to survive. However, we thrive, because we believe in building great relationships with our friends and customers.
The Basics of Inkjet Sublimation
If you thoroughly understand inkjet sublimation, you may want to skip this section. If you don't know much about it, this page will help you learn what it will and won't do.
The basic inkjet dye sublimation process uses a heat sensitive sublimation dye, dissolved in a liquid, to print graphics and text onto special inkjet paper. This is called a “dye sub transfer”. The dye sub transfer and a sublimatable item are then placed into a heat press.
When the heating cycle is completed, the image on the paper has been transferred to the item and has actually become a part of the surface. Run your finger across the surface of sublimation and you will feel nothing.
The reason for this is that sublimation is always done on a polyester, polymer, or polymer coated item. At high temperatures, the solid dyes in the print converts into a gas without ever becoming a liquid. The high temperature opens the pores of the polymer and allows the gas to enter. When the item is removed from the heat press, the temperature drops, the pores close and the gas reverts to a solid state. It has now become a part of the polymer. Done correctly, it cannot be washed out or come off, unless the actual fibers or coating is damaged.
This is why Inkjet sublimation can't be done on natural materials, like 100% cotton. Natural fibers and non-coated materials have no "pores" to open and so the dye just sits on top of the fabric. Heat transfers are the best way to imprint cotton and cotton-blend fabrics 99.9% of inkjet sublimation is done on white materials (substrates is the technical term). The reason for this is because the inks are actually transparent, when sublimated, and need a background to show up. White is the ideal background because it does not clash with the colors. Indeed, the white background actually enhances the colors.
This allows sublimators to print a wide gamut of vibrant, brilliant colors on multiple substrates. Some of the items include Soft-Link T-shirts (a cotton shirt, with a micro-weave of polyester on the outside), colored mesh ball caps, with a polyester front, mouse pads, jackets, beverage insulators, polyester calendars, clock faces, doll clothes, polyester patches, ceramic plates, mugs and tiles, FR plastic, coated MDF hard board (coasters, clipboards, etc.) and many other items.
Things inkjet sublimation can't do (or do well).
- Imprint cotton shirts. Multicolor imprints on cotton shirts are done with heat transfer paper. Briefly, regular inks (many pros like Epson printers, including the C88) are printed onto a high quality transfer paper (known in the trade as a carrier paper). When put into a heat press on top of a garment, the coating on the paper comes off, takes the image with it, and sticks it to the substrate. This can produce a nice look, but it is an imprint you can feel. To learn more about this process, click on "Heat Transfer" on the left buttons.
- Imprint 65/35 and 50/50 shirts with bright colors. A percentage of the shirt is cotton, so this really dulls down the look of the colors, especially after washing. Again, using heat transfers is really the best option. Later in our tour, however, you will learn how to use heat transfer paper and sublimation inks to produce beautiful transfers for these fabrics..
- Imprint colored shirts. Any colored background drastically alters the imprint colors. In our opinion, there is no really attractive way to imprint colored shirts, except with screen-printing.
- Imprint items (like mugs and tiles) not polymer coated. Remember that sublimation is printing into the coating, not the item.
- Imprint the gold and silver metal used by award companies. Yes, it will imprint it, but the background color interferes with the imprint colors. Also, an inkjet transfer is much more expensive than a laser transfers
We have shared this long page of information with you because we want to help you select the right process for the type of work you want to do.
We constantly tell folks, there is no one universal process that will do everything. Forget about the "sales hype" that many offer, in touting what their process can do. Instead, concentrate on making sure the process does what you need it to do. That is the first step on the road to success.
ArTainium UV+ Sublimation Inks
We provided details about the old regular ArTainium ink in the previous section, so you could get an idea about how we approach making sure we provide the best for our friends and customers.
We used the same careful approach with ArTainium UV+. Seeing is believing and what we saw "knocked our socks off". After we got through running our tests, we made the decision to only offer the UV+ inks to new customers and to encourage our old customers to switch.
We have tested and seen the results of these revolutionary new inks ourselves. We were impressed and pleased with four highly desirable characteristics and facts:
- Bright colors "popped" with vibrancy and all colors had excellent chromaticity.
- The professionally created ICC color management profiles provided stunningly accurate and consistent color control management.
- The ArTainium UV+ ink characteristics allow a degree of refinement in writing the ICC color management profiles that provide up to a 30% higher printing yield, compared to other sublimation inks.
- Tropical is the first (and right now, the only) company to back up a statement about UV resistance, with documented test results.
ArTainium UV+ inks utilize a proprietary method of dye particle encapsulation. This procedure is a factor in making them the most UV resistant sublimation inks available on the market. Stringent manufacturing and quality control procedures ensure stability and consistency. The new and professionally created ICC color management profiles provide stunningly accurate and consistent color control management, in addition to increasing average page yield.
ICC Profiles (Color Correction)
What it does and why you must have it
To obtain consistently accurate colors from any dye sublimation ink, some form of color correction must be used. There are many different approaches taken by ink suppliers to obtain decent colors. However, for optimum results, we use the internationally recognized ICC color profiles method.
Without getting overly technical, an ICC profile is basically a custom designed file that you load onto your computer system. This file takes into account the characteristics of the specific ink, paper, printer and program being used. Every time you print from Corel or Photoshop, your printer knows to use this file and therefore prints accurate colors.
This is because your program would think it is printing with regular Epson inks. The ICC profile gives it new instructions. If you don't use our profile, then you must make your own, or the sublimation inks won't print true colors.
The graphics programs used with our "SI-PI" ICC Profile
The award winning "SI-PI" (See It - Print It) ICC color correction profiles you can obtain virtually "what you see is what you get" printing. The profile works only with Corel Draw v9.0 and up, PhotoShop 5 and up, Novelty Pro 7 and up, Novelty 7 and up, Mural 7 and up and any program that is able to set both the working space to "Adobe RGB (1998)" (or "Internal RGB Frasier (1998)") and the print space to the ArTainium ICC.
Important Notes - CorelDraw 8 and down, Photoshop LE, Elements, 2.0 version 4 and down, or any version that comes with a printer, may not work correctly. Your colors may come out wrong! (these programs do not allow you to set the working space) Other graphics programs cannot be used, unless you export your image into a supported program for printing.
We know not everyone has or knows how to use these programs, but they are necessary. Unfortunately, a profile cannot be offered for every graphics program and many cannot read ICC profiles anyway.
What many do however (including us), is to create their artwork in a different program and then copy and paste it onto a blank page in Corel or Adobe, to print it. This is a very workable solution. When you print, just make sure your graphics and pictures are printing with RGB values.
Which printers, inks and profiles work together
Profiles for ArTainium inks are offered for Epson C88, R1800, 1280, 4800 and 1400 printers.
The ICC profiles allow you to print predictable colors, without color replacement. By using one of the printer/graphics possibilities listed above, even a novice can expect to easily get excellent (and saleable) printed images on their products.
Having realistic expectations.
With the profile, the sublimated image will look very close to what is on your screen…most of the time. If your eyes can count the hairs on a fly's leg across the room, see a half percent difference in color shade and you demand absolute perfection, don't get into sublimation. Stick to "National Geographic" type photography.
Why do we sound like we are "hedging" the previous glowing words? The reason is, because we are honest, and want to help you have fun (and profit), with realistic expectations.
ArTainium UV+ inks are terrific, and the profiles that go along with it produce top-level color transfer reproductions. This still does not make it (or any other process for that matter) "touch-of-the-finger" perfect, every time.
Many factors interfere with the look of absolute perfection. Here are some examples.
- Human eyes are different and therefore see color different. Our color consultant, for example, has a conniption fit over color variances that 99% of us can't even see.
- The type of material and shade of white, changes how your eyes see and interpret color. The same print on white plastic, fabric and ceramic will look different. The same holds true for a slightly different shade of white, on the same material.
- Believe it or not, humidity in your paper will also greatly affect your transferred image. Guard against humidity, as best you can. For example, never store your transfer paper on the floor or leave it in the printer, after printing.
- Sublimated images from scanned photographs are copies of copies. By themselves, they seldom look exactly like the original. The better quality scanners do a better job, and some skills in Adobe Photoshop are most helpful, in some needed spot color corrections. Even pros have to do it occasionally.
- It is even helpful to remember that you are reproducing prints with relatively inexpensive equipment. It really does a great job, but it is not a "zillion dollar" Heidelberg printing press (and even they have to be color managed).
We share the above examples to be fair to you and us both. We have never talked to anyone who didn't want to produce good quality. However, you will have a lot more fun (and make much more money) if you realize that it is not necessary to worry about producing original "Rembrandts," to keep your customers happy. Also, remember that the better you know your graphics program, the easier and better your results will be.
This is very important to remember - There is no ink or method that will let you print a good picture from a bad one, without adjusting the picture. Just because you can't see the flaws on your monitor, doesn't mean they are not there. A printer cannot "see" what is on your monitor. It prints using information your graphics program sends to it about the image.
Realistic expectations help us some also, by eliminating a few complaints that start off like, "Something is wrong with your inks. The print I just put on an ash gray T-shirt doesn't look like the same one I put on a white shirt."
True Pix Classic - sublimation paper
True Pix, high definition sublimation paper is formulated especially for six-color printers, like the Epson 1280 & Epson 1400, for especially fine and detailed sublimation prints. For the discerning eye, it can also add clarity to many images produced by four-color printers, like the C88.
Some papers , when used with a six-color printer, can cause an effect called "posturization". This effect will most often occur on small, finely detailed pictures.
Posturization is when shades of the same color blend together so that there is very little or no contrast.
Here is a practical example of posturization. A typical print on an 11-oz coffee mug is 2.5x3. If that print was a portrait of three people, their faces may not be as big as a dime.
The human eye sees facial features in pictures by the subtle differences in skin tone, caused by light and shadow. It is possible for a face to have as many as a dozen or more different shades of "flesh" color. If you can't see these differences, the face will look bland or even featureless.
A six-color printer, like the Epson 1280 & 1400, use slightly more ink to produce shades, than a four-color printer, like the Epson C88. This extra ink, when combined with the release characteristics of older papers, causes posturization on small prints. This effect very seldom happens on larger prints (for example, T-shirts and mouse pads).
True Pix is also suggested for discerning professional photographers and artists who are sublimating with any printer. Even individual tree leafs on small prints reproduce exceptionally well. The paper is definitely recommended for sublimating photos on sublimatable jewelry.
This paper is not required for four-color printers but does help on tricky jobs. As an example, notice that tile mural above has a blue back ground that subtly goes from medium blue at the top to very light blue at the bottom. It was printed with a four-color, Epson C88 printer, using True Pix paper.
Texprint XP Inkjet Sublimation Paper
TexprintXP is a high release dye-sublimation paper that provides consistent performance from your printer to the heat press. It is compatible with 4 and 6+ color printers.
TexprintXP renders rich colors and maintains truest tone, from print to print, batch to batch and month to month.
TexprintXP also eliminates ghosting or archiving problems that are evident with some dye-sublimation papers. Their exclusive silicate coating allows prints to dry quickly without the need for drying attachments. Prints can be handled immediately with without the fear of smudging. Feel confident to store your prints without having to throw them away due to ghosting on the reverse side of the paper.
TexprintXP is the only paper designed to work well on both hard and soft substrates.
Inkjet Printer Choices
General
We discuss every inkjet printer that will do sublimation in this section. Which sublimation printer will best suit your needs is an important decision for you. You may want to study this page carefully.
The only desktop sublimation printers (inkjet) are Epson printers, with micro Piezo print head technology. Only this type of printer is suitable for printing sublimation inks correctly. This type of print head forces the ink through the jets. No other inkjet printer will work.
A sublimation printer is just an ordinary Epson printer. It has not been modified in any way. What makes it a sublimation printer is the special ink in the cartridge. While sublimation ink is far different from regular inks, using it in an Epson printer does not void the warranty.
It is also important to remember that there are not sublimation inks and cartridges for every Epson printer. Sublimation inks are only available for these desktop printers: The Epson C88, 1280, 1400, R1800 & 4800. All will be discussed below.
Other than deciding what you can afford, which printer is best suited for your needs depends upon the specific features that benefit you the most and what you need to accomplish with the printer.
Readily available, current Epson printers
Note: We do not sell just printers because they are off-the-shelf items and can be bought at most office supply stores, on the web, or from Epson. Prices for printers, with bulk ink systems are at Starter Deals. Prices for sublimation supplies are on the Prices page.
Epson C84/C86
Note: A bulk ink system is available for this printer. See Starter Deals.
While Epson C84/C86 printers are still available from many sources, the current Epson C88+ has replaced it.
We are not sure how much more improvement Epson can add to their inexpensive desktop (8.5 x 11/14) printer line, but Epson has done it with this printer (as compared to the C86 it replaced).
The printer prints a tinch faster than the '86 and with better resolution. In fact, our R&D folks swear it is the best small format printer that Epson has produced.
If you are technically orientated, go to www.epson.com and read the details about this printer.
If the maximum paper size is sufficient, this would be our printer of choice. If you need larger, check out the Epson 1280 (which prints up to 13x19) discussed below.
Currently, there is one upside and one downside to this printer. The upside is the fact that we do have a very effective bulk ink system for this printer (you haven't gotten to information about bulk systems yet but keep following your tour and you will on the next page).
The potential downside (temporarily) to this printer is the fact that we do not have single individual cartridges for this printer yet.
The physical makeup of bulk ink cartridges and single cartridges is very different. The bulk ink cartridges perform flawlessly. A very high percentage of the single cartridges have failed. We want to send you effective printing solutions…not problems. We won't introduce single cartridges for this printer until we know they won't be a headache.
If you don't want to start your sublimation business with a bulk ink system, we suggest that you get a C-88. We have effective cartridges for them.
Epson C88+
Note: We offer a special bulk ink package for this printer type and that includes everything else you need to get started at Starter Deals
The C88 prints up to 8.5x14. For an inkjet printer it is very quiet and fairly fast, with excellent print quality. For the technically minded, go to www.epsonstore.com, to review exact specifications.
Like its predecessor, the C86, the Epson C88 holds four separate cartridges, one for each color of cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK).
The cartridges do not hold a lot of ink but, unlike tri-color cartridge printers (one cartridge holding three colors individual cells), you are throwing nothing away, because you can replace individual cartridges.
Many start with cartridges and then when their volume justifies the investment, switch to our bulk ink system. It doesn't take much volume to justify the investment.
We support this printer with individual cartridges and the Easy Flow bulk ink system. The C88 Easy Flow bulk ink system continuously feeds ink from reservoir bottles, into cartridges, custom made for the purpose.
Epson 1280
Wide Format (up to 13 x 19 sheets + rolls)
Note: We offer a special bulk ink package for this printer type that includes everything you need to get started at Starter Deals
This new 6-color printer will be of high interest to many. The page format is up to 13 x 19, with paper rolls 13" x 40' available. The printer is a two-cartridge system. Black is in one cartridge. The other 5-celled cartridge holds the Cyan, light Cyan, Magenta, light Magenta and Yellow inks.
This many colors definitely produces a wide gamut of discernible colors, for the discriminating eye. On a practical basis, the average customer will not be able to see the difference, especially if the prints are on fabric. Serious photographers, however, love the output.
It offers a much wider format than a standard Epson. It has a very good print speed and can be configured with our new bulk ink system, to lower print costs.
Final Thoughts: The printer can have a high per print cost, because the color cartridge only holds 15 ml's each of five colors. Most who get this printer will eventually need to invest in our bulk in system, to lower print costs. As with all six-color printers, we suggest you use our "True Pix" high definition paper for printing.
Epson Stylus Photo 1400 Desktop Sublimation Printer
New Generation System 3x Faster than the Epson 1280
Featuring faster printing speeds and improved printing capabilities, the ArTainium system for the Epson Stylus Photo 1400 is ideal for digital transfer professionals looking for a professional, cost-effective sublimation solution that produces superior photo-quality images on a wide range of substrates. As flexible as it is affordable, this system features six-color printing with the Easy Flow Bulk Ink System for maximum productivity, consistent results, and lowest cost per print.
Epson R1800 Desktop Sublimation Printer
Experience advanced performance with ArTainium™ UV+ inks for the Epson R1800. This sublimation system quickly prints images up to 13" wide and creates sublimation transfers both rich in color and detail. This cost-effective solution for the Epson R1800 utilizes Red & Blue inks for maximum color output and Black Plus for striking color contrast and color pop. This is the perfect system for users looking for an affordable solution for professional sublimation printing.
Epson 4800
Wide Format (up to 17 x 22 sheets + rolls)
The Epson 4800 is equipped with the latest in Epson print technology and can deliver an amazing 80 sq. feet per hour through its next generation DX3 print heads. With its print engine built around the already tried and tested Epson 7600 model you can be sure that the Epson 4800 will bring you unparalleled sublimation print performance.
Roll or cut sheet up to 17" Wide printing.
Maximum resolution 2880 x 1440 dpi.
3.5 picoliter droplet size.
8-channel print head technology.
Border free Printing.
USB or Firewire.
Sublimation Bulk Ink Systems
C88 Easy Flow Bulk Ink System
One Easy Flow Bulk Ink System
4 x 110 mL of ArTainium UV +™ CMYK Sublimation Inks
1 Award Winning SI-PI ICC Color Correction Profile
1 Pack True Pix Hi Release Transfer Paper
Toll Free Technical Support
Epson 1280 Easy Flow System
The Easy Flow system comes with custom manufactured cartridges pre-filled with ink. Just plug it in, attach it to your printer and you are ready to print! It is that simple.
The Easy Flow System comes professionally vacuum-filled and ready to go with ArTainium UV +™ sublimation inks. It truly is a "Plug-N-Play" system.
The Easy Flow System provides an efficient, clean, effortless method to turn your desktop printer into a continuously printing workhorse. The Easy Flow System comes already filled with ArTainium UV +™. Patent pending, new enhancements, make this the ultimate continuous ink flow system to save you money.
- Each System is pre-assembled and pre-filled with ArTainium UV +™ ink.
- Exclusive, patent pending design, aids in functionality and ease of use.
- The microchips on the cartridges reset to "full" each time the printer powers on.
- The bottle rack shown in the picture is included.
- No More pumps, filters, tape, mess, gloves or aggravation.
This system is easy to use and can be up and running in less than 20 minutes! Click the link below and watch the video of how effortless the Easy Flow System is to set up.
1280 Bulk System, Yield/Cost Test, Using ArTainium UV+ Inks
As we stated earlier, we don't believe in "throwing" numbers around, without providing examples of what those numbers are based on.
In the 1280 test, 8"x 10" prints were made. The picture is a composite of 4, 4x5 pictures to provide a cross-section of printing parameters.
The pictures were printed until the first 125-ml bottles ran almost empty (this was the magenta). About 60% of the light cyan and magenta, plus a small amount of black, yellow and cyan was left.
The cost-per-print ratio was an incredibly low $1 per page. The cost-per-print would go lower still, if the cost of the remaining inks were deducted.
Although the cost per print ratio is enough to make Scrooge drool, we still want to encourage novices to carefully consider their needs before purchasing a bulk ink system.
Unless you immediately need the wider format of a 1280, or know that you will have significant orders, you may be better served by starting with a smaller and cheaper, narrow format printer, or cartridges with the 1280.
The approximate cost of $1 per 8x10 page is the same for the C88 because they use the same ink. The deals are priced differently because of differences in the physical apparatus and ink quantity.
Epson 1400 Bulk Ink System
1 x Award Winning SIPI ICC Color Correction Profile.
6 x 110 ml of ArTainium UV + CMYLcLmK Sublimation Inks
1 Pack True Pix Hi Release Transfer Paper
Toll Free Technical Support
Epson R1800 Bulk Ink System
One Easy Flow Plus Bulk Ink System
8 x 110 mL of ArTainium UV +™ CMYKKRB Sublimation Inks
1 Award Winning SI-PI ICC Color Correction Profile
1 Pack True Pix Hi Release Transfer Paper
Toll Free Technical Support
Sublimation Ink & Paper
Sublimation Imprintables
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