Sublimation

Sublimation printing is an easy and effective way to introduce industry standard digital printing into the classroom environment. It is best suited to man-made fabrics containing polymer-based fibres, making it perfect for transferring designs to technical textiles or those that are difficult to dye under school conditions. A sublimation printing system offers versatility across the whole department with a wide range of opportunities to customise ready-made garments.

Sublimation is when a solid changes into a gas and back to a solid without going through a liquid stage in between. Images for sublimation are printed onto special paper using a purpose-made sublimation printer. At this stage, the ink is a solid layer on top of the paper. This paper is then positioned on the surface to be printed (ink-side-down) within a heat press. The heat and pressure cause the ink to turn into gas which then transfers into the fibres. The gas cools, returns to a solid state, and forms a permanent bond with polymer fibres within the fabric. The result is an extremely durable and light-resistant print which is washable and requires no further finishing. A particular advantage is that Sublimation has little discernable effect on the weight and tactile properties of the fabric. The Sublimation Technology is perfect for incorporating STEM into your lessons!

SubliJet-UHD technology from Sawgrass uses gel inks and has transformed the reliability and cost-effectiveness of Sublimation technology for schools. Gel inks do not dry out and clog print heads, they are clean to use and Sawgrass printers are virtually maintenance-free.

Sublimation is the ideal system for creating original printed textiles and for applying digital images onto existing textile products including bags, clothing and accessories. TechSoft supply a huge range of sublimation-ready ‘blank’ items including phone pouches, ‘T’ shirts, mouse mats, mugs – even flip-flops! Sublimation provides an easy to manage and versatile resource for enterprise and fund-raising projects. Students can quickly produce professional quality products that people will want to buy.

The two technologies have a lot in common but there are important differences that might help determine which is right for you. LIT is very versatile – it transfers images onto standard project materials and the LIT printers are fine for everyday paper printing. Sublimation offers brighter, more durable images, but the sublimation printers are not suitable for ‘general’ printing.

For textile printing, sublimation is by far the preferred option, but for a whole DT department LIT is more versatile. Still can’t decide? TechSoft offer a combined package for LIT and Sublimation.