Issue link: https://nbm.uberflip.com/i/1451361
G R A P H I C S - P R O. C O M 2 0 2 2 S U B L I M A T I O N R E P O R T 7 5 For example, a 50/50 garment will only be 50% as bright as a 100% poly garment because half the ink is not remaining on the garment. The other limitation to sublimation compared to some other decorating tech- niques is the lack of white ink available in the process. Unlike screen printing, direct-to-garment, or other print meth- ods that have white ink, it is impossible to transfer to a substrate where the blank is darker than the ink color. e inks are translucent and use the blank you are printing on as the reector of its color. If you try to print yellow ink on a blue shirt, your yellow will be green. e brighter the white base, the more vivid and bright your image will be. When you have a light or white polyester-based substrate, you can print a sublimation transfer and then heat press the transfer and substrate together for around 60 seconds at 400 F. is will give you a beautiful image on thousands of different substrates, like socks, arm sleeves, shirts, mugs, mousepads, tum- blers, slates, garden ags, ornaments and more. If you can dream it and get it into a heat press, there is likely a substrate out there for you. DOWN TO A SCIENCE With that quick overview behind us, let me share my top three tips for making the art of sublimation more of a science. No. 1 Even heat matters A quality heat press is worth its weight in gold. e subli- mation process has many vari- ables, and a heat press can be the biggest. e more even your temperature across your entire heating area and the more even the pressure applied to that substrate, the better your chance for achieving a perfect transfer. Because sublimation is a perma- nent process, there is no xing a ruined blank. We can't wash the ink out and try again. e item comes out of the press not looking right because the heat press didn't heat it evenly, or the pressure was dierent When you have a light or white polyester-based substrate, you can print a sublimation transfer and then heat press the transfer and substrate together for around 60 seconds at 400 F. ACTIVATE CREATIVITY WITH COLOR CHANGING HTV CADCUT ® UV SHIFT Give apparel a creative edge with heat transfer vinyl that transforms from matte white to bright colors when exposed to sun/UV light. UV Shift is easy to cut, weed, and apply and is perfect for adding one-of-a-kind designs to T-shirts, hoodies, and children's clothing. SHOP NOW: stahls.com/sunhtv GP0422 STAHLS.COM | 800.478.2457 Not UV Activated UV Activated