What Is Dye Sublimation Fabric Printing? What You Need to Know Before You Buy
Many people may not be familiar with what inkjet dye sublimation printing on fabric is, and may wonder what makes it stand out and how it relates to advertising signs, exhibition booths and backdrops. Today AD ON will introduce you to the basics of dye sublimation fabric printing. Rather than focusing on technical details, we will explain what this system is, what applications it suits, and which needs it can meet that other printing systems cannot
Dye Sublimation Printing is
The Dye Sublimation Printing process is based on sublimation, the process of turning a solid directly into a gas without becoming a liquid. For example, dry ice turning straight from a solid into a gas is sublimation. But turning ordinary ice (the kind we put in drinks) into a gas is not sublimation, because the ice must first melt into water before evaporating into a gas
Dye Sublimation It means printing dye sublimation ink onto a print medium. Once the ink is dry, the print is heated at 190-200 degrees Celsius so the ink sublimates into a gas and permanently bonds deep into the fabric fibers. The fabric can then be washed and ironed, provided that it contains at least 60% polyester. There are two main printing systems: Paper Transfer (printing onto paper before pressing it onto the fabric) and Direct Print (printing directly onto the fabric before heat curing) See more details
Dye Sublimation Printing How is it used?
Dye sublimation printing is mainly used in the garment industry to print special patterns or designs for clothing such as sportswear, or to produce fabric pattern samples before large production runs. Printers commonly used in the garment industry are no wider than 1.80 meters. In addition, some souvenir shops offer printing of photos on T-shirts, mugs or plates by printing the image in reverse onto paper (Paper Transfer), then pressing the paper onto the T-shirt, mug or plate with a heat press at 190-200 degrees Celsius. The ink on the paper sublimates into the fabric, mug or plate, making a popular souvenir
Today, 3.20-meter-wide dye sublimation inkjet printing is used for applications beyond garments and souvenirs, such as
- Printing on fabric for interior decoration where special patterns or designs are needed, such as curtains, bedspreads, pillowcases and wallpaper
- Fabric is also used to produce soft signage advertising up to 3 meters wide and tens of meters long, limited only by the length of the fabric roll. Today, popular fabric advertising applications include exhibitions and trade show booths, large backdrops, photo backdrops for press conferences, PR events and seminars, beach flags, table covers, roll-up banners, hanging banners, lightbox fabric, tents and much more. Using fabric for these applications offers easier installation (no sticker mounting), much faster setup, and much lighter weight. Fabric can be folded, making it very convenient to transport and move, easy to store and reuse, and better value
AD ON printed fabric products
See real fabric prints in our products: Evo Tube fabric backdrop, Lightbox, Beach Flag and Stretch Fabric Booth
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