The Sublimation Journal

Lori S sent in this great comparison of desktop sublimation printers. Thanks Lori!

We’ve been in the tee shirt business for about ten years and during that time; I’ve owned about ten different printers, mostly dye sublimation printers. These are inkjet printers, used for dye sublimation heat transfer, for putting images on tee shirts and other items. Here’s a little sublimation printer review of what’s currently available on the market.

Sublimation Printer ebay:
A good source of printers for dye sub, be careful not to get the photo sublimation printers, they are NOT what you want to use for transfers. Look for printers that use sublimation printer ink. Other places to find sublimation printers for sale: sublimation printers – craigslist does not have any usable listings in any city I looked. The best source for decent sublimation printers is a reputable company that supplies sublimation printing paper, like Conde Systems, Johnston Award Supply Co. or use google to find a company.

I recommend Conde (http://www.conde.com), they have a great tech support crew and lots of info in their knowledge base, plus a huge array of products. Once you start buying from them they sign you up to their partnernet and you get access to templates, instructions and all kinds of helpful advice.

Sublimation Printers Epson
Epson makes some printers with the Micro Piezo printhead, which is ideal for dye sublimation. Here’s a comparison chart:

C120
R800
1400
4880
4 Color Printer
7 Color printer with gloss optimizer
6 Colors

8 colors; can use two different kinds of ink, 4 on each side!
Maximum Printable Area: 8.5″ x 44″
Up to 8.5″ X 14″ cut-sheet paper
Print 13″ x 19″
Prints 17” wide

Sublimation Printers Ricoh
A new inkjet printer has emerged, with Micro Piezo printheads; the Ricoh GelSprinter has two models that are useful for dye sublimation printing:

GX5050N
GX7000
Uses 4 Colors
Uses 4 Colors
Maximum Printable Area: 8.5″ x 44″
Print 13″ x 19″ (with additional feed tray)

By the way, for sublimation printers, UK suppliers, they can be ordered from transferpress.com; sublimation printers Australia, try Nova.

Now, all the printers listed above are fairly good for the purpose, the main considerations are the cost of the inks and how big the printers can print. If you have a bigger heat press, you will want to go wide. I use a small C120 in my RV and take it to flea markets and fairs and it travels quite well.

The 4 color printers are great because you only have to get four cartridges. The 4880 is unique in that you can buy 4 sublimation cartridges and also load 4 regular ink cartridges or heat transfer inks. I like ChromaBlast on one side, it’s a special system for printing on cotton garments, but that’s another subject. You do have to get special software to set this dual printing up, check with Conde for advice there.

The Epson printers have bulk feed ink delivery systems available and you can buy bottles of ink to fill them and that may save some money in the long run. The Ricoh printers use gel ink in cartridges and they are very easy to change, no clogs, no fuss, so I vote for them. The GX7000 is the best one I have owned, very fast and reliable.

Good luck with your sublimation printing!

Add towels to the list of full-color, short-run customized products made possible with sublimation.

Over the last several years, sublimation has provided incredible opportunities for digital decorators offering full-color, short-run, customized products. Now, digital decorators can add sublimated towels to their product list.

Towels make an easy extension to the typical sublimator’s inventory and often work as eye-catching samples to attract new jobs. And your customers will like them because they are washable and remain vivid through normal use, including the sand, sun, and fun they are intended for.

Creating Sublimated Towels

Sublimatable towels should have a smooth side made from synthetic fibers. Condé’s DyeTrans towels are made by combining a cotton terry cloth face with a microfiber terry cloth face. The microfiber side, made from a polyester derivative, is receptive to most forms of sublimation including color laser copier and inkjet transfers.

While digital decorators have tried sublimating on colored substrates, the best sublimated results are achieved on white towels, especially when transferring photographs. Without the white towel as a plain background, the photograph’s hues will assume the color of the towel used.

To get vibrant transfers of digital images, you must begin with a good photograph. Don’t forget that photos should be at least 150 dots per inch when printed. Make sure the picture’s contrast will yield good results by adjusting the auto contrast or levels in Photoshop. If you use Corel PhotoPaint, adjust level equalization (version 9) or contrast enhancement (version 10).

For spot-color matching, try a color matching system such as TruMatch or FocolTone. The TruMatch or FocolTone color palettes can be loaded into graphics software such as CorelDraw or Photoshop. Designers can then print the palettes and transfer them to towels. The sublimated charts can be used as references when matching color.

If your towels come out with a ghosted image, which is caused by paper movement during the transfer, mist the transfer with a temporary thermal adhesive spray on the print side. This will temporarily hold the transfer on the towel’s surface.

You don’t need to print full-bleed transfers to make a great towel. Full bleeds may not even be possible, depending on the output size of your printer and heat press platen size. To print on larger towels, try dividing the design into several transfers for multiple pressings.

Although transferring one-piece, full-bleed designs in multiple pressings may be impractical—imperfections are often created as two pressings are joined—you may have success with multiple pressings that are naturally divided by a white background. For example, you could use multiple pressings to transfer a logo, image and slogan onto a larger towel that would not fit onto a smaller heat press. If customers frequently order bigger, full-color bleeds on large towels, consider partnering with another decorator who owns bigger sublimation presses.

Finding a market

Sublimated towels are popular in many niche markets, from the traditional to the unexpected. Don’t be afraid to think beyond expected uses for towels: think of them as terry cloth trophies. Try marketing them as groomsman gifts, safety awards, baby gifts, housewarming gifts, gifts from realtors, religious gifts, pet towels, corporate gifts, and school spirit towels. Always remember to show samples and to market sublimated products, such as mugs and towels, together for maximum value.

Several programs can help you find the right prospects and close sales, such as Unisub’s Sublimation Target Marketing. This program’s modules explain the fundamentals of sublimation and help you focus on a niche market, such as team sports, suggesting which sports could be most lucrative.

The program also lists helpful associations related to the niche, contact information, and Web site links for prospective customers in a region. A generic sales letter and pricing and packaging suggestions are also provided.

Additional niches you can market sublimated towels to include:

Sports. Serious golfers carry golf towels; most golfers will buy two or more a year. Golf towels, like bag tags, are high-demand items that sublimation can turn into high-profit products. Digital decorators can customize towels with a variety of designs including tournament promotions, course photos, club logos, corporate sponsor logos, and course maps.

Towels are in high demand in other sports as well. As with golf, every bowler needs a towel. Find out about events and activities, and drop off some samples at your local bowling alley to target the regular crowd. Towels make great team gifts, for example, when they feature a photo of the team. And don’t forget boating and fishing. A photo of a prized catch on a hand towel is perfect evidence to support that big fish story. Or how about a towel for the next regatta?

Clubs and organizations. Consider promoting towels for fund-raisers and annual events. How about a towel for this year’s local chili cook-off? Also look to summer camps and fraternity and sorority events.

Product Promotion. Try this pitch with product promoters: “Imagine launching your new product with a photo on a hand or bath towel.” A terry cloth advertisement is far more memorable than a typical flier or brochure.

Partnerships. One fast way to achieve healthy sales is to partner with companies already selling to your target customer. For example, contact sports photographers and offer to provide sport towels to their customers at a reasonable price. Or call on local golf, tennis, and bowling pros to place your towels.

Sublimated towels can open new doors for digital decorators, giving them an easy way to wipe out the competition. When quick, customizable imprinted products are requested, sublimation can be a profitable solution. The possible markets are only governed by your imagination.