What is sublimation?
Indeed, we talk a lot about sublimation at The Craft House. This is because it is a cool and varied product decoration technique. It allows you to create digital designs, digitize something hand-painted, or take a digital photo and imprint it permanently on a product. Mugs, phone cases, bags, shirts, notebooks, keychains... the list goes on and on. Simply print out your design using a dye sublimation printer and special transfer paper, then use a heat press to complete the transfer. simple!
But how does sublimation work?
There's a lot going on behind the scenes that you can't see. Sublimation is the chemical process of embedding dyes into the surface of polymers. While this may sound limited, substrate manufacturers have devised many ways to embed polymers into the surface of their products. Wood, ceramics, glass, and metals are just a few examples of materials that can be sublimated by adding a polymer coating. Therefore, the sublimation product market has grown very rapidly in recent years.
The science behind sublimation
The scientific definition of sublimation is the process of converting matter from a solid to a gas without becoming a liquid. This may sound odd considering that sublimation inks are liquids. However, sublimation inks are not real inks. They are highly viscous mixtures of dye solid particles in a carrier liquid. The sublimation process occurs when heat and pressure are applied to the dye solids embedded in the transfer medium during printing.
The combination of heat and pressure opens up the polymer molecules, allowing the dye solid to convert into a gas. The dye gases migrate into the open polymers, which close again as they cool. The gas also turns back into the solid pigment and gets trapped in the cooling surface. With this process, you are actually coloring the surface of the substrate, or in the case of textiles, the fibers of the fabric. This ensures you have high-resolution prints that won't fade, chip, or wash away.
Sound too technical?
No stress! This whole idea can seem very technical and even daunting. But don't worry. A company like Sawgrass that makes fully integrated sublimation systems does all the science for you. All you have to do is create, print and print with premium inks, printers, papers and substrates to ensure you get the end product you need for top price and repeat business.