Sublimation Supplies: What Do You Need for Sublimation Printing?

Sublimation printing has made it possible to customize almost anything, from personal mugs and pillows to a wide range of commercial products. The print quality is flawless, and you can achieve just about any style. Consequently, sublimation supplies are becoming more popular &#; and so is the sublimation printing business.

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Sublimation printing mostly relies on ink and heat pressure. However, you need a range of sublimation supplies to get started.

What sublimation supplies do I need?

Here is a brief overview of the supplies you will need for sublimation printing:

Sublimation printer

A sublimation printer handles the bulk of the sublimation printing process. Consequently, it is the first thing you should consider getting.

Sublimation printers come in different brands and offer varying features. Ensure that your sublimation printer meets all of your requirements. Size is one of the most important factors to consider &#; the largest printers can print up to 24'' of paper. Printing variety is also an important consideration &#; some printers only print paper, while others can print a wider range of materials, such as doormats and signs.

Computer & software

You will need a computer and printing software to operate your sublimation printer. The computer should be powerful enough to handle popular design programs such as CorelDRAW Graphics Suite.

Most printers come with built-in sublimation printing programs. These programs vary in quality, but most are easy to use and can create versatile designs. However, you can buy third party sublimation printing software or create your own. Remember, your software's quality will affect the quality of your sublimation printing products.

Ink & paper

You will need a steady supply of ink and paper for consistent sublimation printing. Get a full set of ink to manipulate any color. Additionally, remember that the quality of ink and paper will directly affect the quality of your sublimation printing products.

Heat press

Some people use a standard home iron for heat transfer. However, a home iron is cumbersome to use, and you need a heat press for professional sublimation printing.

A heat press is hot enough to deliver consistent and high-quality prints. Additionally, a heat press has a surface large enough to handle large papers. On that note, heat presses come in varying sizes and designs, so ensure that you get one that meets your requirements. Additionally, the heat press's design will also affect the quality and versatility of your prints.

You will also need a mug press if you want to print mugs and other ceramic utensils. However, a mug oven is recommendable as it can accommodate multiple utensils simultaneously, reducing your workload.

Sublimation blanks

Sublimation blanks essentially are the products you want to print. Most sublimation printers can only print paper, as mentioned. However, advanced printers can print products such as mugs and fabrics such as mugs and pillows.

Ideally, the products must be blank before printing. Additionally, the products must either be made of polyester or feature a special polyester coating for the ink to stick to the surface.

Miscellaneous supplies

The supplies covered above are most notable for their importance. However, you will also need a range of miscellaneous supplies that are also important for the printing process. These supplies include:

• Transfer gloves &#; to protect your hands from ink and heat.
• Spray adhesive &#; to secure the paper as you print.
• Thermal tape &#; this is also used to secure the paper as you print, and it is an alternative to spread adhesive.
• Foam pillows &#; to protect your fabrics products from direct heat from the heat press.
• Silicone cover sheets &#; to prevent ink from smearing on your heat-press.

Conclusion

These are the sublimation supplies you will need for sublimation printing. You will also need a creative mind, keen eye, and sublimation printing skills.

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Want to make t-shirts, tote bags, and tumblers with your sublimation printer? This is the ultimate guide to finding the best sublimation blanks and substrates for your projects!

Welcome back to this series on sublimation! Today we&#;re talking blanks and substrates.

In sublimation printing, you need a special blank or substrate with a poly-coating or enough polyester (we&#;ll cover that later) to transfer the design. A regular kitchen mug or 100% cotton t-shirt won&#;t work. If you use an item that isn&#;t meant for sublimation, you&#;ll end up with a faded design or no design at all.

In this post, we&#;ll talk about the different types of sublimation blanks you may want to use in your crafts, plus my favorite places to buy them! There&#;s so much information in this post, so make sure to bookmark it to return to as you begin to explore sublimation printing.

Join our Sublimation Made Simple Facebook group for tips, tricks, support, and resources!

In This Post:

What is a Blank or Substrate?

A blank, also often referred to as a substrate in sublimation printing, is a general name for an item that you can customize using sublimation prints with sublimation ink or Cricut Infusible Ink.

Sublimation blanks are different from regular blanks you can use with vinyl or iron on with heat transfer vinyl. I have a separate post on the best blanks for Cricut&#;these are great, but aren&#;t designed for sublimation specifically.

Best Places to Buy Sublimation Blanks and Substrates

Here are direct links to the sites and suppliers and I use for purchasing blanks for sublimation printing projects. A lot of the smaller retailers here can offer really competitive pricing on quality products, particularly if you buy in bulk.

Sign up for the lists for these sellers. They will often send out coupons and other deals like free shipping.

Note: Cricut, Michaels, and JOANN all sell blanks for Cricut Infusible Ink. These same blanks can ALSO be used for sublimation projects, since Infusible Ink is a sublimation product. Outside of Cricut Infusible Ink blanks, many the other blanks sold at these retailers are generally not sublimation friendly. Make sure to check the product page to see if they are sublimation-friendly.

A lot of the small businesses listed here also have great customer service so reach out if you have questions about a specific question! They have years of experience and can help a lot more than the larger online retailers that do not know sublimation crafting well.

Now let&#;s take a look at all of the amazing types of blanks out there, and where you can get them. I&#;ve broken them out by type of blank so that you can find what you&#;re looking for quickly and easily!

Drinkware Sublimation Blanks

The Process for Sublimating Drinkware

There are many types of sublimation drinkware you can use. Everything from coffee mugs to tumblers, glassware and more. To sublimate on the curved surface of a mug, you have several options for your heat source:

Sublimation Coffee Mugs

Coffee mugs are my favorite type of blank for sublimation, and the Cricut Mug Press makes it easy to make them! If you want to use mugs in the mug press, look for an outer diameter of 3.2&#; to 3.4&#;.

Sublimation Travel Mugs

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Contact us to discuss your requirements of Dye Sublimation Consumables. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Travel mugs are generally designed to fit within a car&#;s cupholder and usually have a lid. They often require a mug wrap or shrink film to get an even transfer since the walls are not straight-sided.

Sublimation Water Bottles

Stay hydrated! Water bottles come in both straight-side and tapered-side styles. Make sure you&#;re purchasing bottles that will fit in your press, or the necessary wraps or shrink film.

Sublimation Tumblers

Tumblers are often skinner than may fit in a mug press, and are occasionally taller than some of the convection ovens out there. Check out How to Sublimate a Tumbler Using Shrink Wrap & a Convection Oven for more information.

Other Sublimation Drinkware

Barware and Kitchen Sublimation Blanks

Barware Sublimation Blanks

In addition to actual cups and tumblers and mugs, there are lots of other fun &#;barware&#; blanks to sublimate&#;think just about anything you might find on a bar cart or in a hostess gift basket!

Kitchen Sublimation Blanks

Then head to the kitchen with these fun blanks and substrates!

Apparel & Soft Blanks

Let&#;s talk clothing and other soft blanks! One cool thing about sublimating apparel and other soft items is that you do not necessarily have to purchase an item that is specifically labeled for sublimation. Sublimation works best on 70% &#; 100% polyester fabrics, which you can often find in everyday places you shop. Just check the tag!

When looking for polyester counts, you want at least 65%, but ideally more like 75%+ will help your transfer work really well. The lower the polyester count, the more &#;vintage&#; your design will appear.

Apparel Sublimation Blanks

Sublimation Bags, Totes, and Pouches

Home Decor Soft Blanks

Miscellaneous Blanks

This is another area where you can have A LOT of fun with sublimation. You wouldn&#;t believe how many everyday items are created using the process of sublimation. You can add a family photo to your mobile case, create custom luggage tags, and more! Here are a few of my favorite miscellaneous blanks for sublimation!

Tech Blanks

Home Decor

Gift Ideas

Frequently Asked Questions about Sublimation Blanks

Where Can I Get the Cheapest Sublimation Blanks?

Prices and sales change all the time, so it&#;s best to shop around. But remember that cheapest isn&#;t always the best. Really cheap blanks often produce poor transfers or have sublimation coatings that chip or flake.

What is a Poly-Coating?

Hard sublimation blanks, like mugs and tumblers, have a special poly coating that allows for the sublimation process to work when the transfer is applied to the blank using heat. You must have a sublimation blank with the poly-coating for sublimation to work.

What Polyester Count is Best for T-Shirts?

If you&#;re doing soft blanks, like t-shirts and other apparel, 65% polyester will get you a more faded vintage look, and the higher you go, the brighter your transfer will be.

Check Out these Additional Sublimation Posts & Tutorials!

Now that you know where to purchase your blanks and substrates from, check this out on how to care for them once you have the sublimation design completed &#; Printable Sublimation Care Tags with Washing Instructions! Check out this post too, for some cute Christmas sublimation ideas &#; Free Christmas Sublimation Designs + Ideas for How to Use Them! And for even more blanks and substrates, check out Where to Buy Plus Size Blanks: T-Shirts, Hoodies, and More!

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