Why Dye Sublimation Printing Is Growing Rapidly?

If you are interested in making unique customized items such as printing on mugs, T-shirts, etc., then you must be wondering why sublimation printing is growing so fast? Dye sublimation printing enables vivid, clear and vibrant images and stunning products.

In fact, this print format is very popular because it helps keep budgets low when producing small quantities of goods. Dye sublimation printing produces fairly long-lasting prints and is known for its extremely slow fading.

This article can help you understand why this printing process is developing so rapidly.

Dye sublimation is a printing process that uses special heat transfer paper to transfer printing to polyester fabrics and polyester resin coated products by hot pressing. Heating the ink to boiling point converts it from a solid to a gas and etches an image or pattern onto the fabric. This process works best with 100% polyester. You can print on hard or soft substrates including bags, blankets, mugs, key chains, socks, decorations, skis, watches, apparel, soft labels and custom tiles.

These printers are not ordinary printers and are not suitable for typical workplaces and media such as paper, labels or envelopes. Instead, it’s used on many common items, such as coffee mugs, T-shirts, and other novelty items.

Mouse pads, floor mats, coasters, flip-flops, active wristbands, swimwear, shower curtains, and sportswear are all suitable media for dye-sublimation printing. In addition to these broad promotional uses, dye-sublimation printers can also produce photo prints or postcards from specially coated media such as card or paper.

In the early days of dye sublimation, equipment was very expensive, and many users were intimidated by the multi-step process. Just a few years ago, the cheapest large-format sublimation printers on the market were around $20,000. This does not include the heat press, which is an absolutely necessary piece of sublimation printing. Around the same time, a roller press cost at least $40,000, meaning you would spend at least $60,000 to get your sublimation business up and running.

But today, it’s a completely different story. There are more and more varieties on the market, the technology is more and more mature, and the price is more and more affordable. Mimaki and Epson are the two top brands of sublimation printing, and the price of the equipment has also been reduced to around $10,000. The development of heat presses has also gradually matured, and there are more choices for products under $20,000. Small heat presses are also in high demand and can be individually printed on products such as coffee mugs, footballs, hats and more.In just a few years, the cost of sublimation production has been cut in half. This has also made sublimation printing more and more popular.