You may have learned in chemistry that sublimation involves a substance that changes from a solid to a gas then back to a solid without ever becoming a liquid. In the hard surface sublimation industry, an image is printed onto transfer paper using dye-based inks and then transferred onto a specially-coated surface with heat and pressure. We carry bare products with a specialized formulated coating, and you sublimate any image onto those products. If you’ve never heard of sublimation, here’s something you may not know: getting started with sublimation on your own is easy! All you need is a computer, a printer with sublimation inks, transfer paper, a heat press and sublimation blanks we offer. Simply insert the sublimation ink cartridges into your printer. Print the image onto sublimation transfer paper designed for these sublimation blanks. Tape your transfer paper to your product with heat tape. Position your product on the heat press face up and apply specified pressure for the appropriate amount of time. Remove the transfer paper from the item and enjoy the beautiful outcome. Perfect for small retail shops, online shops, tourist shops, promotional gifts, trade show vendors, apparel sellers, and more. Universal Woods coats a variety of hard substrates including aluminum, MDF, hardboard and more. Our sublimation blanks are produced by an ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturer, and inspected to ensure the highest quality sublimatable products in the industry. Learn how to sublimate blanks from our step by step guide. Our instruction includes a list of materials, sublimation times and heat press temperatures. Heat transfer vinyl (HTV) can also be applied to these sublimation blanks.
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Sublimation is a digital print technology that allows the reproduction of full color images on a variety of substrates. Common sublimated products are coasters, mugs, photo panels, apparel and signage. Unisub and ChromaLuxe dye sublimation products are rigid, flat polymer coated items, specifically, Aluminum, Steel, Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF), Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) and Tempered Hardboard (THB). These are called substrates. Everything starts with a digital image - a family photo, an illustration or a graphic logo. This digital file will be printed using a dye sublimation printer loaded with dye sublimation transfer paper using dye sublimation inks. The combination of the printed transfer and the coated substrate are placed together into a heat press. Using temperatures up to 400°F/200°C and medium to high pressure, the magic can start. The heat allows the inks (dyes) to activate, migrating away from the printed transfer paper. The inks become a gas, and with the pressure of the heat press, they are transferred into the coated substrate. The substrate is coated so that with heat, "pores" within the coating open up and accept the inks. Upon cooling, the pores close and permanently retain the ink. The inks are then infused into the substrate's coating and cannot be scratched off. The final result is a beautiful, top quality print with vibrant colors that will last a lifetime.
If you have any questions, please contact us for further assistance. Our customer service representatives are always happy to help in any way.
