Dye Sublimation printing, or dye sub for short, is the preferred decorating method when you want to embed an image in polyester. Similar to DTG, ink is being absorbed by the substrate and the image becomes part of the substrate. You are actually dying the image onto the item as the ink is absorbed by the substrate. Dye sub printers can be super large for sign jobs, or no bigger than your home printer for shirts and other smaller jobs. An image is printed onto special transfer paper using dye sub inks. Sublimation is when a solid (the ink) turns to gas without hitting the liquid phase. When you place a dye sub print on a shirt, then hit it with high heat on a heat press, the ink changes to a gas and that gas sticks to the polyester fibers of the shirt. Therefore, the threads change color because of the gas, and your shirt now has a new design on it.
Advantages
No minimums – it’s great to have an option of getting just one shirt the way you want it, without purchasing large numbers you don’t need. You just need to print the designs you want onto the transfer paper, then press onto your shirt. Making only one is easy. You get exactly what you want on the shirt you want.
Multiple colors at once – since dye sub is a digital CMYK process, you get the same 16M color options you get with DTG. Photos, gradients, complicated images are all possible using dye sub. You get to avoid expensive screen print setup and screen charges that can quickly add up.
Photographic resolution – DTG is great for photos too, but you may really want it on a polyester shirt. Dye sub allows for that great photo to come to life on the dry fit shirt of your choice.
Maintain breathability of shirt – most people who want a dry fit polyester shirt want it for its breathability. Putting heavy inks or vinyl on it defeats the purpose. Using dye sub allows you to have your design for all to see while keeping the integrity of the shirt.
Nothing to crack or peel – I absolutely hate having a great shirt, but the image is cracking or falling off. With dye sublimation, that image is now part of the shirt for good. As long as that shirt is wearable, you’ll have that awesome one-of-a-kind design.
Ability to test new designs – if you are making custom shirts to resell, dye sublimation allows you to only need to produce what gets ordered. That way you can test out new designs without throwing a bunch of money in up front. This will help you do almost no-cost market research letting you know which designs folks prefer. Then you can do larger bulk runs to save on cost.
Personalization – a lot of times people use vinyl for names and numbers on the backs of sports shirts. However, you could use dye sub for that instead. Or, you could just put names on the front or create other ways to personalize your shirt that screen print wouldn’t allow.
Not just for shirts – there are thousands of items that can be customized with dye sublimation. License plates, flip flops, drinkware, flags, keychains, coasters, plaques, and tons of other gifts and promo items. But since you can truly customize just one, your gift can stand out above the rest.
Disadvantages
Color limitations – Just like DTG, dye sub is a dying process. Therefore, it works best on light colored shirts. You can’t add color to a black shirt to change the look. Therefore you need to stick with colors like white, grey, light blue, yellow, etc. for best results.
Fabric limitations – Again, just like DTG, dye sublimation is meant for one fabric type. You’re looking for at least 50% polyester in your garment, with 100% polyester providing the best results.
Lower economies of scale – there are several steps to dye sub, which means more labor. Plus the paper and inks can be more expensive than other decorating types.
Dye Sublimation is a great option when it comes to polyester shirts and custom gift ideas. The options are endless on what you can do with it. It can be a little more expensive, but most would say the final results are well worth the extra cost. There are tons of folks who only want dye sub dry fit shirts because of the awesome designs and the way they feel. Give it a try to see if it is the right fit for you.