Dye Sublimation
At UK Printing we supply a range of blank sublimation products from blank sublimation mugs, blank sublimation enamel mugs, blank sublimation water bottles and much more. Whether you are looking for just one box or a pallet of sublimation blanks, then we are the website for you.
What Is Dye Sublimation Printing?
Dye sublimation machines are widely accessible to public consumers as well as businesses, meaning that sublimation printing is becoming increasingly popular with people who have small home run businesses as well as larger print corporations. Sublimation printing is a form of digital printing that uses heat to transfer an image on to a multitude of materials such as paper, ceramic, wood, clothing and much more.
How Does Dye Sublimation Printing Work?
Firstly, the image you want to appear on your chosen product is printed on to special sublimation paper using dye-sub inks that will allow the image to be transferred when heated. Place your design on a blank dye sub product and with the combination of heat and pressure, the sublimate process is triggered. This means once the dye is heated, it makes the transition between a solid form to gas form, without having to go through the liquid form. Once the ink hits the substrate, it converts from a gas back to a solid form leaving behind a full colour image on your product.
Why Do You Need Dye Sublimation Ink?
As mentioned above, when printing on to blank dye sublimation products such as dye sub mugs, dye sub bottles, dye sub coaster and etc, a special ink needs to be used and not just your normal printer ink. Dye sublimation inks goes through a sublimate process that allows full colour images to be transferred when heat and pressure is applied. Dye sub inks last much longer than traditional inks and it is water-proof. The ink needs to be applied with high heat, making smudging of the image transfer almost impossible, offering incredible accuracy. Dye sublimation blanks such as mugs are put through rigorous testing to ensure the longevity of your design that won't peel or fade when washed.
What is Sublimation Printing Used For?
There are a vast variety of products that can be used for dye sublimation printing. It's ideal for personalising products for your business, large scale merchandise for events or short run individual sales for home run businesses. The most popular products that are used for this style of printing are ceramic mugs, coasters, water bottles and shirts.
Whilst most products can be printed on when they come with the dye sub coating, it would be good to bear in mind that this printing process will not work on cotton or natural fabrics, only on synthetic fabric. Instead of the ink bonding with the fibres when heated like it does with the synthetic fabric, the ink during the gas phase will pass straight through the natural fibres, thus failing to print a high quality full colour image.
Dye Sublimation Mugs
Dye sublimation ceramic mugs are one of the most popular selling items on the market and they are ideal as personalised gifts or promotional products. Our mugs have been rigorously and independently tested for up to 3,500 dishwasher cycles. The dye sub mugs come with a glossy white canvas ready to be printed and majority of the mug come with a special ORCA coating like our classic Durham Sublimation Mug, Latte Sublimation Mug and Two Toned Black Sublimation Mug. If your looking something a little more delicate, then we also stock the Balmoral Bone China Sublimation Mug. What about something a little different like our Stainless Steel 300ml Carabiner Sublimation Mug that comes with a robust metal mug with a versatile carabiner clip that doubles as the handle.
Dye Sublimation Water Bottles
Dye sublimation water bottles are also a big seller and available in different styles to choose from. They are ideal as promotional merchandise for sports clubs, schools, events and businesses or as one off personalised gifts. Our Aluminium 600ml White Sublimation Water Bottle is a light weight bottle that comes with 2 different style caps to suit your needs, available in white or silver. The Stainless Steel 500ml Silver Thermal Sublimation Water Bottle is one of our best sellers. It's made with a double wall construction that will keep your drink either hotter or cooler for longer. Available in white or silver.
If you have any questions or enquires regarding dye sublimation printing, then please don't hesitate to give our friendly team at UK Printing a call on 0344 8099 363 or email us at sales@ukprinting.com
