Can You Do Dye Sublimation Printing On Blends & Colored T-Shirts?

Making new and exciting designs on t-shirts is a fun process as you can cultivate amazing outcomes that can be worn on a daily basis. Dye sublimation printing is one such process that allows you to get started on this journey.

Sublimation is a scientific term which means turning solid into gas without it becoming a liquid first. Sublimation printing is a process where you lay your design first on the shirt, then use pressure and heat to transfer the solid ink from the sublimation sheet to turn into a gas and transfer onto the garment or whichever surface you want. But the dye sublimation printing process does come with its own set of restrictions, here are the main 3 you need to know about- the sublimation ink doesn’t print white ink, it is not visible on dark colors and the best, most vivid results appear on 100%polyester fabric.

While keeping these 3 things in mind about dye sublimation printing, we are not ruling out colored or blended shirts. You can most definitely print on a blended and colored t-shirt with this printing method but the results will vary greatly and you have to be prepared for that. 100% polyester shirts in white will give you the most vivid and vibrant results but with the right technique you can achieve similar results on other blended fabrics and colors.

The best way to sublimate on colored and blended shirts is by using heat transfer vinyl with top quality vinyl cutter blades. In order to do that you have to print the sublimation print above the heat transfer vinyl on the shirt first, it will then be followed by the sublimation paper. The heat transfer vinyl layer will ensure a more vivid design with bright and lively colors.

In order to understand better as to what exactly will transpire if you sublimate on 100% polyester shirts on pure white versus different blends of fabric and other colors, read on!

Sublimation on 100% Polyester White Shirts

The best results will come out with this combination of pure polyester shirts in white color. Use heat transfer vinyl along with the sublimation printing if you have more complex colors to transfer but if you only have a couple of colors you can only use the heat transfer vinyl method as well.

You can wash these shirts several times but there won’t be any change in the sharpness and vividness of the print or the colors, they will not fade one bit. As mentioned earlier, the sublimation ink doesn’t print white ink but it shows all the other colors beautifully on a white colored shirt. These shirts are best for wholesale sign supplies and so many other purposes as they can be popping out of the crowd.

Sublimation on 100% Polyester but in Different Colors

You need both the 100% polyester and white to bring out the best results. If you are using a 100%polyester shirt but the color is now a light blue or pink or a gray color then be sure that the ye sublimation printing will take on the color of the substrate you’re pressing your design on.

The colors appear bright, vivid on white but on a gray or pink or green they will be interfered heavily by the base color. To put it in simple words, the darker the colors the less vibrant and vivid the colors will show up and in case of black, nothing at all will show up to the naked eye, even though it is there.

Sublimation on 75% Polyester T-shirts (White/ Blended)

The presence of polyester in the shirt is a very important factor of a good dye sublimation printing as the chemical properties of the dyes require a higher polyester percentage. That is why 100% polyester t-shirts are the best as they have no other blend in them. But if we take a material that has a blend of 75% polyester, 13% cotton and 12% rayon instead of 100% polyester then the results will be a little less vibrant.

As the chemical printing dye works best on artificial material such as polyester the 13% cotton and 12% rayon mix will bring the vibrancy about 25% down. After washing the initial dye you can also expect a bit more fading as the color starts to wash off from pure fabrics. If you take a white blended shirt the result will be a little less vibrant but if you take a gray or pink or blue or green blended shirt along then expect an even more subtle color payoff.

Sublimation of 50% Polyester T-shirts (White/ Blended)

Polyester is an artificial fabric so the fabric isn’t that soft, breathable and comfortable to wear. Blended fabrics make these shirts more wearable especially in hot and humid seasons like summers and monsoons.

But when it comes to sublimation printing it means in 50% polyester only 50% of the dye will transfer which means you will only get 50% vibrancy and 50% of the vividness. When the initial printing is done, it may even look very graphic and bright and intense but with the first wash, half of the ink will wash out and you will be left with 50% of the ink.

Choose the Best Dye Sublimation Printer

Although you need 100% polyester and white t-shirt for the best, most graphic results, a good quality dye sublimation printer and vinyl cuter blades are equally important, especially if you're aiming for wholesale sign supplies. PerfectcutVinyl is the best site that offers you top quality printers that will allow you to get the best image transferred on your shirts.

Below I am posting some pictures that will give you the best idea about how different dye sublimation prints will appear on 100% polyester, blended fabric in white and other colors.

Conclusion

Dye sublimation printing is the fun and cool way of getting all the latest memes, slogans and relevant one lines to be printed on your t-shirts. Although it does come with its restrictions, if you can look past them, you can enjoy a world full of cool things!!