Overview
Dye-sub process that bonds ink into polyester coatings and fabrics using heat and pressure—mugs, apparel, and hard goods.
Quick facts
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Best for
- 2D · heat transfer
- Typical output
- Mugs, Tumblers, Polyester shirts
- Typical cost
- Printer $300–$3,000+; heat press $200–$1,500+
Excellent for
- Full-color graphics on polyester apparel and coated mugs★★★★★
- All-over prints without thick film feel★★★★★
- Small batch on-demand goodies★★★★★
Compatible with
Pros & cons
Pros
- ✔Full-color graphics on polyester apparel and coated mugs
- ✔All-over prints without thick film feel
- ✔Small batch on-demand goodies
Creator & maker guides
Equipment
- Sublimation inkjet printer
- Heat press
Materials
- Polyester fabric or polymer-coated blanks
- Sublimation ink
- Sublimation transfer paper
Machine settings
No items yet.
Quality control
No items yet.
Best practices
- 1Use 300 DPI raster art sized to the print area.
- 2Secure paper with heat tape on mugs to prevent ghosting.
- 3Profile blanks from the same supplier batch for consistent color.
- 4Preheat blanks to remove moisture before pressing.
Common mistakes
Printing on cotton (dye will not bond)
Printing on cotton (dye will not bond)
Ghosting from paper shift during press
Ghosting from paper shift during press
Color dulling from insufficient temperature or t…
Color dulling from insufficient temperature or time
Low
resolution artwork showing banding
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Printing on cotton (dye will not bond) | See guides below for context | Review creator/maker tabs and troubleshooting table |
| Ghosting from paper shift during press | See guides below for context | Review creator/maker tabs and troubleshooting table |
| Color dulling from insufficient temperature or time | See guides below for context | Review creator/maker tabs and troubleshooting table |
| Low-resolution artwork showing banding | See guides below for context | Review creator/maker tabs and troubleshooting table |
Helpful tools
DPI & resolution calculator
SoonImage size calculator
SoonBleed generator
SoonAspect ratio calculator
SoonHeat press time & temperature
SoonSublimation wrap calculator
Soon