Recently Printwear Magazine asked me a few questions about sublimation of apparel. Here are these answers to the questions; What can apparel sublimation do for my shop? and What are some advantages/disadvantages to all-over apparel sublimation? What are your thoughts?
Why – If you have read anything I have written on sublimation, you will know I am a true sublimation evangelist. I find the process fascinating and the possibilities endless. On top of the possibilities, the value proposition for the decorator is the real area for success. For the cotton enthusiasts, like it or not, polyester is here to stay. The ability to sell a polyester garment at a premium draws most people to sublimation for apparel decoration.
So you have heard of sublimation and maybe your customers are even asking you for sublimated items. Or maybe you are tired of dealing with dye migration or trying to find the right additives or other headaches related to decorating polyester. So you go to the ISS Show and find a sublimation printer and think you are ready. While that is most likely a decent starting point, I’m guessing you invested in a small format printer. In my opinion, about 85% of sublimators are using a small format system and many are doing pretty well. Small format is actually defined in the sublimation industry as any printer under 42” in width. So with all of those people using small format technology, why was I was excited to be asked by Impressions to write about wide-format, roll-to-roll sublimation? Wide Format Sublimation technology is one of those fields in our industry that has some misunderstandings that I would like to expose. Also, I want to share with you some new potential markets with the addition of wide-format roll to roll sublimation equipment.