What is dye sublimation printing?

In Brisbane, digital printing and dye sublimation printing are two techniques that are very popular with business owners, because they are such a cost-effective strategy to include in their marketing budget. These two techniques can be used to print emblems, brand messages and logos on just about any material and are a great way to promote your brand to the community.

What is dye sublimation printing?

In Brisbane, digital printing is a very popular method used to transfer your designs to t-shirts that you can then give away free to advertise your business. Dye sublimation printing is very similar, but is used to transfer these same designs to mouse mats, stubby coolers, micro-fibre garments and other 100% polyester promotional items, as well as to hard surfaces, such as ceramics and metals.

In dye sublimation printing you need to use special inks, a special printer and a heat press. The ink has to convert from a solid straight to a gas without becoming liquid and the printer has to withstand high temperatures. Because of the dye sublimation process, ceramics and metals (not polyesters) have to receive a special coating before you can imprint them with your designs.

Steps in the dye sublimation process

1.    First you need to design your artwork and load it onto your computer. Most businesses already have a company logo and branding messages, so they don’t need this step, as they can use their existing designs.

2.    Next, you need to print your designs onto the dye sublimation paper using the correct ink and printer. This process doesn’t work if you don’t have the right inks and the correct printer that can take high temperatures.

3.    Last, you need to use a heat press to transfer the artwork onto your material, whether that be a ceramic or metal mug or a polyester mouse mat.
 
The whole process is actually quite quick and very simple and you can print small or large jobs, depending on your needs at any one time. So you can see why lots of businesses use dye sublimation printing as well as digital printing in Brisbane to promote their brands – because it is a cost-effective and time-efficient marketing solution.