What is dye sublimation?

You may have learned in school that “sublimation” involves a substance that changes from a solid to a gas without ever becoming liquid.  In the signage, awards, apparel and personalizing of many different substrates, it’s the process where images are printed on specialty coated paper, then transferred to a coated surface or substrate.

Unlike conventional inks, sublimation inks are converted directly from a solid to gas under heat and pressure, causing them to bond with the fibers of synthetic materials, like polyester. The molecules of ink revert to a solid state upon cooling, permanently coloring the surface of polyester.  

According to Wilhelm-Research.com, dye sublimation ozone resistance ranges from approximately one decade to many.  What this means is sublimated materials are very durable and resist fading for an extended period of time.  Want that family photo to last forever? Sublimate it onto one of our aluminum photo panel's and it will last many lifetimes and is completely resistant to moisture, which means it can hold up to many washes on fabric with little to no fading, and many dishwasher cycles on mugs and drink ware.  Aluminum signage is extremely weather resistant.  

Another advantage of sublimation is the fact it dyes into the material so there is no feel of the image, just smooth fabric.  Sublimation printing is a popular method for printing high-quality images onto a variety of fabrics and items as the display features no resolution loss when comparing to the original image. With an image as clear as the source, a product made using the sublimation process will sustain its quality throughout the years.  

The sublimation process can only be used on 100% polyester material, some light colored polyester cotton blends with a high polyester count  or materials with a special polymer coating. Sublimation is best for white or light colored fabrics. This may seem like a limited option, but polymer coated products can include coasters, mugs, mouse pads and much more.