Frequently Ask Question

Sublimation occurs when sublimation inks are met with the proper time, temperature and pressure to turn them from a solid form into a gas form. From there, the polymers on a polyester coated substrate that the ink transfer is taped to open up and capture the ink, returning them back into a solid form. In the sublimation process the ink goes from a solid, to a gas, back to a solid again while skipping the liquid phase.

Sublimation is a physical change because the inks are going from a solid, to a gas and back to a solid while skipping the liquid phase. This physical change happens when sublimation inks are put under the right time, temperature and pressure.

Sublimation happens when sublimation inks are met with the proper time, temperature and pressure to turn them from a solid form into a gas form. From there, the polymers on a polyester coated substrate that the ink transfer is taped to open up and capture the ink, returning them back into a solid form. In the sublimation process the ink goes from a solid, to a gas, back to a solid again while skipping the liquid phase.

Sublimation takes place when sublimation inks are met with the proper time, temperature and pressure to turn them from a solid form into a gas form. From there, the polymers on a polyester coated substrate that the ink transfer is taped to open up and capture the ink, returning them back into a solid form. In the sublimation process the ink goes from a solid, to a gas, back to a solid again while skipping the liquid phase.

Sublimation happens when sublimation inks are met with the proper time, temperature and pressure to turn them from a solid form into a gas form. From there, the polymers on a polyester coated substrate that the ink transfer is taped to open up and capture the ink, returning them back into a solid form. In the sublimation process the ink goes from a solid, to a gas, back to a solid again while skipping the liquid phase.

As of right now, there is no way for sublimation to print white. That is because there is no white sublimation ink. When a sublimation design is printed, the white areas are actually the absence of color on the sheet. When you see white in the designs of a sublimated item, the white is from the undertone of the blank item it is being printed on. That is why we suggest sublimating on white or light colored items. Since sublimation ink is transparent and sublimation cannot print white, the color of the item that is being sublimated on is very important. Any sublimated design will pick up the undertone of the product it is being sublimated on.

When trying to decide where to get started in sublimation the first thing you need to ask yourself is “What do I want to make?”.

Once you decide what you want to make, your journey into the sublimation world gets a lot easier. From there, you can decide what size printer you want to buy and which printer manufacturer you want to go with.

While there are several desktop sublimation printer manufacturers out there, we recommend Sawgrass. There are two different sizes you can choose from, the SG500 or the SG1000.

The SG500 prints on a paper size of 8.5”x11” while the SG1000 prints on a paper size of 11”x17”. Each also comes with the option to purchase a bypass tray which allows you to feed longer paper into your machine for larger projects. What you should buy depends on what size items you want to create and how many designs you want to fit on each sheet of paper.

Sawgrass has been around for more than 35 years and were pioneers in the desktop sublimation movement. Sawgrass printers are made by sublimation experts solely for the use of sublimation. Sawgrass inks are created in the US and made to work with Sawgrass printers. Sawgrass printers also come with their own color correction technology, run on automatic self-maintenance cycles, have lifetime tech support and come with a 2-year warranty.

Next, you need to find a blanks distributor. Your success as a sublimation business will largely depend on the quality of blanks you can provide to your shoppers. Try to find a blanks distributor that has items that are well made, well coated in polyester, keep up with consumer buying trends and are cost effective.

Here at Craft Express, we attempt to offer all of those things! Our blanks are coated in 100% polyester and made from the finest ceramic, stainless steel, polyester, glitter and sequin materials we can find. We also keep a close eye on trends in both the sublimation and retail/ecommerce world. We work to bring in unique products that we know will ‘WOW’ the average shopper. All of our double-walled stainless steel drinkware is certified for 8+ hours of temperature control and can compete with any of the top names in the drinkware market. Plus, we try to keep our costs low so that you can keep your profit margins competitive.

Sublimation occurs when sublimation inks are met with the proper time, temperature and pressure to turn them from a solid form into a gas form. From there, the polymers on a polyester coated substrate that the ink transfer is taped to open up and capture the ink, returning them back into a solid form. In the sublimation process the ink goes from a solid, to a gas, back to a solid again while skipping the liquid phase.

Sublimation happens when sublimation inks are met with the proper time, temperature and pressure to turn them from a solid form into a gas form. From there, the polymers on a polyester coated substrate that the ink transfer is taped to open up and capture the ink, returning them back into a solid form. In the sublimation process the ink goes from a solid, to a gas, back to a solid again while skipping the liquid phase.

When sublimating whether or not you mirror depends on the type of item you are pressing. 99% of the items you press you will mirror the transfer. That includes ceramic, stainless steel, fabric, enamel and more. The one item that you will not mirror is glass IF you are pressing that item from the backside with the image showing through to the front. For example, glass ornaments, glass picture frames and glass tiles would all not be mirrored. However, glass drinkware you would mirror because you are laying your design on top of your item.

It’s best to use sublimation when you want to put a one-of-a-kind design and picture on a wide variety of drinkware, home, personal and travel items. Sublimation is the most durable way to make sure your creations last a lifetime. The sublimation process uses time, temperature, heat and sublimation inks to bake a design or picture into the polymer coating of a sublimation blank. Once that ink is in the coating, it will never come out no matter how much you wash it.

Sublimation takes place when sublimation inks are met with the proper time, temperature and pressure to turn them from a solid form into a gas form. From there, the polymers on a polyester coated substrate that the ink transfer is taped to open up and capture the ink, returning them back into a solid form. In the sublimation process the ink goes from a solid, to a gas, back to a solid again while skipping the liquid phase.

Sublimation is when a solid turns into a gas skipping the liquid phase.

Sublimation is when a solid turns into a gas skipping the liquid phase.

Sublimation works when sublimation inks are met with the proper time, temperature and pressure to turn them from a solid form into a gas form. From there, the polymers on a polyester coated substrate that the ink transfer is taped to open up and capture the ink, returning them back into a solid form. In the sublimation process the ink goes from a solid, to a gas, back to a solid again while skipping the liquid phase.

Sublimation printing works when sublimation inks are met with the proper time, temperature and pressure to turn them from a solid form into a gas form. From there, the polymers on a polyester coated substrate that the ink transfer is taped to open up and capture the ink, returning them back into a solid form. In the sublimation process the ink goes from a solid, to a gas, back to a solid again while skipping the liquid phase.

Sublimation occurs when a solid turns into a gas skipping the liquid phase.

Sublimation happens when a solid turns into a gas skipping the liquid phase.

Sublimation printing works when sublimation inks are met with the proper time, temperature and pressure to turn them from a solid form into a gas form. From there, the polymers on a polyester coated substrate that the ink transfer is taped to open up and capture the ink, returning them back into a solid form. In the sublimation process the ink goes from a solid, to a gas, back to a solid again while skipping the liquid phase.

No, sublimation cannot print white. That is because there is no white sublimation ink. When a sublimation design is printed, the white areas are actually the absence of color on the sheet. When you see white in the designs of a sublimated item, the white is from the undertone of the blank item it is being printed on. That is why we suggest sublimating on white or light colored items. Since sublimation ink is transparent and sublimation cannot print white, the color of the item that is being sublimated on is very important. Any sublimated design will pick up the undertone of the product it is being sublimated on.

Your success as a sublimation business will largely depend on the printer you have and the quality of blanks you can provide to your shoppers. Try to find a distributor that offers the type of printer you are looking for and who has items that are well made, well coated in polyester, keep up with consumer buying trends and are cost effective.

Here at Craft Express, we attempt to offer all of those things! Our blanks are coated in 100% polyester and made from the finest ceramic, stainless steel, polyester, glitter and sequin materials we can find. We also keep a close eye on trends in both the sublimation and retail/ecommerce world. We work to bring in unique products that we know will ‘WOW’ the average shopper. All of our double-walled stainless steel drinkware is certified for 8+ hours of temperature control and can compete with any of the top names in the drinkware market. Plus, we try to keep our costs low so that you can keep your profit margins competitive.

We sell the Sawgrass SG500 which prints on a paper size of 8.5”x11”. Sawgrass has been around for more than 35 years and were pioneers in the desktop sublimation movement. Sawgrass printers are made by sublimation experts solely for the use of sublimation. Sawgrass inks are created in the US and made to work with Sawgrass printers. Sawgrass printers also come with their own color correction technology, run on automatic self-maintenance cycles, have lifetime tech support and come with a 2-year warranty.

That is a loaded question. First, we would ask you to look at the audience you are trying to sell to or think about the designs/pictures you want to create with. But, there are without a doubt some items that never fail to sell in the sublimation market. 11oz & 15oz ceramic mugs are always a hot seller. 20oz Stainless Steel straight tumblers in white and glitter are also incredibly popular. Neoprene can coolers, tote bags, sequin backpacks, baby blankets, aprons and stainless steel can coolers are also very popular.

While sublimation inks are non-toxic and sublimated permanently into the coating of plates, we do not recommend eating off of them. Instead, we recommend using the plates for display purposes only.

The short answer… yes! Sublimation printers give you the unique ability to put you one-of-a-kind designs and pictures on a wide variety of drinkware, home, personal and travel items. Sublimation is the most durable way to make sure your creations last a lifetime. The sublimation process uses time, temperature, heat and sublimation inks to bake a design or picture into the polymer coating of a sublimation blank. Once that ink is in the coating, it will never come out no matter how much you wash it.

While there are several different desktop sublimation printers, they all require one thing… sublimation ink. Sublimation ink is different from regular ink in the way that it is made, in the size of the molecules and its ability to gas when put under the right time, temperature and pressure.

We recommend the Sawgrass SG500 or the Sawgrass SG1000. Sawgrass has been around for more than 35 years and were pioneers in the desktop sublimation movement. Sawgrass printers are made by sublimation experts solely for the use of sublimation. Sawgrass inks are created in the US and made to work with Sawgrass printers. Sawgrass printers also come with their own color correction technology, run on automatic self-maintenance cycles, have lifetime tech support and come with a 2-year warranty.

We recommend the Sawgrass SG500 or the Sawgrass SG1000.

The SG500 prints on a paper size of 8.5”x11” while the SG1000 prints on a paper size of 11”x17”. What you should buy depends on what size items you want to create and how many designs you want to fit on each sheet of paper.

Sawgrass has been around for more than 35 years and were pioneers in the desktop sublimation movement. Sawgrass printers are made by sublimation experts solely for the use of sublimation. Sawgrass inks are created in the US and made to work with Sawgrass printers. Sawgrass printers also come with their own color correction technology, run on automatic self-maintenance cycles, have lifetime tech support and come with a 2-year warranty.

We recommend the Sawgrass SG500 or the Sawgrass SG1000.

The SG500 prints on a paper size of 8.5”x11” while the SG1000 prints on a paper size of 11”x17”. What you should buy depends on what size items you want to create and how many designs you want to fit on each sheet of paper.

Sawgrass has been around for more than 35 years and were pioneers in the desktop sublimation movement. Sawgrass printers are made by sublimation experts solely for the use of sublimation. Sawgrass inks are created in the US and made to work with Sawgrass printers. Sawgrass printers also come with their own color correction technology, run on automatic self-maintenance cycles, have lifetime tech support and come with a 2-year warranty.

We recommend the Sawgrass SG500.

What you should buy depends on what size items you want to create and how many designs you want to fit on each sheet of paper. The SG500 prints on a paper size of 8.5”x11”.

Sawgrass has been around for more than 35 years and were pioneers in the desktop sublimation movement. Sawgrass printers are made by sublimation experts solely for the use of sublimation. Sawgrass inks are created in the US and made to work with Sawgrass printers. Sawgrass printers also come with their own color correction technology, run on automatic self-maintenance cycles, have lifetime tech support and come with a 2-year warranty.

We recommend the Sawgrass SG500.

What you should buy depends on what size items you want to create and how many designs you want to fit on each sheet of paper. The SG500 prints on a paper size of 8.5”x11”.

Sawgrass has been around for more than 35 years and were pioneers in the desktop sublimation movement. Sawgrass printers are made by sublimation experts solely for the use of sublimation. Sawgrass inks are created in the US and made to work with Sawgrass printers. Sawgrass printers also come with their own color correction technology, run on automatic self-maintenance cycles, have lifetime tech support and come with a 2-year warranty.

The Sawgrass SG1000 prints on a paper of 11”x17”.

Sawgrass has been around for more than 35 years and were pioneers in the desktop sublimation movement. Sawgrass printers are made by sublimation experts solely for the use of sublimation. Sawgrass inks are created in the US and made to work with Sawgrass printers. Sawgrass printers also come with their own color correction technology, run on automatic self-maintenance cycles, have lifetime tech support and come with a 2-year warranty.

A sublimation printer works by laying down sublimation ink onto paper made for sublimation. Initially, the prints will come out dull. But, with the proper time, temperature and pressure added to the paper on a polymer coated substrate, the image will transfer and pop with color!

No, sublimation printers cannot print white. That is because there is no white sublimation ink. When a sublimation design is printed, the white areas are actually the absence of color on the sheet. When you see white in the designs of a sublimated item, the white is from the undertone of the blank item it is being printed on. That is why we suggest sublimating on white or light colored items. Since sublimation ink is transparent and sublimation cannot print white, the color of the item that is being sublimated on is very important. Any sublimated design will pick up the undertone of the product it is being sublimated on.

Yes! Technically, sublimation will never stick to cotton! In the sublimation process, the ink requires a polymer (aka polyester) coated item to be transferred to. That is because polymers are the one material that can open up and trap ink. That is what allows your design to stay vibrant and never fade.

No, sublimation will not work on 100% cotton. Sublimation inks do not stick to cotton. In order for sublimation to work, all products require at least 50% polyester for the design to show up. The most polyester in an item, the more bold the design will be. It is recommended that you use white or light colored items for sublimation as well.

No, sublimation will not work on rayon. Sublimation only works on polyester or a polyester blend. If rayon is mixed with polyester the sublimation inks will stick to the polyester portion of the material. For example, a shirt that is 65% polyester and 35% rayon will only have a sublimation design stick to 65% of the material. This will result in the design having a slightly washed out look.

Yes, sublimation will work on 40% polyester, however, the design will look faded and washed out. That is because 60% if that material is not polyester. Which means that 60% of the design color and vibrancy isn’t clinging to the polyester. Though the design will look faded and washed out, that is not always a bad thing. This could be a great way to achieve a retro or worn look on a shirt.

Yes, sublimation will work on 50% polyester, however, the design will look faded and washed out. That is because 50% of that material is not polyester. Which means that 50% of the design color and vibrancy isn’t clinging to the polyester. Though the design will look faded and washed out, that is not always a bad thing. This could be a great way to achieve a retro or worn look on a shirt.

No, sublimation will not work on modal. Sublimation only works on polyester or a polyester blend. If modal is mixed with polyester the sublimation inks will stick to the polyester portion of the material. For example, a shirt that is 65% polyester and 35% modal will only have a sublimation design stick to 65% of the material. This will result in the design having a slightly washed out look.

Yes, sublimation will work on 50/50 however, the design will look faded and washed out. That is because 50% of that material is not polyester. Which means that 50% of the design color and vibrancy isn’t clinging to the polyester. Though the design will look faded and washed out, that is not always a bad thing. This could be a great way to achieve a retro or worn look on a shirt.

No, sublimation printing cannot be done on cotton. Sublimation inks do not stick to cotton. In order for sublimation to work, all products require at least 50% polyester for the design to show up. The most polyester in an item, the more bold the design will be. It is recommended that you use white or light colored items for sublimation as well.

No, sublimation cannot go on cotton. Sublimation inks do not stick to cotton. In order for sublimation to work, all products require at least 50% polyester for the design to show up. The most polyester in an item, the more bold the design will be. It is recommended that you use white or light colored items for sublimation as well.

Here at Craft Express, we have our own sublimation paper. We manufactured our paper to work will all sublimation printers that are currently on the market. Our paper is also manufactured to work with all of our blanks to achieve a bold and detailed look with every transfer.

Craft Express sells TruPix Sublimation Paper. In the near future, Craft Express will be selling its own branded sublimation paper that will be manufactured to work with all sublimation printers, inks and all Craft Express blanks.

Craft Express sells SubliJet UHD Ink for the Sawgrass SG500 printer. A full set of inks include Magenta, Cyan, Yellow and Black.

Craft Express sells TruPix Sublimation Paper. In the near future, Craft Express will be selling its own branded sublimation paper that will be manufactured to work with all sublimation printers, inks and all Craft Express blanks.

We recommend TruPix Paper for sublimating on shirts.

No, you cannot use sublimation inks for regular printing. Sublimation ink molecules are larger than regular inkjet ink molecules. Because of that, you need a sublimation printer so that the ink does not clog the print heads and ruin an inkjet printer.

No, sublimation ink cannot be removed. Once the sublimation ink is baked into the polymer coating of an item, it is there for good. That is because the polymers have trapped the ink inside of them. No amount of washing, scratching or rubbing will take that image out.

Yes, sublimation mugs are dishwasher safe, depending on what material the mug is. Ceramic and enamel mugs are top rack dishwasher safe. However, we recommend hand washing double walled stainless steel mugs to preserve the temperature control technology.

Just like any other mug, its safety in the microwave depends on what the mug is made out of. All ceramic sublimation mugs are microwave safe. We do not recommend putting stainless steel mugs in the microwave.

All of our tumblers are stainless steel and double walled for 8+ hours temperature control. Because of that, we recommend handwashing all of our tumblers. The heat from the dryer has the potential to breakdown the double wall seal inside of the tumbler and could impact the item’s temperature control capabilities in the long run.

Whether or not a sublimation cup is dishwasher safe depends on what material the cup is made out of. All of our ceramic and enamel cups are top rack dishwasher safe. All of our stainless steel items are double walled for 8+ hours temperature control. Because of that, we recommend hand washing all of our stainless steel substrates. The heat from the dryer has the potential to breakdown the double wall seal inside of the tumbler and could impact the item’s temperature control capabilities in the long run.

Yes, sublimation mugs can go in the dishwasher, depending on what material the mug is. Ceramic and enamel mugs are top rack dishwasher safe. However, we recommend hand washing double walled stainless steel mugs to preserve the temperature control technology.