sublimation transfer paper

With sublimation, you are limited to white and light-colored polyester fabrics or polyester coated hard surfaces. Sublimation does not work with cotton or other fabrics. You cannot just go to the store and grab a mug or other item and sublimate on it, it must have a polymer coating that allows for the sublimation process. Heat transfer paper can be used on virtually any fabric: polyester, cotton, blends, nylon and more. You can also decorate hard surface items without a polymer coating. There are very few limitations on what you can transfer to with heat transfer paper. Durability & Feel or “Hand” of the Image Since sublimation happens when the polyester fabric is dyed, you won’t feel the image on the shirt or surface. It has a very light hand. Additionally, it is more durable than heat transfer paper and will not crack like a heat transfer paper design eventually would. Since heat transfer paper leaves an image on top of the garment, you will be able to feel the design on the shirt. Heat transfer paper can vary in the feel or “hand” of the design depending on a multitude of factors including the type or brand of heat transfer paper used and whether a RIP software or a T.Seal finishing sheet has been utilized. Depending on the type of heat transfer paper that you use, you may need to “weed” or cut and trim your design before transferring it on to your substrate. There are no inkjet self-weeding transfer papers on the market. However, there are some self-weeding options for laser heat transfer paper. For heat transfer, there are two-step self-weeding transfer papers on the market. No cutting or weeding is involved with sublimation. Since only the areas of the paper that have sublimation ink on them are sublimated onto the garment or substrate, there’s no weeding or cutting involved.