About Sublimation
The Basics - The Process - The Possibilities

Note: This is the first page of your guided tour. The link to the next page, and previous page is always at the bottom.

The Basics

There is no single color, imprinting method that will print text (especially with names) and single color graphics, on metal plates and many textiles, faster or more economically than dye sublimation toner cartridges, in an ordinary desktop laser printer, using plain copier paper. Added to this is the fact that the graphic "look" of sublimated products are widely accepted and bought, all across the United States.

Add low start-up cost to the above and it is easy to understand why this process is a great addition to an existing business and even a great start-up venture by itself.

Many companies already have most or all of the simple equipment needed. A basic computer, almost any type of graphics or desk top publishing program (or even Microsoft Word and Word Perfect), any one of hundreds of laser printers, a flatbed heat press (there are specialized heat presses for ball caps and coffee mugs) and a plate cutter, to cut metal plates, is all that is needed. Add a sublimation toner cartridge to that list and you are ready to make some serious money.

With this equipment you are ready to produce plaque plates, trophy plates, badges, door signs, direction signs, desk name plates, ID plates, legend plates, or hundreds of other items that need a lettered plate. Also, many textiles, such as T-shirts, ball caps, mouse pads, and other items with at least a 65% polyester content, can be sublimated.

Include an inexpensive scanner along with a simple to use illustration program, like Photo Shop, and logo's can be easily added to your artwork.

Sublimation allows a dozen items to be imprinted much cheaper than silk screening or thousands of items to be imprinted much, much faster than engraving. Unlike the old days of hand lettering and engraving, the power of the computer, and a sublimation cartridge, can turn anyone into a sought-after, skilled artist.

While lasering, computer engraving and full color sublimation ink (for color inkjet printers) lettering methods fulfill important roles, the sublimation toner cartridge method remains a favorite of enterprising entrepreneurs wanting to add to their bottom line.

Compared to other imprinting methods, startup costs are low, (part of the tour, in "helpful hints" page under Equipment), the learning curve is simple, supplies inexpensive and productivity very high. These pluses can create a bottom line that leaves you chuckling all the way to the bank.

If you would like to receive sublimation samples, sample transfers you can test, our free newsletter "Alphabits" and other information, just contact us.

The Process

Dye Sublimation Toner- Refers to a specific type of toner, loaded into a laser printer cartridge, that allows you to sublimate. Ordinary printer toner won't work. The term is very specific. Sublimation Ink, for inkjet printers, is a totally different animal. Sublimation inks print full color transfers. They work very nicely on white. On almost every thing else, especially gold metal, the image looks faded.

To Sublimate or Sublimation- Refers to the specific ability or work needed to print a transfer onto a suitable polymer coated item. For example, "I sublimate metal plates and some textiles" or "Sublimation is a fast way to imprint things." Since sublimation must be done with a heat press, the most common word used to describe the actual work is "burn." For example, "I burned over two hundred plates this morning."

A Transfer - is the actual piece paper that has been printed using a dye sublimation toner cartridge. For example, "Have you printed the transfers for that job yet?"

Dye Sublimation Toner Cartridge - is the formal name for a laser printer cartridge that holds sublimation dye and has been re-engineered to deliver it correctly. The word toner identifies it as a carbon based powder rather than ink which is basically a liquid, with a suspension of toner. "Toner cartridge" is the most commonly used industry term. As in, "John, the low toner light came on the printer this morning. Better order another black toner cartridge."

Re-Engineered Cartridge - refers to the fact that a great sublimation toner cartridge requires better and different parts than what are found in a standard "off the shelf" cartridge. Sublimation toner is much coarser and more abrasive than regular toner. It also goes on the drum much heavier and won't deliver optimally, unless re-engineered.

"Get A Roll Going" - The sweetest term sublimation professional's use. The actual work of producing sublimated products is so simple and efficient that even the novice very quickly "gets a roll going."

The science and process of sublimation is a very technical subject, used in many other industries and closely studied and researched by scientists. The following is our layman's attempt to explain the process with ordinary terms-

Subliming (sublimation) is a phase transformation process whereby a gas or solid changes to the other form without any middle steps. For example, heated ice goes to a liquid and then to a gas. "Heated" dry ice goes directly to a gas. Heated sublimation toner powder goes to a gas. When cooled it goes back to a solid.

When sublimation toner is put next to a polymer-coated substance and both are heated, in a heat press, a wonderful transformation takes place. At about 250 degrees (F) the solid toner starts turning into a gas and at about 320 degrees the polymer "pores" start opening up and the gas starts going into it. At the 350-360 degree transfer temperature we recommend, this takes place in a few seconds. The other 28 seconds of press time is to allow for good saturation and penetration. Almost as soon as the heat press is opened, the temperature drops, the gas goes to a solid, the polymer molecules close up (this is why sublimation print doesn't wash off) and bingo! You have a completed transfer print on the metal.

What the above dry sounding scientific explanation really means is that you can produce the look of a Rembrandt without any artistic skills - except your imagination and a computer!

The Possibilities

Endless! Whatever can be printed on a sheet of copier paper can be transferred to a polymer coated metal plate with dye sublimation toner. Tens of thousands of attractive, personalized and profitable plates are produced, every day, for hundreds of items, using a dye sublimation toner cartridge.

While a dye sublimation cartridge can not produce process printing (you can't produce chartreuse, for example) the standard colors of black, blue, red or green is what the overwhelming majority of customers buy.In fact, 95% of the sales are black on gold.

Offering sublimated products is an ideal addition to an existing business and a very viable business by itself. One of our customers sells over $300,000 a year in only sublimated products. Granted, we think there is a lot of "business smarts" and hard work going on with that track record but the point is, it can be done.

Let's take a look at some profitable sublimated examples