How to sublimate a T-shirt?

T-shirts and T-shirts are another classic of sublimation. They are ideal to personalize with characters from favorite movies or series and to express thoughts, opinions and tastes of the person who wears them.

T-shirts for sublimation should have polyester in their composition. The minimum polyester content to obtain good results should be 75-80%.
The 100% polyester t-shirts are the ones that will get the best results and colors. As for the colors, they should be light colors and obviously white is where the colors will stand out best. Light colored t-shirts such as yellows, pinks or light grays tend to dull the colors a bit.

Recommendations:

• Use good quality paper that absorbs and transfers a good amount of ink.
• The photograph or design to be printed should also be of good quality. The most common image formats such as gif, jpg, png or bmp are made up of small dots (pixels).
• The higher the number of dots, the higher the sharpness and quality of the image. It is recommended to select images with the highest possible resolution (number of pixels or dots per inch) as this will significantly influence the final result of the transfer.
• To protect the top of the plate and keep it free of ink stains, we recommend using Teflon sheets or siliconized paper. These are reusable and will help prevent the press from getting contaminated with inks and subsequently staining the t-shirts when pressed.
• Before sublimating the t-shirt, run a lint roller over it, to remove possible dirt and then press it to leave it wrinkle free and remove any moisture from the fabric.

Step by step:

1. With the press on cold, regulate the pressure. You should feel a slight resistance when closing it.
2. Set the press to 180° and 100 seconds time. The suggested times and temperatures are a starting point. These values may vary depending on factors such as the heat press (quality and condition of the press), pressure, paper and ink used, as well as the ambient temperature and humidity at the time of the job. For this reason, each customer should test and adapt these values to optimize the results.
3. Print the design in mirror mode
4. Clean the t-shirt with an adhesive roller to remove dust and lint.
5. Iron for 5 seconds to remove wrinkles and possible moisture.
6. Place the printed paper on the garment and cover with the Teflon sheet.
7. After the time has elapsed, immediately remove the paper and the T-shirt from the press to prevent the heat from continuing to activate the sublimation.