Sublimation

Sublimation turns dye into gas under heat and pressure so it bonds inside polyester fibers. The result has zero hand How a fabric feels against the skin. Printers also use it to describe the tactile thickness of an ink deposit (a thick plastisol print has "high hand"). , can't crack or peel, and is the only practical way to print a garment edge to edge. It built the all-over-print, jersey, and performance-wear categories. The catch is absolute: it only works on polyester, and only shows up on light colors.

How it works and where it wins

The design is printed in sublimation ink on transfer paper, then pressed at high heat; the dye vaporizes and locks into the poly fiber itself rather than sitting on top. Because the print becomes part of the fabric, it's as breathable and stretchable as the blank, which is ideal for athletic jerseys, leggings, and all-over fashion prints.

For full-coverage work it has no real competitor: no other method prints seam to seam without cracking at the folds.

What it asks of the blank

Polyester, full stop. Dye only bonds to poly fiber, so color strength tracks the poly percentage: 100% poly gives full saturation, blends fade in proportion to their cotton content, and anything much below roughly two-thirds poly washes out dull and blurry. Poly-coated hard goods and sublimation-ready blanks exist for the same reason.

The garment must also be white or very light: sublimation dye is transparent and there is no white ink, so the fabric color shows through everything and dark fabric simply swallows the print. Buy white or pastel 100% polyester, and check that the blank's own dye is rated for press temperatures; some colored poly fades or ghost-marks where the press hits.

Costs and common pitfalls

Consumables are cheap and there's no setup, so one-offs and short runs price well; cut-and-sew all-over work costs more because panels are printed before assembly or garments need oversized presses. Equipment is modest at mug-and-tee scale, industrial at all-over scale.

The pitfalls are all heat- and fabric-related: pressing poly hot enough to sublimate can scorch or glaze delicate knits, leave press-frame marks, and reactivate the garment's own dye. White creases and under-arm gaps on pre-sewn all-over prints are normal, not defects. When the job is dark cotton, don't force sublimation. Run DTF.