qtyprinter.com Screen printing and sublimation utilize various strategies to make solid and top notch prints. Screen printing utilizes a stencil, thick inks, and an intensity source and demands a ton of investment. Sublimation printing utilizes a synthetic interaction to bond with the filaments of polyester texture and takes brief period. In this article, you will realize which printing strategy requires some investment and costs more. You will find the vital contrasts in the printing system for every strategy. At long last, you will figure out the upsides and downsides of sublimation and screen printing.

1. What Is the Difference Between Screen Printing and
Sublimation?
Would you like to create custom shirts with an expert appearance? Screen
printing and sublimation make the absolute most solid kinds of T-shirts prints
you will at any point find. However, when you analyze screen printing versus
sublimation, which cycle is best for you?
Screen printing and sublimation utilize various strategies to make solid and
top notch prints. Screen printing utilizes a stencil, thick inks, and an intensity
source and demands a ton of investment. Sublimation printing utilizes a
synthetic interaction to bond with the filaments of polyester texture and takes
brief period.
In this article, you will realize which printing strategy requires some
investment and costs more. You will find the vital contrasts in the printing

2. system for every strategy. At long last, you will figure out the upsides and
downsides of sublimation and screen printing.
Screen Printing vs Sublimation: The Differences You Need to
Know!
What is Screen Printing?
Screen printing uses a stencil and a squeegee to squeeze ink through a
screen and layer a design on top of the fabric. This method, also called silk
screening, is one of the oldest forms of printed art ever invented! It creates
thick, raised designs on the surface of a t-shirt.
Despite its ancient history, this method remains popular with both
professional printers and home artists. One of the best things about screen
printing is that it makes high-quality designs because it uses such thick inks
that they leave a raised, slightly 3D design on top of the t-shirt. Plus, you can
screen print on almost any kind or color of fabric using this method.
As with anything, though, screen printing also has some limitations. You
have to apply one layer of color at a time through the stenciled screens,
meaning that this method works best for designs requiring fewer colors. For
instance, it is not a great choice if you want to print a meme or a photo onto
a tee!

3. So, how exactly does screen printing work?
1. First, you take an image, a logo, or some lettering and separate it into its
individual color components. Most professionals use graphic design
software for this process to make things easy! You can also simply use
a one-color design or lettering.
2. For every color you plan to use, you will need to prepare a stencil on a
mesh screen. The stencil is the negative space around your image. You
can make this stencil using a Circuit and some vinyl, or you can use more
professional methods like creating a light-sensitive emulsion just like you
would when developing old photos.
3. Next, smooth a layer of thick plastisol ink over the stencil.
What is Sublimation?
Sublimation utilizes intensity and strain to bond color with the strands inside
engineered textures synthetically. This more up to date printing strategy is
quickly acquiring ubiquity for proficient printers and entrepreneurs since it
makes amazingly sturdy and clear plans. It likewise utilizes the full advanced
variety size of the CYMK printer model, implying that you can undoubtedly
print full-variety photographs or pictures utilizing sublimation.

4. Sublimation is a substance cycle that includes transforming a strong
straightforwardly into a gas. Assuming that you recall your secondary school
science, you will know that typically, an item moves from a strong to a fluid
to a gas. Sublimation avoids the fluid stage and goes directly to gas.
In shirt printing, it works like this: the outrageous intensity of an intensity
press sublimates the color on an extraordinary exchange paper. The color
transforms into a gas and invades profound into the texture of the shirt.
Simultaneously, the intensity opens up the polymer filaments inside the
polyester texture, permitting the vaporous color inside the real strands of the
texture.
When you take off the shirt from the press, the ink cools and continues its
strong structure, however as of now, it has reinforced with the fabric on a
sub-atomic level! This implies that a sublimation print will straightforwardly
keep going as long as the texture of the shirt.
Here are the stripped down of how you make a sublimation print:
Here are the bare bones of how you make a sublimation print:
1. First, you need to find a detailed and high-quality digital design. You can
use photos or high-resolution images that you make yourself or download
into a design program. In most cases, you need to mirror the image to
not end up backward on your shirt!
2. Next, set up a sublimation printer with sublimation inks. Sublimation
printers work very much like any regular old laser printer, except they
require special sublimation ink. They still use the four basic cartridges of
cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink.
3. Insert a piece of sublimation transfer paper into the printer, and print your
design onto the paper. You can use the transfer right away or save it for
later.

5. Screen Printing Vs Sublimation: Key Points
This chart will give you a quick idea of the key differences between screen
printing and sublimation.
Screen Printing Digital Printing
Durability Durable but will crack and
peel after many washes
Extremely durable and will
last as long as the shirt fabric
Quality High-quality with raised
designs and good visual and
tactile contrast
High-quality with vivid colors
and lots of detail
Complexity Limited Easily creates detailed,
complex designs
Consistency Very consistent and easily
makes duplicates
Consistent, but requires
printing a new transfer sheet
for each shirt
Cost
Efficiency
Cost-efficient for batch
printing
Cost-efficient for small
custom orders
Multi-Color
Prints
Difficult, works better with
few colors
Easily makes multi-color
images such as photos
Color
Blending
Possible but requires time
and skill
Easily done digitally
Set-Up Time
and Cost
Requires a lot of set-up time.
Cost varies based on size of
order and complexity of
design.
Little set-up time. Does
require some pricey
equipment as a start-up
cost.

6. Durability
Sublimation prints last longer than screen-printed designs. Screen-prints
hold up well through many washes, but eventually, you will see the raised-
ink design crack or begin to peel away from the fabric. Sublimation designs
will never crack, peel, or fade because the dye bonds deep beneath the
surface of the fabric.
Quality
Both sublimation and screen print designs are high-quality but in different
ways. Sublimation prints offer vivid, bright colors that will not fade over time.
This printing method can also famously create detailed and multi-colored
images with ease.
Supplies Required for Screen Printing
 Transfer Tape
 Heat Press
 Screen Printing with Vinyl Starter Kit
 Circuit Maker
 Painter’s Tape
Materials for Sublimation Printing
Few polyester-coated materials necessitate the use of different tactics when
sublimating prints on them
Polymer (Teflon and Nylon)
Ceramic (Vases, Mugs, Tiles)
The sublimation procedure doesn’t require much time. If you only need one
or two custom prints, it works great. Many different types of items, including
hard surfaces like mugs or banners with a polymer coating, can also be
sublimated.
The drawback of sublimation is that it only functions on synthetic materials
or items that have been coated with a polymer. Cotton does not respond to
it.

7. On dark-colored fabric, sublimation is also difficult to use. On polyester t-
shirts that are white or light in color, it works best.
Which in itself is Preferable: Screen Printing or Sublimation?
It really is difficult to identify a clear winner between any of these two
approaches to customizing clothing. This same finest one would pretty much
entirely be determined by your requirements as well as how you plan to
continue to utilize the equipment. Sublimation is a good choice when you
have a little really additional money to spend and want to make shirts with
photo-realistic designs or only want to do small runs. However, screen
printing might be a better option if you are leaning more toward large runs or
are trying to start doing garment customization on a tight budget.
Additional Effects
With screen printing, you can use a variety of special effects, but not with
sublimation.
A wide variety of specialty inks, including clear ink, glitter ink, 3D ink, and
others, are available for use with screen printers. Using unique ink
application techniques directly onto the mesh screens, you can produce
artwork that appears to have been hand-painted. The only restriction on
special effects with screen printing is how much time and money you want
to invest in the procedure.
More restrictions apply to sublimation printing. If you want, you can print
shirts with a small amount of cotton content and achieve a vintage, faded
look. However, since you must rely on the color combinations that your
printer can produce, you cannot use glitter ink or anything similar.

8. Perfect For
For vivid, raised designs on any color of shirt, screen printing works best.
Although this technique can be used with multiple colors, it works best with
designs that only need a few. Screen printing makes it simple to batch print,
which is great for large orders.
White polyester shirts are ideal for sublimation, which also makes it simple
to create intricate, multicolored designs. This method allows you to cost-
effectively produce just one or two custom-ordered shirts, but it makes it
difficult to use many special effects.
Screen Printing Advantages
The cost advantages of screen printing are its main advantages. It is the
most economical way to start a business and the most economical way to
mass produce shirts. A home screen printing setup is inexpensive to build,
making it simple to get started on almost any budget.
Additionally, screen printing can be used on almost any fabric. While most
people have opinions and preferences regarding the best shirts for screen
printing, almost any material can be used with the technique.

9. Additionally, a variety of screen printing inks are available that let you
produce special effects. If you have the right inks, you can screen print foil
and three-dimensional designs on wholesale t-shirts.
Limitations of Screen Printing
Screen printing might not be cost- or time-effective if you are only producing
a single shirt or a small run. The process of making screens can take a while,
and the cost of the materials mounts quickly.
You can only use a limited number of colors and make relatively
straightforward designs using this technique. Additionally, since each color
must be added separately, production time is extended.
Benefits of Sublimation Printing:
Due to the specialized equipment needed, sublimation printing is expensive
to begin. Nevertheless, depending on the type of shirts you are making, the
process might be economical. Sublimation might be the best strategy if you
frequently change designs and work in small runs.
When it comes to producing intricate, multi-color designs, sublimation is
unbeatable. With the help of this technology, it is possible to use any color
and any number of colors without having to spend more time or money on
the design. Additionally, photo-realistic images can be added to clothing
using sublimation printing.
Customizing hard surfaces that have received polymer treatment is another
benefit of sublimation. As long as you have the appropriate heat press, you
can use the procedure to decorate coffee mugs, tumblers, signs, and more.
Limitations of Sublimation
Despite being more widely available, sublimation printers are not
inexpensive. Each is not a heat press. This strategy is not for everyone
because it requires a sizable initial investment.
Another crucial point to remember is that sublimation printing only functions
on white or extremely light-colored polyester when it comes to clothing. Dark

10. colors and fabrics with less than two-thirds of a polyester content do not work
with it.
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