“I’m so frustrated; how do I sublimate on dark shirts?” A lot of our customers ask us this question. We know how frustrating it can be to purchase a dark shirt. So then Let’s try to find out how to sublimate on a dark shirt with your printer.
However, Dark shirts can be a tricky thing to sublimate on. They are challenging to see the details, and they don’t provide much contrast for your design. Still, it is possible!
As a matter of fact, designing the perfect t-shirt is essential to any fashionista. If you want people talking about your new outfit, then sublimation printing is an excellent way of adding your design onto a shirt without having to worry about how it will look once you print it. This guide is full of helpful tips that will take your shirt printing game up a notch. We’ll go over how the process works, how to choose the best fabric for printing, what colors work well with different types of shirts, and what kind of printer you need. Following these steps, you can sublimate any shirt at home!
Choosing The Right Printer And Heat Press
Sublimation Printer
Dark shirts are always a problem when it comes to how to print on them, and that’s where the SUBLIMATION PRINTER is your best friend. With this printer, you can get vibrant prints on dark shirts.
To ensure that the sublimation process goes as smoothly as possible, I’ll show you quick tips that can make your own printer run like a top and help turn ideas into reality faster than ever before!
- Find a printer that will work with dark fabric.
- Make sure the ink cartridges are full.
- Print in reverse
Heat Press
We know that sublimation printing is easier to do on light-colored shirts as compared to dark shirts. You will see, when you’re trying to transfer an image directly onto dark clothes like black or brown-it can be really tough! Here are a few tips while sublimating a t-shirt using a heat press machine.
- Get an anti-static mat so you can lay down your T-SHIRT without causing static electricity.
- Set the power level of the machine according to how thick of a fabric you’re printing on
- Use high-quality images . This will make them easier to see when printed onto black fabric.
- Avoid overheating or overpressurizing.
The Complete Instructions on How to Sublimate On Dark T-Shirts
There are a few steps to do sublimation printing on black shirts.
Material Required
- Black or dark T-shirt
- Sublimation printer
- Sublimation Ink and paper
- Heat Press Machine
- Heat resistant gloves
- Heat resistant tape
Step 1: To design the shirt, start by opening any product design software and selecting a template. Select “print settings” in order to change your print quality from low-resolution up to high definition, which will give you more options when printing out images on shirts! If there are larger files that extend beyond one page, then click borderless so they can seamlessly wrap around onto another side of the paper without cutting off anything important like text.
Step 2: The next step to how to sublimate on dark shirts is utilizing a SUBLIMATION PRINTER. Set your printer setting for “mirror image” or “reverse print” (depending on which way you want the design to face). Overlay your sublimation paper with your design that was printed on a transfer paper.
Step 3: Use a lint roller to smooth the shirt. Preheat your heat press to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. After that, press your t-shirt for five seconds to remove humidity from the fabric.
Final Step: Now, Place the sublimation paper with the design facing down against the shirt and cut off any excess paper around the edges. Stick it with the shirt using heat-resistant tape. Then press firmly, making sure all parts of both papers are touching each other; wait 10-15 minutes until it is completely dry.
12 Tips For Sublimation Dark Polyester T-shirts Like A Pro
- Sublimate on a dark shirt with a light color
- Wash your dark shirts in cold water and dry them in the dryer for a few minutes before sublimating to make the colors last longer.
- Iron the wrinkles out with low heat while covering with foil.
- Wait five minutes before removing the foil, then remove it carefully by pulling from one corner until all pieces are removed.
- Use the “mirror” function in your printer to print the design
- Spray a layer of hairspray on the design you want to sublimate onto your shirt
- Peel off transfer paper from the backside of sublimation paper after drying is complete
- Always make sure that you are using high-quality heat press vinyl when sublimating onto shirts, as cheaper brands will not work well and may peel off prematurely
- Follow these steps when printing your design onto transfer paper. Light the room adequately. Turn off any fans or air conditioning units before starting, so they don’t move around too much during the application process.
- To print an image from an online source, first, download it and then open it in Photoshop, where there are more options for adjusting colors before transferring the photos with photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop Express 3, which includes tools specifically designed to allow you to make adjustments to photos before transferring them digitally.
- Let the design dry overnight before wearing or washing your shirt again.
- You can also use an iron to create more detail on your design, but this will make it fade faster when you wash it again.