How to Make Sublimation Brighter On Shirts, Mugs, & Tumblers

How to Make Sublimation Brighter On Shirts, Mugs, & Tumblers

How you make Sublimation on Tumblers , mugs , and shirt

Vibrant and vibrant colors are used in the sublimation process. Customers are always drawn to create individual graphics by their vivid hues. Bright sublimation printing colors depend on many significant factors to get promising results. Every crafter wants shiny sublimation colors. But, some beginners don’t know how to make sublimation brighter or what factors to consider.

How to Make Sublimation Brighter

An image that is banding or drab sometimes results from a small factor. You need to know all possible factors that make sublimation printing brighter. This will give you dazzling images. So let’s get started.

Knowing the Reasons behind the Boring Look of Sublimation Prints Before getting started with possible factors, you must know why your sublimation printing looks dull after printing. If you’re worried about the initial prints that come out of the printer on sublimation paper then you should know that the initial solid sublimation print on sublimation paper seems boring, but everything is good. Sublimation print will become vibrant colors and bright after you transfer it onto the substrate.

Now, you should look at the following causes if your sublimation printing remains dull even after the heat press:

1. Understanding CMYK and RGB Effects

The colors you design on the watch screen use RGB mode and the sublimation printer you use is the CMYK usually. When you print the sublimation, you must determine the color formula of RGB that works with CMYK. To ensure the accuracy of the colors you see, consider color management software. This software will help produce accurate prints.

2. Setup of ICC Profiles

ICC stands for International Color Consortium. It displays more accurate colors of an image for the specific printer that works with CMYK. It ensures accurate colors from the watch or the display you’re using.

As a crafter, I understand the ICC profile’s importance for making sublimation brighter. When you look at the colors on the display, you want them to come out the same. Every purchased printer comes with ICC profiles for the inks they provide in the box. The profiles are already installed.

If you’ve converted a regular Epson Eco Tank printer into sublimation, you should have used Hippo sublimation ink. You need to create a custom ICC file for that sublimation ink, paper, and printer to get the ideal results. ICC profile not only helps you to print accurate colors but also allows you to manage the colors.

3. Using High-Quality Sublimation Ink

To use with the sublimation process, get premium sublimation ink. Always use compatible sublimation ink with your sublimation printer. Third-party sublimation inks and cartridges usually produce low-quality prints. This happens because they are not compatible with the printer. If the sublimation prints are dull on the sublimation paper after printing, do not worry. The solid sublimation ink always looks dull.

But when the substrate turns it into a gas, it becomes vibrant and displays its true color.

4. High-Quality Sublimation Paper

A low-quality sublimation paper impacts the quality of the sublimation printing. Sublimation paper comes with different types of coatings. You should print on the poly-coated side of the paper to get the best results.

If you print on the wrong side of the sublimation paper, the prints won’t come out bright. It will also cause problems while heat transferring. Most of the brand’s best sublimation papers state a sign of the coating on the paper to print onto.

5. A Perfect Sublimation Printer

Choosing the right type of sublimation printer is essential for color accuracy. An old sublimation printer with ink running out cartridges won’t provide good results. Always check the ink levels of your cartridges. Many printers state the ink levels on their control panel when they are running out of ink.

Most printers have an option for printing and color adjustments. Make sure to configure the setting. The finest sublimation printer for beginners is what you should purchase if you’re a novice. If you have a tight budget, go with the least expensive sublimation printer available.

6. over Pressure

Putting less or overpressure will result in spoiled prints. set too much pressure on the heat press will burn the substrate. Putting too little pressure will cause faded results. Thus, it is crucial to put normal pressure to get perfect results.

If you’re a beginner and don’t know how to use a Circuit Easy Press, which requires manual pressure. Use an automated heat press machine for garments. An automatic heat press puts the pressure according to the substrate.

7. Understand the DPI Resolution

DPI stands for Dots per Inch the denser images the more vibrant images. For images and designs, set the DPI resolution to at least 300. Some Epson Eco tank printers are marvelous. They produce 40 million dots per inch of dense images.

The brightness level of the display and printer also plays an important role. It helps get the desired prints. Along with DPI, too. Depending on the design, you can adjust the brightness level to normal, low, or high. Go to the printer drivers and set up the color change.

8. Heat Press Time & Temperature

The temperature and duration of the heat press differ for each substrate. Usually, the ideal heat press time for garments is 60 seconds. Additionally, the ideal temperature is 385F. However, you should monitor the time as excessive pressure will cause the impressions to fade.

Heat press time also increases when you decide to sublimate many substrates. You need to set the time for more than 60 seconds for many substrates. For ceramic mugs, the ideal temperature is between 240 to 300F and the time is between 150 to 200 seconds.

9. Cleaning the Print head

If you’re using an old printer or haven’t used the printer for a long time, the ink in the cartridges starts to dry up. This creates clogs in the print head. Clogs cause image fading or banding issues. It is suggested to clean the print head to get clean printouts.

10. Replacing Cartridges

The ink goes out if you don’t check the cartridges’ ink level. The printer then prints fade and dull images. To keep the quality of the printing, you need to keep an eye on the ink levels. Or if you want to save time, do use the printer that utilizes the free cartridge system. The ink levels won’t run out because of the large capacity of ink tanks.

Common Sublimation Problems

• Image ghosting
• Image banding
• Ink smearing
• Incorrect colors 
• Incorrect transfer lines

FAQS

How to Make Sublimation Brighter After Heat Press?

This technique might be useful if you have printed clothing and feel that it is faded or boring. You can try it but I don’t recommend it at all to newbies. The process is quite simple double the heat transfer.

Check the best sublimation printers for t-shirts

If the print on the t-shirt is faded, cover it with clean parchment paper. Take the t-shirt and reheat it for 25 seconds at 330F. You’ll see the faded prints will come out more vibrant and crystal clear. You can watch the below video:

How Can Sublimation Be Brighter on Tumblers and Mugs?

To make the sublimation brighter on the mugs, check the quality of the ink and sublimation paper. Also, make sure the printing is on the right side. The poly-coating on the sublimation mug is also crucial. It makes the sublimation brighter. Always double-check the quality of poly-coating while buying the substrates. Check sublimation mugs vs regular mugs.

Use the greatest sublimation printer for phone cases, tumblers, and mugs for greater accuracy.

One more important thing is for the ICC profiles to show more accurate colors. This is with the specific ink you’re using to sublimate mugs and tumblers. Moreover, see how to get rid of sublimation ink.

Conclusion

Among the all prominent methods mentioned above the most crucial factor is to consider the ICC profiles for sublimation equipment. Once you understand color management and DPI resolution, sublimation will become easy to do. You’ll also need qualitative accessories.

And if you worry about the print after the heat press then you need to follow the answer to our FAQ. The steps I mentioned above will help you produce quality prints for your business. Doing this will bring your business to the next level.

Read More: Sublimation on faux leather Sheets and Keychains (With Pictures)

 Best sublimation printer for beginners?