Pic The Gift Blog

If you’re running an online store, thinking about launching custom products via print on demand, or just curious about how those vibrant, detailed designs end up on everything from blankets to coffee mugs, you’re in the right place. Let’s talk about sublimation printing: what it is, how it works, and why it matters for your business.

The Simple Answer

Sublimation printing is a process that uses heat and pressure to transfer designs from paper onto synthetic fabrics and polymer-coated products. But here’s what makes it special: instead of laying ink on top of the material (like paint or a sticker), sublimation ink actually becomes part of the fabric or surface itself.

Most printing methods put a layer of ink on your product. Sublimation embeds the design into the product. That difference improves durability, feel, and appearance.

How Does Sublimation Actually Work?

The process involves a bit of chemistry (which is pretty cool).

First, your design gets printed onto special transfer paper using sublimation inks. These aren’t regular inks. They’re formulated to do something specific when heated: sublimate. In scientific terms, sublimation is when a solid turns directly into a gas without becoming a liquid first. (Dry ice does the same thing, which is why it creates that spooky fog effect.)

Here’s the step-by-step:

Design Creation: Your artwork is created digitally, usually in full color.

Printing: The design is printed in reverse (mirror image) onto sublimation transfer paper using specialized sublimation inks. At Pic The Gift, our rolls of paper can be as long as 32,000 feet and weigh as much as 1,800 pounds!

Heat Press Application: Your product – a blanket, a mousepad, or dozens of other items – is positioned on the printed transfer paper and sent into a heat press.

The Magic Moment: Heat (typically between 350°F and 400°F) and pressure are applied for a specific amount of time, depending on the product. The solid sublimation ink transforms into a gas. The polyester fibers or polymer coating open up under the heat, the gaseous ink penetrates deep into the material, and when everything cools down, the ink returns to solid form—now permanently embedded in your product.

The result? Your design is literally part of the item, not sitting on top of it.

What Can You Print With Sublimation?

Sublimation works on two main categories of products:

Polyester Fabrics

• Apparel and accessories: socks, baby onesies, aprons, flip flops, ties, tote bags, makeup bags
• Home goods: blankets, pillows, curtains, shower curtains, yard flags, towels
• Seasonal: holiday stockings, tree skirts
• Miscellaneous: mousepads, coasters, can and bottle koozies

NOTE: For best results, fabrics should be 100% polyester.

Polymer-Coated Hard Goods

• Drinkware: ceramic mugs, tumblers, water bottles
• Home decor: photo panels (metal and slate), ceramic ornaments, glass cutting boards
• Accessories: keychains, license plates, phone stands

These items require a special polymer coating that allows the sublimation ink to bond with the surface. You won’t be able to sublimate onto any random mug. It needs to be a “sublimation blank” that’s been treated for this process.

Why Businesses Choose Sublimation

If you’re considering sublimation for your product line, here’s what matters:

Exceptional Durability: The design won’t crack, peel, or fade like screen printing or heat transfer vinyl can. Because the ink is embedded in the material, it lasts as long as the product itself. Your customers can wash their blankets dozens of times, put their mugs in the dishwasher, and the design stays vibrant.

Vibrant, Photorealistic Quality: Sublimation produces full-color, high-resolution images with smooth gradients and fine details. If your designs involve photographs, complex artwork, or hundreds of colors, sublimation handles it beautifully. There’s no limit to the number of colors you can use.

Soft, Breathable Feel: Since there’s no layer of ink sitting on top of the fabric, sublimated apparel feels exactly like the original material. Your customers won’t even know there’s a design there by touch. So no stiff, plasticky feel that can come with other printing methods.

All-Over Printing Capability: Sublimation allows for seam-to-seam, edge-to-edge printing. Want to cover an entire sock with your design? No problem.

No Minimum Orders: Unlike screen printing, which typically requires large minimum quantities to be cost-effective, sublimation is economical for single items or small runs. This makes it perfect for our print-on-demand business model and allows you to test designs without investing in inventory.

Environmentally Friendly: Compared to traditional printing methods, sublimation uses minimal water, produces less waste, and the inks themselves are generally more eco-friendly. If sustainability matters to your brand, this is worth considering.

Fast Turnaround: The process is digital and straightforward. There’s no need to create screens or plates, and there’s no lengthy setup time. For manufacturers like Pic The Gift with the right systems in place, sublimation enables quick production and on-time fulfillment.

The Limitations

Sublimation isn’t perfect for every situation. Here are the constraints:

Material Restrictions: Sublimation only works on polyester fabrics and polymer-coated surfaces. If you want to print on 100% cotton, you’ll need to choose a different printing method like direct-to-garment (DTG) or screen printing.

Light Colors Only: Sublimation inks are semi-transparent, so they work best on white or light-colored materials. The background color shows through. This means you can’t sublimate a vibrant design onto a black shirt and expect it to pop. Dark fabrics require different printing methods.

No White Ink: There’s no white ink in sublimation. Any white in your design comes from the white background of the material itself. This is why starting with white or very light-colored products is essential.

Equipment Investment: To do sublimation printing yourself, you need specialized equipment: a sublimation printer, heat press, sublimation inks, and transfer paper. As a business, your best bet is to partner with an experienced manufacturer like Pic The Gift. We already have the infrastructure, quality control, and capacity to handle your orders reliably.

How Sublimation Compares to Other Printing Methods

Sublimation vs. Screen Printing: Screen printing works on more fabric types (including cotton) and is cost-effective for very large orders of the same design. However, it has setup costs for creating screens, limited color options per design, and the ink sits on top of the fabric rather than becoming part of it. Sublimation offers unlimited colors, photorealistic quality, and a softer feel, but requires polyester materials. Additionally, Pic The Gift has no setup fees.

Sublimation vs. Direct-to-Garment (DTG): DTG can print on cotton and dark fabrics, making it more versatile in material selection. However, it’s generally slower than sublimation, has a higher cost per item, printing on polyester can be a challenge, and the prints don’t typically last as long. Sublimation produces more durable results on polyester.

Sublimation vs. Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) and Direct-to-Film (DTF): HTV and DTF can be applied to almost any fabric and works on dark colors. But they create a layer on top of the fabric that you can feel, and it’s more prone to cracking or peeling over time. Sublimation creates a soft, seamless finish that’s part of the material.

What This Means for Your Business

If you’re selling custom products online, especially through Etsy, Shopify, or other e-commerce platforms, understanding sublimation matters because it’s likely powering many of the products your customers love.

The businesses that succeed with sublimated products typically offer:

• Baby items like blankets, swaddles, and onesies
• Personalized gifts like custom mugs and photo prints on metal and slate
• Holiday decor like ornaments, tree skirts, and Christmas stockings
• Promotional products for brands and events
• Home goods like glass cutting boards and shower curtains with vibrant, durable imagery

The key is finding a manufacturing partner who knows sublimation inside and out. Find a manufacturer (like us) who understands the technical details of temperature, pressure, and timing; who has quality control systems to catch issues before they reach your customers; and who can scale with you as your business grows.

The Bottom Line

Sublimation printing is a proven technology that delivers exceptional results for polyester-based products. It combines vibrant, photorealistic quality with outstanding durability and a soft, comfortable feel. The process is digital, efficient, and environmentally responsible.

For businesses like yours building custom product lines, sublimation opens up creative possibilities that other printing methods simply can’t match. And when you partner with a print on demand manufacturer like Pic The Gift who has the experience, capacity, and commitment to quality that your business deserves, sublimation becomes your competitive advantage.

Want to learn more about working with Pic The Gift? Fill out this easy form and we’ll be in touch!