How to Use Sublimation Transfers

Sublimation Transfers are printed and ready to apply to your garment with a heat press. Ready to press transfers can only be used on 50% polyester or higher garment (they DO NOT work on 100% cotton!) 100% white polyester will produce the best color results. You can use shirts that are light in color like: light gray, tan, pastels, but know your colors will look faded. Tip: Use 50% polyester tees for a vintage look!

Additionally, it works best on LIGHT OR WHITE GARMENTS. These sublimation transfers do not print white. You MUST use a heat press for these transfers. These sublimation transfers will dye the fabric and leave no texture or feel at all where the design is placed.

If you are new to sublimation please familiarize yourself with the process and application to achieve your desired results. Make sure to practice first.
  1. Set your heat press to 400 degrees, Time: 45-60 seconds, Pressure: Medium
  2. Place sheets of white copy paper or parchment paper inside your shirt to prevent bleed through.
  3. Position your transfer face down (use heat tape if desired) and cover with Teflon sheet.
  4. Press.
  5. Remove transfer immediately.
WHAT ARE YOU APPLYING TO? We recommend that you put sublimation on lighter color shirts. 100% white polyester shirts will always give you the most vivid results. Remember sublimation does not include any WHITE INKS, so designs will only show on lighter colored shirts like pastels, light gray, tan, etc. You cannot apply our sublimation transfer to dark or black shirts. Remember if you want a vintage look you can use 50% polyester shirts.

YOUR HEAT PRESS? Remember all heat presses ARE DIFFERENT. When you first start using sublimation transfers you will need to learn the best settings for your heat press. You will need to do this through trial and error. We only set a guideline in which to press our transfers. We highly recommend you purchase some additional shirts to practice on, or simply purchase some polyester fabric from your local craft store. This way you can practice on not important shirts and find your best results before starting important jobs. Material note: shirts with less polyester in them may scorch at higher temps.

TRANSFER IS GHOSTING? Ghosting is what happens when you get a shadow of your transfer print this happens due to the transfer shifting anytime during heating. There are a few things you can do to help prevent this: Open press slowly to lessen vacuum, using heat tape, peel in a quick even motion while your transfer is hot.

INK BLEED THROUGH? Did you remember to put white copy paper inside your shirt? If not bleed through may happen and can ruin your shirt. Don’t forget this important step.

CHECK FIRST! Please check your transfer before pressing and if you see any extra ink spots on the edges be sure to cut them off as they will transfer during the pressing process.

PRESS LINES SHOWING? If you do press and end up with press lines around your transfer you can try the following: Press the lines to try to even them out, rub a clean piece of white copy paper along the lines while hot, gently stretch your shirt while hot. If you are experiencing this your press pressure may be too high. Lighten the pressure and try again. You can also try heat safe foam pillows to help with pressing lines. You can also trim all the way around your transfer to help with press lines.

Once you find the best results for your transfers, you are going to be ready to ROCK! As always if you have any additional questions please let us know. We are always here to help.

Sublimation Transfer Policy: We will not refund purchases due to user errors. We will however replace defective transfers before they have been applied. We will request photos of such defects to approve these claims which must be handled through your account and order. These are a no refunds/final sale item with the exception of defects before application.
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