What is Dye Sublimation?

Dye sublimation is a soft shirt printing technique that allows all-over-printing of full color images with superior softness. Your artwork is first printed onto large sheets of high release paper substrate, and the images are then transferred to the garments using heat and pressure. The heat converts the solid dye particles into a gas, and the pressure forces them to bond to the polyester content of the garments. The dye is absorbed by the garment during the sublimation process, which differs from the screen print process, where the ink sits on top of the garment.

Here at Monkey in a Dryer, we suggest and use American Apparel for your dye sublimated t-shirt project. American Apparel tees are made with high-quality 4.5 oz., 100% spun polyester and deliver the look and feel of organic cotton with the wickability of poly-performance fibers; providing a great fit with a soft feel.

Expectations:

There are limitations to all dye sublimation printing. For example - expect to have areas where the image won't print - especially in creases, near the edges and under the arms. Smudges and breaks in the design are to be expected over seams. If you're doing a single sided all-over print, the opposite side of the sleeve will be blank. To elminate these issues, try to design your artwork around trouble spots.