Printing on sublimation film

[Dana2121 0]

Hi All! I am new to the  sublimation world and I have run into an issue that no one can seem to figure out. My set up is as follows:

Epson 7210, Cobra sublimation ink (their new CS4 formula), 3d vacuum heat press, sublimation FILM.

The issue I am having is that the printer prints wonderfully on every media EXCEPT my sublimation film. When printed on the film I loose all detail in the print as the ink seems to spread and causes the images to be blurry. I have attached an image for reference. I know I am printing on the correct side of the film, and have tried to print using a glossy photo paper setting as well as a plain  paper setting, and I keep getting the same result. The film manufacturer included settings for using sawgrass inks but nothing else & cobra hasn't been able to say if their inks will work or not on film. Has anyone run into this before, and if so, was it a film issue, a printer settings issue or an ink issue? HELP!

[Dakotagrafx 7,296]

have you tried less time - and making sure the paper is held down securely and quickly removed after heating?  too much time and heat will cause that very thing

 

[Wildgoose 4,198]

I don't know that I ever heard of sublimation FILM. I have some sublimation PAPER that I used to do some sublimation on with an epson 7610. I couldn't get a good revenue stream flowing with it so I stopped trying. During that time I did a LOT of testing with that process and was amazed to find how much you can change the outcome by changing the individual elements like what Dakota mentioned. For instance I did a series of orange and blue rectangles in various CMYK values and printed several copies and then I started changing dwell time, temp ranges and even the pressure and it was pretty dramatic the difference you could get from those changes. I was shooting for the best match to a clients team logo was the driving force for the effort. 

[Dana2121 0]

21 hours ago, Dakotagrafx said:

The problem is in the printing, not in the heat transfer process. The actual printing is what is blurry.

 

have you tried less time - and making sure the paper is held down securely and quickly removed after heating?  too much time and heat will cause that very thing.

 

 

[Dana2121 0]

17 hours ago, Wildgoose said:

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I am really looking for trouble shooting based strictly on sublimation film which is very different from sublimation paper. Thank you though.

 

I don't know that I ever heard of sublimation FILM. I have some sublimation PAPER that I used to do some sublimation on with an epson 7610. I couldn't get a good revenue stream flowing with it so I stopped trying. During that time I did a LOT of testing with that process and was amazed to find how much you can change the outcome by changing the individual elements like what Dakota mentioned. For instance I did a series of orange and blue rectangles in various CMYK values and printed several copies and then I started changing dwell time, temp ranges and even the pressure and it was pretty dramatic the difference you could get from those changes. I was shooting for the best match to a clients team logo was the driving force for the effort. 

 

[Dakotagrafx 7,296]

1 hour ago, Dana2121 said:

 

to be clear you are pringing on the same transfer paper you use for all sublimation and then applying with heat to the "film"

 

[Dana2121 0]

On 11/9/2018 at 6:18 PM, Dakotagrafx said:

to be clear you are pringing on the same transfer paper you use for all sublimation and then applying with heat to the "film"

 

No, the image is direct printed onto the film. Sublimation Film is fairly new and used mostly for 3-D vacuum machines. It sounds like something you are not familiar with, but you can read up on and purchase it through coastal business.

On 11/9/2018 at 6:18 PM, Dakotagrafx said:

 

 

[Dakotagrafx 7,296]

Call coastal for support then :/

 

watched the 3d vacuum market over the past couple of years and you are correct that I have not used it and had no interest in it ,  cost for benefit didn’t fit my target market

[headgreen 0]

On 11/9/2018 at 4:47 AM, Dana2121 said:

Hi All! I am new to the  sublimation world and I have run into an issue that no one can seem to figure out. My set up is as follows:

Epson 7210, Cobra sublimation ink (their new CS4 formula), 3d vacuum heat press, sublimation FILM.

The issue I am having is that the printer prints wonderfully on every media EXCEPT my sublimation film. When printed on the film I loose all detail in the print as the ink seems to spread and causes the images to be blurry. I have attached an image for reference. I know I am printing on the correct side of the film, and have tried to print using a glossy photo paper setting as well as a plain  paper setting, and I keep getting the same result. The film manufacturer included settings for using sawgrass inks but nothing else & cobra hasn't been able to say if their inks will work or not on film. Has anyone run into this before, and if so, was it a film issue, a printer settings issue or an ink issue? HELP!

Hi guys,
I have some questions and I hope you can share your knowledge with me.
I have a small t-shirt business and I do heat press. I use stock transfer papers for printing but I also want to do custom designs, such as adding names and numbers on the back of the shirts.
I was thinking to buy small DTG machine but since I work from home and live in a studio unit, I won’t be able to have a place to store the machine. Also, I don’t want to invest in DTG at the moment as it’s on the expensive side.
After I go through the several topics, I had a basic knowledge about sublimation printer and how it works but things get confusing after this.
As I read, there are many sublimation printers on the market and Epson is used widely.
When choosing the printer, you should better off choosing the printer that has available color profile on the internet. Some printers come with 6 different color but most of them has 4 color option. best affordable sublimation printer
Since I’m very new to this, I’d like to choose a model that is very easy to use, reliable and doesn’t require some steps to operate. I also prefer a printer that offers white printing. So, I’m wondering which printer do you guys recommend for me? I’m also wondering if I’ll be able to print on cotton hoodies. Some says I can, some says I can only use a garment that has up to %50 cotton. Got confused  

[Dakotagrafx 7,296]

On 5/30/2022 at 10:19 PM, headgreen said:

Hi guys,
I have some questions and I hope you can share your knowledge with me.
I have a small t-shirt business and I do heat press. I use stock transfer papers for printing but I also want to do custom designs, such as adding names and numbers on the back of the shirts.
I was thinking to buy small DTG machine but since I work from home and live in a studio unit, I won’t be able to have a place to store the machine. Also, I don’t want to invest in DTG at the moment as it’s on the expensive side.
After I go through the several topics, I had a basic knowledge about sublimation printer and how it works but things get confusing after this.
As I read, there are many sublimation printers on the market and Epson is used widely.
When choosing the printer, you should better off choosing the printer that has available color profile on the internet. Some printers come with 6 different color but most of them has 4 color option. best affordable sublimation printer
Since I’m very new to this, I’d like to choose a model that is very easy to use, reliable and doesn’t require some steps to operate. I also prefer a printer that offers white printing. So, I’m wondering which printer do you guys recommend for me? I’m also wondering if I’ll be able to print on cotton hoodies. Some says I can, some says I can only use a garment that has up to %50 cotton. Got confused  

50 percent cotton will produce only 50 percent of the fibers being dyed as the sublimation ink will only adhere to the poly fibers - not to cotton.  sublimation does not print white.  dtg you will have to use almost daily or the heads will clog and you will have an expensive boat anchor.  personally I use a ricoh printer (sawgrass) because it can sit for a few months unused and still fire right up - now you can buy several epsons for the price of a ricoh but in the long run you WILL be buying several epsons as they do clog - find a niche that works for you that doesn't include the costly equipment and if you are printing what everyone else is printing you will have to compete on price . . . which never works out in the long run