Note:  This post is compiled from information delivered by our sublimation expert, Tom Chambers, in another venue.  While I have edited and rearranged a bit,  this post is based on his thoughts and ideas. 

One of the hardest parts of sublimating,  or any business that uses graphics really, may be learning to use a graphics program.   Knowing the basics of graphic design is critical for success with sublimation,  so it is wise to get the education and information you need to develop your skills.   There are many places that offer classes in the popular graphic design programs, and we highly recommend you take a class or two in order to keep your skills at their peak.

Before you take a class however,  there are a few things you need to consider.

1. What program to use – The most popular or “common” suites of graphic tools are Adobe and Corel.    Adobe is the standard for the printing, publishing and magazine worlds,  but it does have a relatively expensive price point and a rather large learning curve.    CorelDraw (full disclosure, Corel Draw is what we use here) is somewhat easier to learn,  is less expensive and is more “intuitive” once you pick up the basics.   Regardless of what program you pick,  we still recommend taking classes and sharpening your skills.
2. Vector vs. Rastar: You Need Both -  There are two main types of graphics that you will deal with – vector and rastar.  Vector images are, simply put,  “clipart” type images,  lines, objects or shapes arranged and assembled into a design.   A lot of logos are vector designs.  Raster images, by contrast, are images you’ve scanned,  photos or other bitmaps containing high levels of detail.  Raster images are made up of pixels, and enlarging them can cause a loss of detail.

When we’ve talked about sublimation in the past,  we’ve often said it’s as easy and print, press and profit,  and it really is that easy.  If you can print something to a printer,  you can create a sublimation transfer,  all that’s different is the ink and the paper.   Pressing a sample is not complicated either.  All you have to do is set the proper time and temperature and press,  quite easy.   The more complicated bits arise when you start looking at designing graphics for the goods you want to sublimate.   At that point,  further training and education may be necessary to help ensure that you can create the best quality graphics possible.

Tags: Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, graphic software, graphic software for sublimation, graphics for sublimation

We all know that sublimation isn’t always the cheapest way to decorate an item.  There are costs associated with purchasing blanks and purchasing inks and paper and printers and all the rest,  so sublimated items can’t be sold as cheaply as items decorated by other methods.   The other side of that coin, however, is that sublimated items are dishwasher and microwave safe in a lot of cases,  and the decorations that are added to the garments or the hard goods may often outlast the goods themselves.   Still, despite the fact that sublimation may offer brighter, more vibrant color and more durability,  your customers may ask you why the guy who does inkjet transfers down the street can imprint 12 mugs for less than you charge,  or why shirts from the kiosk guy in the mall are priced more cheaply than the shirts you offer.

Let’s face it,  there’s always going to be someone who will offer to create goods for a cheaper price.  It’s easy to get caught up in a sort of bidding war,  but that’s not the way to approach this problem.   The best way to get a fair price for what you sell is to educate your customers.    Explain what sublimation is and the value of a sublimated good.   Show them that while they may be paying a little more for the items they’re buying,  they’re also getting more value too.   Make the following points:

• Sublimation ink dyes poly fabric – so there will be no transfer film or rough feel to designs on garments
• Sublimated hard goods can be both microwaved and washed in a dishwasher
• Sublimated designs start out vibrant and are more resistant to fading if not consistently exposed to direct sun
• Sublimated designs will often outlast the garment or item to which they were applied
• Sublimation offers a wider range of decoration possibilities

I’m sure there are more reasons than these.  What explanation or education do you offer your customer to help them see the value of the sublimated goods you sell?  If you’d care to share your answer,  please leave it in the comments.

Tags: garment decoration, selling sublimation, sublimated goods, the value of sublimation

Note:  This post is the fifth and final post in the series called the 5 Ws of Sublimation.  The traditional five Ws are who, what, when, where and why.    For the purposes of this series, however,  I’m changing the five Ws to who, what, why, which and when.   This post deals with how to know when it’s the right time for your company to start sublimating.

Let’s get this right out of the way first,  the when for each company will be different.   For some companies, sublimation may be something they take on after years of establishing their business in other areas.   For others,  sublimation may be the process around which the company is formed.   Given that,  there is no precise way to say when it’s time for your company to start sublimating.   There are, however,  some items to consider which may help you make the right decision.

Item 1:  Can You Afford to Start Sublimating -  While it is true that cost is less of a barrier to entry when it comes to sublimation then with other decorating disciplines,  there are still costs associated with start-up.  Plus,  you also want to be able to purchase equipment that can handle the largest size sublimation transfer you would ever want to print.   Starting small and working up can be an option,  but it is often easier to start as you mean to go on.

Item 2: Do You Know Where to Sell What You Sublimate -  The lure of the new and the fun can be very strong.  Sublimation is fun to do and offers a wide variety of products that may not be available from other decoration disciplines.   Since costs are relatively low to start up,  some shops may add sublimation without knowing exactly where they’ll sell what they sublimate.    It is always better to do a little market research and line up some customers, or be fairly sure you can upsell existing customers,  before you add sublimation to your shop. 

Item 3: Are You Familiar With Graphics Programs – Creating graphics for sublimation is like almost anything else,  the task can be easy or it can be difficult depending on a lot of different factors.  One of the things that will help make creating your artwork easier is a familiarity with standard graphics programs like Adobe or CorelDraw.   If you’re not familiar with these programs,  it might be wise to take a class and increase your knowledge and skill level.   The time spent becoming more expert is time you will save when creating your designs for sublimation.

Item 4:  Do What’s Right For Your Business – There will always be people out there who will tell you that your shop “should” offer this and “can’t live” without that,  but the best person to determine what’s right for your business is you.   If you do your research,  talk to knowledgeable people and look at your business with a realistic eye,  you’ll most likely be able to tell quite quickly if now is the right time to start sublimating.  

Tags: 5 ws of sublimation, Sublimation, tips for sublimation, when to start sublimating

Note:  This post is the fourth in the series called the 5 Ws of Sublimation.  The traditional five Ws are who, what, when, where and why.    For the purposes of this series, however,  I’m changing the five Ws to who, what, why, which and when.   This post deals with which markets or businesses will purchase sublimated products. 

Selling sublimated goods is basically about thinking big and thinking outside the box.  There are so many blank options available that it really seems like there would be something that would work for almost any application.   Selling sublimation generally involves matching the right sublimation blank with the right need,  and then remembering to think about unique ways that sublimated goods can be used.   Selling mugs and mousepads has a place,  and can be quite lucrative,  but the thing to remember is that sublimation can be much more than that.

Interior decorators could use sublimation to create personalized fabrics for home decoration.   Many clients might be interested in personalized throw pillows for their sofa or a unique fabric for a chair or footstool.   Using sublimatable tiles,  appropriately coated for protection, you could create a decorative backsplash for a sink,  or a dramatically tiled shower stall.  Everyone wants their home to be unique and a reflection of the people who live there, and offering easily personalized sublimated options allows that to be done.

Schools are another great market for sublimated goods.   From unique trophies for school events,  to mugs and shirts for various school clubs to items for the school sports teams,  there are lots of opportunities in the school market.   In this market there may be restrictions on how logos can be used,  and perhaps a submission or bid process for new work that is available,  so make sure you check with the school administration to see what needs to be done to be considered as a decorated goods vendor.

Businesses are definitely a good market for sublimated goods, particularly if you’re already selling them garments.   Mugs and mousepads are two popular items,  but you could also sell license plates for company vehicles,  business card holders for employees or to give out as keepsakes to customers,  award plaques and much more.   With businesses, particularly those who are already bringing you their garment work,  the trick is to remember to upsell.   Most companies like consolidating their vendors,  so if you can be the place that offers garments and promotional items,  you might be more likely to make the sale.

Finally,  don’t forget that sublimation can be relatively portable.   Provided you have proper space and the venue can meet your electricity needs,  you could take a combination press and some blanks on the road and sublimate on demand.   Obviously, you would need to limit what products you will sublimate and you’ll have to pick your venues carefully,  but sublimating on demand at festivals and conventions can be done and can be profitable.

Tags: combination heat press, selling sublimation to businesses, selling sublimation to schools, sublimation blanks, sublimation markets

Note:  This post is the third in the series called the 5 Ws of Sublimation.  The traditional five Ws are who, what, when, where and why.    For the purposes of this series, however,  I’m changing the five Ws to who, what, why, which and when.   This post deals with why a business would want to add sublimation to their product offerings. 

Probably the biggest question we get from people who aren’t familiar with sublimation is that of why anyone would want to sublimate.   The easy answer would be that sublimation can add another profit center for a business,  and that’s a good answer,  but it’s not really a complete answer or the only answer.    If you really want to deal with the question of why a person or a company would want to add sublimation to their product offerings,  you have to examine the entire picture.   As I see it,  there are four main reasons why sublimation is a good idea for most decoration businesses.

Reason 1: Sublimation offers more options -  Most, although not all, decoration options seem to be about clothing or tote bags or hats.   Adding sublimation allows a business to expand to a wide variety of hard goods as well as offering the ability to decorate clothing and hats.    Sublimated products can open an entirely new market, or can serve as good add-ons for those companies that primarily order garments.

Reason 2: Sublimation has relatively low financial barriers to entry -  EnMart offers a basic sublimation package for $419.00 on our website.   Other sublimation supply companies may offer something similar. Granted that basic package has to be augmented with blanks for sublimation and a heat press,  but you can still start out with sublimation for a relatively small initial start-up investment.

Reason 3: Sublimation does not require a lot of extensive training -   If you can use a printer, a heat press and have some knowledge of graphic software,  you’re probably going to find sublimation fairly simple.  While there are manuals and videos and blogs like this one that offer tips and advice,  in general you don’t need extensive training to operate the equipment necessary for sublimation.     Creating designs and printing goods is generally fairly simple as well.  There may be some trial and error at the beginning or when attempting to sublimate a new item but, in general, sublimation is fairly easy to master.

Reason 4:Sublimation is less harmful than the inks and materials used in other decorating disciplines – Sawgrass sublimation ink is considered “green” ink and, as such, is less harmful to the environment or the people that use the ink.    While it is not recommended, simply for common sense reasons, that you sublimate products in the same oven where you cook your family’s dinner,  in general sublimation residue and fumes are considered to be non-toxic.

Tags: adding sublimation to your business, getting started with sublimation, reasons to sublimate, Sublimation

Note:  This post is the start of a series called the 5 Ws of Sublimation.  The traditional five Ws are who, what, when, where and why.    For the purposes of this series, however,  I’m changing the five Ws to who, what, why, which and when.   This post deals with what sorts of goods can be sublimated.

Sublimation is attractive to many people because of the wide variety of items that can be sublimated.   From garments to mousepads to coffee mugs to canvas bags,  sublimation offers decorators a vast array of options.   If you’re planning to add sublimation to your shop,  or already sublimate but are looking for more options for products you can offer,  here are a few categories of items that can be sublimated.

Drinkware- From latte mugs to beer mugs to the good old fashioned mug you drink from at the local diner,  there are a number of options when it comes to drinkware.   Coffee mugs are probably the most popular and the most well known sublimated drinkware option,  but there are also beer mugs and water bottles.   Travel mugs are another popular option.

Tags – Everyone likes to be able to identify their luggage or sports bag and many companies also have employees that wear name tags, so tags that can be sublimated are a useful item.   Whether it’s a luggage tag for your resident road warrior,  a personalized license plate for a company car,  or a name tag for the local restaurant’s newest employee,  personalized tags can sell very well.  You should also remember that pet tags can be best sellers too.

Key Chains – Key chains are another great product that can easily be sold to corporate clients.  The local car dealership would probably love to have key chains with their logo and company info to give out to new car buyers.   Key chains with little added extras like a tape measure would be a great giveaway for a hardware store.

I could go on and on about the many products, both hard goods and soft,  that can be sublimated,  but the reality is that almost anything you can think of can be sublimated,  provided it can withstand the heat and pressure necessary for sublimation,  and provided it has a poly coating.     Items that cannot fit into a traditional heat press can often be sublimated with a wrap and an oven.    Innovation and experimentation have led to many options for those who want to offer a wide variety of sublimated products.

The other item which must be mentioned when discussing what can be sublimated is, of course, fabric.    To get the best sublimated image,  you fabric should be 100% polyester and it should be a light color.  White is preferable for colors to be their truest,  but images are sublimated on fabric that is light grey,  light blue,  light pink and other light colors.   One popular manufacturer of performance wear and t-shirts for sublimation is Vapor Apparel.

Please keep in mind that sublimation cannot be done on dark garments.  There is no option for a white underbase when it comes to sublimation.   You should also keep in mind the fact that blended garments,  a poly/cotton blend for instance,  will give you an uneven sublimated image.   Some people like the distressed look that sublimating a blended garment can cause,  but for the best sublimated image possible,  it is always recommended that your fabric be 100% polyester in a light color.

Tags: mugs, nousepads, Vapor Apparel, what can be sublimated

Note:  This post is the start of a series called the 5 Ws of Sublimation.  The traditional five Ws are who, what, when, where and why.    For the purposes of this series, however,  I’m changing the five Ws to who, what, why, which and when.   This post deals with who would be a good candidate for taking up sublimation.

Let me start off by saying that sublimation is not for everyone.   It would probably be something most people would enjoy and be successful at doing,  but it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.   Sublimating an item well requires at least a basic knowledge of a graphics program.   It requires a willingness to try something new and an understanding that you will make mistakes and ruin an item or two along the way.   There has to be a certain level of precision,  the ability to place items properly,  to follow instructions on timing and temperature,  and a certain amount of critical thinking which will allow you to figure out what to correct when something goes wrong.   Sublimation is relatively simple, and a lot of fun,  but it does require some thought and some practice.

If you already own a screen-print or embroidery shop, than you understand the discipline that is garment decoration,  and would most likely be a perfect candidate for sublimation.    Adding sublimated mugs and mousepads and other items to your inventory would also open your business to new markets  and provide opportunities for upselling current customers.   Sublimation equipment is also, at least in relation to most other decorating equipment,  fairly inexpensive,  which means you could add a new profit center for a reasonably small investment.

Another group of people who would be suited to sublimation would be those who are looking for a second income or a job they could work on the side.   The fact that sublimation ink is considered “green” ink means that it can safely be used in a home or garage.  Proper ventilation is, of course,  still required,  but sublimation ink is generally considered to be less harmful than some other types of decoration ink.   Sublimation equipment can also be housed in a relatively small area.  The biggest amount of space would be required for the heat press.   Sublimation also has relatively low costs of entry.   You can purchase a printer package for $399 which is a relatively small investment when it comes to equipment.

Tags: ink for sublimation, the 5 ws of sublimation, who should sublimate

As most of you probably already know,  Valentine’s Day is coming up next week.   If you sell any sort of gift items,  or if you simply want to make a Valentine’s Day gift for someone you love,  sublimation offers lots of options.     The best part about a sublimated Valentine’s Day gift is that it can also be made personal,   which may well give it more meaning for the receiver.   If you’re looking for some ideas for Valentine’s gifts to sell in your shop,  or an idea for a gift for your own Valentine, here are some thoughts.

Remind your Valentine they always have your heart with heart coasters or heart ornaments.

If your Valentine has just gotten a new job or a promotion,  celebrate by giving him or her a personalized business card holder.

Create a great gift basket for the coffee or tea drinker in your life.  Buy that person’s beverage of choice and top the whole thing off with a personalized mug.

If you have a favorite vacation memory or a photo that holds special meaning,  put it on a jigsaw puzzle.  Once the puzzle is put together, you can shellac it and frame it and hang that special memory on a wall.

A jewelry box is always a great gift.   Especially if there’s something special and sparkly inside it.

If you and you Valentine have a favorite beverage you like to share,  create a personalized beer mug or shot glass.  Add a bottle of your preferred beverage and you have a lovely gift.

Tags: blanks for sublimation, Sublimation, Valentine's Day gifts

If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter,  you’ve probably seen that I’ve been making a bit of a fuss over the 2012 version of our trade show booth.   One of the fun things about doing shows is how our booth has evolved over time,  and how each evolution brings new ways to interact with trade show attendees.   We always try to do something new with the booth every trade show season,  and we also listen to suggestions from the people who visit our booth and try to incorporate those suggestions when we can.

One of the fun things we’re doing this year is bringing a George Knight DC 16 Combo Press to the show.   Before, in the booth, we’ve only been able to demonstrate sublimating flat goods.  This year,  with the addition of the DC 16 and the mug attachment,  we’ll be able to demonstrate sublimating mugs as well.    The mug attachment is actually virtually identical to the Geo. Knight DK3 Mug Press,  except the mug attachments uses the temperature controls from the DC16, instead of having individual controls as the DK3 does.

The press and the mug attachment will also be for sale as a demo model at a reduced price.  A savvy shopper could pick up the press and the mug attachment at a trade show and then add the other attachments for the press later.   Our trade show presses are transported safely and gently used,   so there is very little risk in buying a demo model.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the trade shows in March.  To keep tabs on where we’ll be and when,  you can always check the front page of our website for the latest information.

Tags: DAX Shows, EnMart, Geo. Knight, Geo. Knight combo press, Geo. Knight Heat Presses, NNEP Ohio

We recently did some crunching of the numbers for 2011 and discovered that one of the most popular items that we sell at trade shows is our QuickStartR package.   That’s really no surprise,  the package is a great offer and reasonably priced.  What was a surprise, however,  is the number of people we spoke with on follow up calls who, even months after the show was long over,  had not yet set their system up or weren’t printing with it on a regular basis.

Very few people, obviously,  purchase a product for their business with the intention of letting it sit in a corner and gather dust.    The goal behind the purchase is to create a new profit center,  which can’t be done if the system never comes out of the box or is barely used after it’s set up.   If you have a system and haven’t yet done much of anything with it,  here are some places you can look for help in getting started.

One place to turn to for help is the Sawgrass Ink website.   They have how to videos,  webinars,  videos on how to set up your printer and a terrific technical support staff.   Sawgrass also has a blog called How to Sublimate.   The Sawgrass site provides a lot of resources,  so it’s definitely worth checking out.

Another option would be to download the Dye Sublimation Guide from the EnMart website.   This guide was created by Sawgrass and contains a lot of information about how to get started with sublimation.  The guide also contains step by step instructions for sublimating some common items.   The entire guide is 62 pages long,  so it could easily be printed.

EnMart also has a YouTube channel where you can see videos about sublimation and about Knight heat presses.  We’ve put together some videos of our own and also favorited some videos from our suppliers which should be helpful.   Sometimes a picture, or a video is worth a thousand words.

Finally, you can get help here on this blog.  We have an entire category of blog posts devoted to getting started with sublimation.    You can always leave a comment on a post with questions.   You can also visit us on our Twitter feed or Facebook page and ask questions there.

Tags: dye sublimation, dye sublimation tips, EnMart, getting started with sublimation, Sawgrass Ink, Sublimation