Sublimation Printer

Equipment location

A dye-sublimation printer uses special ink and paper to print your design or photograph. The ink (or dye) can then be heat-transferred onto polyester materials or materials with a polyester coating, called “sublimation blanks.” 

Features

You can create designs and heat transfer them to t-shirts, mugs, hats, bags, and more through this process. The design has to be printed on special sublimation paper up to 8.5” x 14” which can be purchased from the library. 

What you'll need

Your design should be saved as a PDF or JPG file on a USB Drive. You can also create your design on the Library’s computers using free programs like Cricut Design Space™ or Canva. Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop can be used. These programs are available on the MakerSpace Mac.

  • If your image has text be sure to mirror your design before printing. This will ensure the text is in the correct direction on your finished project.
  • Print your design and use one of our heat presses to transfer the design to the sublimation blank.
Cost
  • The Library will stock a variety of sublimation blanks in the MakerSpace that customers can purchase.
  • If bringing your own materials, they must be compatible with the machine.
    • Fabric or t-shirts must be at least 65% polyester and light-colored. The more polyester in the fabric, the more vivid your image will be.
    • Other materials must be made specifically for sublimation (have a polyester coating).