Screen-Printing vs Sublimation
Our custom order form is a fan favorite because while sure, people like our designs, it’s way more fun to design your own shirts, right? At some point in our discussion about designs, you’ll probably see terms like “screen-printing” or “sublimation,” depending on what you’re hoping to have us create. But what dictates which method we use? What’s the difference between the two? Funny you should ask, because we’ve got the answers!
Applying the Design
Screen-printing involves pushing ink through a screen onto the shirt. We create a stencil of the design, and that design gets applied to the screen, either temporarily with vinyl (our favorite method as we do a lot of screened custom designs) or permanently with photosensitive emulsion under a UV light (we create permanent stencils this way for our regularly-offered designs in the shop). The open parts of the stencil allow the ink to go through the screen when we run over it with a squeegee. Although if you come to my house when I’m screening, you’ll probably see me using an old store loyalty card instead because I like the precision it allows during the screening process.
Sublimation ink comes from a printer - there’s actual sublimation printers that cost a boatload, and there’s also the popular option of using an Epson ecotank printer and filling it with sublimation ink (if you’re thinking of trying this out for yourself, here’s your disclaimer that you’re voiding your printer warranty the moment you put the sublimation ink in that printer - they wrote it about fifteen different times in the instructions, so they mean business). The image is printed in reverse (the key step that I often forget so that I have to hit print again) with the sublimation ink, which is then applied to the shirt with a heat press that is hot enough to vaporize the ink so that it permeates the fabric of the shirt. Once the ink cools, it’s embedded into the fabric of the shirt.
Wear and Tear
Screen-printing ink becomes bonded to the fabric once it’s put through the heat press, so it isn’t coming off in the wash. However, there’s a slight chance it will crack after extended amounts of washing and drying. It’s not going to peel straight off like vinyl designs have a tendency to do, but the chance is still there for a few cracks in the design. But I’ve got quite a few screened shirts that I workout in and wash on the regular, and they have yet to crack.
Sublimation ink is embedded into the material. It won’t crack or peel. Once it’s there, it’s stuck there unless it’s put under extremely high heat again and the ink vaporizes off the shirt. But not to worry, you can still dry your shirts in your dryer - the ink vaporizes at 385 degrees. If your dryer is getting that hot, you’ve got bigger problems than the ink fading on one of your shirts.
Design Colors and Details
Screen-printing allows one color to be applied at a time. Multiple colors can be applied, but there’s dry time involved between each color. Also, because of the method of application, designs with extremely small details aren’t easy to apply with screening. Not saying that it can’t be done, but there’s an art to it and it takes quite a bit of time.
Sublimation allows even the tiniest details to show up on a shirt. This method is ideal for tiny, intricate designs and even real photos. However, sublimation ink does not show up on dark colors and sublimation ink does not print white. If you want a white design printed on a black shirt, you’re going to have to screen it on.
Materials and Uses
Screen-printing ink becomes permanent at 320 degrees and it will stick to most natural fabrics such as cotton. Sublimation ink requires a higher heat application, which ends up burning cotton shirts in the heat press. Also, sublimation ink bonds best to polyester. We’ve experimented with sublimation on cotton and it ends up looking like someone took the image and reduced the transparency by 50%, whereas the same image done on polyester is vibrant and bold. Don’t stress though, we use cotton-feel polyester in our shirts, so you’re still getting super soft shirts to wear around!
We can also sublimate on surfaces that have been treated with a special sealant that provides a synthetic surface for the ink to permeate. We’ve sublimated on wood before, and people say you can sublimate on plastic but that just seems like a recipe for a melted disaster in the heat press, so we’ve not been brave enough for that experiment.
So Which Method Should You Choose?
If someone asks for my expert (haha) opinion on which method to use, or if they just defer to my knowledge for the decision, here’s what I say about it:
Sublimation is my favorite because it’s the quickest, the most detailed, and the most permanent. You can print tiny details, small fonts, even full-color photos. However, it needs to be done on polyester and only in light colors. White, gray, light blue, yellow, dusty pink? I’ve successfully sublimated on all those colors, and if you’re only doing a black design, you can go even darker (our O-H-I-O shirts are sublimated - even the red, for reference).
Screen-printing is best for bold, single color designs on dark fabrics, or for someone who only wears cotton fabrics. If you want a white design, you’ll be getting it screened on no matter what color shirt you choose.
Again, both screen-printing and sublimation allow for permanent designs that can put through both the washer and the dryer. Either way, you’re getting a quality product, because we’re too hyper-critical of our work over here to send out something subpar!
