I got a request today...I met with a lacrosse coach today and he showed me the coolest product. It was a long sleeve compression shirt that had a great design. I had never seen anything like it. I asked him what it was and he said sublimation.
I WANT TO DO THIS! Can someone give me the Dummies version of sublimation on garments and what do I need to get into the game!
Hi Rags,
there is a lot of info on sublimation at dyesub.org
if you will read through the dye-sublimation section of the forums you will also find heaps of great advice and information.
Briefly, the dye-sublimation process consists of printing a special sublimation ink through a dedicated printer onto dye-sublimation transfer paper. By using a heat press the sublimation ink can be transferred onto any desired polymer-coated substrate or polyester garment.
Dye-sublimation ink is immediately transformed into gas when a temperature of about 200C is applied. The heat also opens up the pores of the polyester or polymer coated item which then allows the gas to permeate.
When the heat is removed and the temperature drops the sublimation ink turns back into a solid form and the polymer pores close thus encapsulating the ink within the polymer. The image will never fade, crack or deteriorate as it becomes a part of the substrate itself.
In this case the fabric was first sublimated, then cut and sewn together. That's how cycling, netball and many other uniforms are made.
If you want to do it yourself - you will need wide format dye-sub printer, roller heat press (or large format flatbed press) and cut-n-sew set up.
Where are you located? I'm in Australia and I'm afraid my local contacts wouldn't be very useful if you are in the US or Canada
I would guess if you look up dye sublimation printers in your local yellow pages or just google custom sublimated apparel you'd find a few links.
Request to Sublimate Performance Apparel 
