Hello.
We are sublimating 3" round ceramic ornaments. We have used them in the past with no issue. Now we are trying to sublimate both sides at once and found a happy point at 400 degress, 4:15 for time duration. The only problem is, the side that is printing on top, against the heat platten is now actually pulling the transfer paper off onto the ornament. Its toward the outside edges. At first we weren't sure what the residue was on the outside edges and then when we looked at the transfer paper we saw that there were places on the paper where the top coat was missing and it matched with the residue spots on the ornaments.
The issue is not happening with the printing that is going on the bottom (side opposite the heat platten).
Any advice or suggestions of things to try?
Thanks!
We've been using this roll of sublimation paper over the past couple of weeks for different orders so the roll that the ornament design has been printed on has been on our printer. The temperature in the room has been between 65 - 70 degrees.
I ask because as it turns out humidity kill me with some paper I left on the printer. I have since bought a humidity reader and put all the paper away when not using it.
Do you have paper in their protective baggies for you to try?
I don't think it has anything to do with the paper, the problem is that is getting to hot and the coating softens more in the weaker spots, try lowering the temp. or time a little.
Do you have a teflon cover sheet or a teflon bra on your transfer press? This helped us. We still get that sometimes, but the residue comes right off with a wet rag.
Ok, first you need to make sure that your heat press is actually at 400F, just because the display reads 400 that does not mean it is, some run hotter ans some cooler, a nice tool for this is an infra-red temperature reader.
Here is how I do my ornaments, one side 150 sec. or 2.30 minutes and for double side I just add one more minute, at 400F, I mostly do them one side only with a Nomex mat in the bottom to compensate for imperfections on the ornament with transfer facing up and ornament on top of it, if you do or are going to do a lot of ornaments I thing is worth buying a silicon thermal mat 1/8 thick, this mat will help you a lot to even it up the temperature a cross the ornament and also compensated for imperfections, if you use the thermal mat add 30 sec more. I almost forgot to mention that the thermal mat goes on top of the substrate in this case the ornament.
Also keep in mind that your top heat platen should not be in direct contact with the ornament..see our directions below-
Supplies Needed
·
Blank Holiday Ornament
·
Ornament Template (Comes on a CD with Ornaments)
·
Sublimation Ink Transfer
·
Heat Conductive Thermal Mat
·
Heat Resistant Felt Pad
One Sided Printing 1) Open the template in either CorelDraw or Photoshop. 2) Paste your image beneath the template and size the image to fit the print area. Do not change the size of the template. 3) Place the ‘Heat
Resistant Felt Pad’ in the center of your heat press.
4) Place your transfer
face up in the center of your heat press.
5) Place your ornament on top of the transfer. 6) Place a blank sheet of paper on top of the ornament to prevent the possibility of anything transferring off of the mat. 7) Place the ‘Heat
Conductive Thermal Mat’ on top of the paper.
8) Close the heat press with
light to medium pressure. The ornaments are fragile and will break if
care is not used. 9) Heat at
400 degrees for 3.5 to 4 minutes.
10) Open the press, remove the product, peel away the transfer.
CAREFUL handling the ornament,
it will be very hot. We recommend using heat resistant gloves.
Two Sided Printing
1)
Open the template in either CorelDraw or Photoshop.
2)
Paste your images beneath the templates and size the images to fit the print area. Do not
change the size
or position of the templates.
3)
Print out the transfer on 8.5x11 paper.
4)
Carefully fold the transfer in half so that the transfers line up with each other. Crease the paper
and unfold the transfer.
5)
Place the ‘Heat Resistant Felt Pad’ in the center of your heat press.
6)
Place your transfer face up in your heat press with one of the templates centered.
7)
Place your ornament on top of the centered template.
8)
Fold the transfer closed and run your finger across the crease so that it lays flat.
9)
Place the ‘Heat Conductive Thermal Mat’ on top of the paper.
10)
Close the heat press with light to medium pressure. The ornaments are fragile and will break if
care is not used.
11)
Heat at 400 degrees for 3.5 to 4 minutes. 12) Open the press, remove the product, peel away the transfer. CAREFUL
__________________
Mike Brockway - Reich Supply Co. - 1-800-338-3322
Sublimation on ceramic ornaments issue 
