So spoiler alert cotton is not the greatest material for dye sublimation.
Sublimation printing on cotton fabric.
You can actually read more about sublimation here if you are not familiar with the term.
First let s talk a bit about sublimation on the methods i recommend for your cotton surfaces.
There are several things to learn when using dye sublimation on fabrics for items like t shirts dresses tablecloths custom tents etc.
How to use sublimation on cotton.
Sublimation printing for light cotton fabric yellow line heat transfer paper 8 5 x 11 50 42 99 in stock.
As an overview sublimation ink reacts with polyester to make a permanent bond with the fabric fibers leaving you with a professional finish.
The reason why cotton isn t commonly used in dye sublimation is because the natural fibers in the cotton won t permanently bond with the dyes in the sublimation ink.
Sublimation printing on fabric.
Cotton not too great for dye sublimation printing.
When you are a sublimation beginner you ll find a lot of people recommending polyester as a fabric for sublimation.
Do the fabrics have to be 100 polyester.
In fact it s straight up not good.
All over designs where a pattern or image covers the entire print are a popular option when using this process as it s easy to do.
Sublimation prints were normally used for polyester and similar synthetics but sublimation on cotton is possible with a special treatment before.
First option is to use a special polyester.