Just What the Heck is Dye Sublimation?

Dye-Sublimated fabrics are usually 100% polyester and range in weight from about 2oz to 9oz per square yard. The ink is an aqueous based sublimation ink. During the process of dye-sublimation, the polyester fibers ‘open up’ and the ink turns from a liquid to a gas (sublimate); those gasses are then forced into the open fibers of the fabric and when it cools they are trapped inside the fibers. This process is actually dyeing the fabric. This results in a durable, washable, permanently dyed fabric that maintains the same soft hand it had prior to printing. However, the nature of the ink pigments limits the outdoor UV life to about 9months.

All other print processes place ink onto a surface, but do not penetrate as Dye Sublimation does. Some of these processes may provide longer UV life but none is more durable and most of the other methonds affect the soft hand of the fabric by stiffening the feel.

Here are some application of Dye Sublimated graphics. This process works extremely well with the Duffle Display making it durable, long lasting and inexpensive to transport.