Vibrant Dye Sublimation
Combining modern technology with traditional shapes, dye sublimation printing infuses vibrant, long-lasting inks directly into the ceramic glaze. Fast, cost-effective, and highly detailed—perfect for vivid artist prints, promotional items, and low-volume batches with no color limits. Dishwasher proof and tested to over 2000 washes.
Benefits
- Colours are vibrant and long lasting
- Dishwasher proof to over 2000 washes
- Colours are true to your design
- No limit to the number of colours
- Faster turn around times than kiln fired methods
- Small quantities can be produced at a lower cost
- A mix of designs can be produced in a batch cost effectively
- Samples can be produced at a lower cost
Constraints
- Cost is dependant on number of designs and mugs ordered
- Metallic colours are not available
- The range of ceramic items is limited as the item has to be heated in a specific press (mainly mugs)
The Process
Dye sublimation printing (dye sub) was shunned by companies who specialised in ceramic printing for many years, historically only used for promotional items, as the ink would fade and peel and was not considered to be of a high enough quality for the ceramics industry.
Today, dye sub has become a very popular method of printing on ceramics. With the development of new technologies and materials, the process has improved significantly and is now a viable option for printing on ceramics.
The design is printed onto specialist paper using a sublimation printer and sublimation inks. Once printed, the paper is wrapped around the mug and secured with heat resistant tape. Special care has to be taken when wrapping to ensure that the design is straight and in position.
The mug is then placed in a mug press where it is heated to a temperature of around 200 degrees Celsius. The heat causes the ink to turn into a gas and sublimate into the ceramic item. The gas then cools and turns back into a solid, bonding with the ceramic item.
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