How To Make Sublimation Prints Brighter? (9 Easy Ways)

This goes without saying! Investing in a good printer like Sawgrass or Epson sublimation printer always pays you back in the form of top-notch quality prints that are intricate and bright.

Do not use old sublimation printers since they have ink blockage and initially channel dry ink particles resulting in dull and blotched-out prints. Moreover, if you are a beginner, you can watch tutorials and how-to-use sections of your respective printers to manage the colors and brightness of the final prints effectively.

The second factor is the sublimation ink that you use to copy your art and craft on paper and substrate. The ink needs to be flawless with excellent compatibility with the substrate that you are using to get the print on in order to get brighter, wear-free prints.

The effectiveness of sublimation inks also depends on the kind of sublimation printer that you are using. Opt for the best sublimation inks that are also compatible with your printer and do not affect the device or the final output itself.

Sublimation is about getting your art or text printed on a substrate which means it is heat-pressed to get the contents printed on it. This makes the temperature of the sublimation process another important factor to pay heed to when looking for brighter sublimation prints.

Usually, a temperature of 385 degrees Fahrenheit for a minute is sufficient to get a well-infused, bright sublimation print but this varies with the type of sublimation supplies and the substrate at hand. You need to make sure what temperature is required by the respective substrate to get the print on as well as the pressure and time required, as discussed later.

Make sure that it is not heated for too long so as to burn it or blotch out the prints.

When you decide on a particular temperature to work with, the next factor to determine is the time. It is equally crucial as heat pressing for less than the ideal time leads to dull and sparse printing with a lack of detail whereas heating it for greater than the required time renders it burnt and of no use.

Sublimation not only requires adequate heat exposure of the fabric to get the print on but also enough pressure for the heat-pressing phenomenon.

Medium pressure is considered ideal for the sublimation of crafts since pressure lower than that will lead to distortion of the image and the one higher than that changes the color palette to orange, and burnt hues – both of which are undesirable.

Temperature, time, and pressure – all three go hand in hand to help you achieve the best and the brightest sublimation prints.

Coming to the next significant factor for getting bright sublimation prints is the selection of the right kind of paper. Not only the kind but also the side of the paper that you need to get the print on.

While the latter may seem quite obvious, it oftentimes is not. The coated side of the sublimation paper is to be used for printing since the other side does not allow the retention of sublimation inks. If you are a beginner, do not worry since many sublimation sheets have indicators on them to specify which side is for printing and which is not.

The quality of the paper is also important and not to be ignored if you want brighter prints. Choose the best sublimation paper instead of a cheap, regular one.

To prevent Image Ghosting, use heat-resistant tape or an adhesive spray to keep the paper or substrate in place and check it to see if it is in a centralized position. This is the key to preventing image ghosting and getting clear and vibrant results in the final output.

There is no use of a good-quality printer, adequate temperature, pressure, and time, or high-quality sublimation paper if you are not able to adjust the final settings of the printer to get bright, clear prints. This includes both color settings as well as heat pressing settings.

Opt for the final file to be downloaded in jpg instead of PDF that too in a light background with 300 DPI to avoid blurriness. Moreover, check out the desired temperature for different kinds of substrates. Lesser or greater than that will affect the quality of prints and consequently, their brightness and clarity.

You can also adjust the colors to the lightest and the brightest shade of what you actually want. This is done to compensate for the gradual darkness that ensues in the colors during the sublimation process.

Even if you check off all the factors and are still not able to get brighter prints, then you might want to experiment a bit with the colors.

Check out different color contrasts and combinations to see if the prints get brighter or not. In addition to trying out varying color combinations, you can also increase the brightness of your work using 3D software since the colors naturally get dull when transferred to fabric. This should help get the vibrancy back.

The above-mentioned factors are quite significant in generating brighter sublimation prints. So, if you are having any trouble with the final colors on the substrate, try these out to rectify the situation!