Maker Hub’s ‘Tool Tip Friday’: Sublimation Printer
In need of an awesome gift idea or new art project? Well, the Maker Hub has got you covered!
The Maker Hub’s Sawgrass Sublimation Printer works in conjunction with the mug press and heat press to add any design onto various items, including mugs, signage, bags and apparel. Designs can also be added to many other different materials including ceramics, wood, metal, polyester and glass.
For fabrics, sublimation dye only adheres to polyester. Cotton/polyester blends are OK to use so long as the polyester content is at least 50%. Keep in mind that the sublimation dye will not bond with the cotton, so the resultant image will have a slightly more faded or “vintage” look when using cotton/polyester blends.
Sublimation is a digital printing process that uses heat and pressure to embed ink into a fabric or surface to produce an image. It utilizes a special dye and a molecular bonding process to apply and permanently adhere HD images, graphics and photos to polymers and polyesters at a sub-surface level.
Unlike other printing processes that use chemicals to bond ink to the surface of a product, the sublimation process bonds at a sub-surface level rather than on top, allowing for a high-quality image that will not crack or peel. For more information, visit the Maker Hub’s Wiki Page for the sublimation printer.
The Maker Hub exists as a resource and creative outlet for the entire George Fox community (yes, including non-engineers!). We are looking for student aces. A student ace is simply an expert on a piece of equipment who helps train other students on the usage of that equipment and gains extra privileges within the Maker Hub.
Please email makerhub@georgefox.edu if you would like to get connected or have any questions.