Is sublimatable a word? I hope so cause I’m using it. LOL
If it doesn’t say POLYESTER don’t waste your money on it.
FOR FABRICS, YOU MUST HAVE A LIGHT COLOR AND AT LEAST 65% POLYESTER CONTENT. IF YOU HAVE, SAY, A 70% POLYESTER AND 30% COTTON SHIRT, 30% OF YOUR DESIGN WILL WASH OUT. SO IF YOU’RE GOING FOR A VINTAGE LOOK THEN THAT’S GREAT! IF YOU WANT IT TO BE VIBRANT, GO WITH 100% POLYESTER.
If you want to sublimate on mugs, mouse pads, seat covers, chapstick holders etc, they must specifically have a polymer coating on the outside (unless it’s made of poly fabric) in order to work with your transfer. You cannot go to the Dollar Tree and grab a mug to sublimate on; it will not chemically bond.
While this list is not all inclusive (the list of ideas is HUGE), these are some things you can sublimate on:
- Tee Shirts (Light colored, 65% polyester or greater)
- Aprons
- License Plates
- Dog Tags
- Tumblers
- Phone Cases
- Popsockets
- Chapstick Holders
- Masks
- Mouse pads
- Car Seat Covers
- Coasters
- Tiles
- Wood
- Metal
- Ceramic Dishes
- Dry Erase Boards
- Keychains
- Glitter Vinyl (Siser is the only one I know of for sure)
- Hats/Caps
- Photo Panels
- Frames
- Ornaments
- Awards/Plaques
- Pillow Cases
- Sheets
- Backpacks
Debbie Does Design has a great chart on how colors look on different color tees and poly percentages. Keep this in mind when shopping for your blanks!
What do I do about dark shirts?
- Sublimate then bleach your shirt (or vice versa). If you choose this option, make sure you have some cotton in your fabric content as polyester is typically not affected by bleach. A 70 poly/30 cotton blend would be good because you’d still have a bright image and the cotton around it will fade away leaving the image showing.
- Sublimate onto Siser Glitter Vinyl. This is a cool process of heat pressing the glitter vinyl first and then sublimating your design onto it after. Siser actually has a video out on how to do that. It’s a bit trickier since you’ll need to line up the design with your vinyl, but it looks great!