Sublimation

Sublimation

Sublimation is a full-color branding technology for promotional items, especially suitable for white or light products with a polyester surface. It is commonly used for products from drinkware, textile and fashion or bags and backpacks. You can compare it with other methods on the printing technologies page.

What is full-color sublimation?

The design is first printed onto special sublimation paper and then transferred to the product under heat and pressure. During this process, the dye changes into gas and penetrates the product coating, resulting in a smooth print without a raised ink layer.

Sublimation is ideal for full-color graphics, photographs, gradients and design-rich visuals. The best output is achieved on white products or light print areas. If you need dark substrates or strict spot-color matching, it is useful to compare with screen printing or digital transfer.

We only carry out sublimation on promotional items supplied by us. Before production, we prepare an artwork proof so the print position, size and expected appearance are clearly approved.

Full-color output

Sublimation handles photos, gradients and fine detail without color-count limits.

No color-limit workflow

Printing runs in CMYK, so complex artwork is not limited by spot-color count.

Textile and polyester

A strong option for textile products with suitable composition and light substrate.

Drinkware and gifts

Frequently used for branded gift products such as mugs, bottles, bags and similar accessories.

MaterialsPolyester and products with a suitable sublimation coating.
Typical productsDrinkware, textile, bags and other light promotional items.
Color modeFull-color CMYK print including gradients.
Artwork filesVector files and high-quality raster images are both possible.

When sublimation is a good fit

We recommend sublimation when you need vivid full-color artwork, smooth gradients and clear visual detail without spot-color limits. Typical use includes promotional textiles, light gift accessories and suitable ceramic or coated products.

  • Ideal for campaigns with photo-based graphics and visually rich designs.
  • Works best on white or very light substrates.
  • For heavy daily use, it is worth checking durability expectations in advance.

Advantages and limitations

Advantages

  • Full-color printing (CMYK), including gradients.
  • Artwork can be supplied as raster image data.
  • No practical color-count limit for artwork complexity.
  • Smooth final surface without a raised ink layer.

Limitations

  • On mugs, the print is not dishwasher-resistant.
  • Slight color bleeding may occur on some materials.
  • Not suitable for dark substrates.
  • Fine grain and lower micro-detail sharpness can appear in some motifs.

Sublimation print examples

Sublimation print example 1
Sublimation print example 2
Sublimation print example 3
Product with sublimation 1
Product with sublimation 2
Product with sublimation 3

Not sure whether sublimation is the right choice?

Send us the product type, artwork, quantity and deadline. We will verify the best printing setup and recommend the most reliable branding option.

Send inquiry →