The first thing you should be aware of is that regular ink is not supposed to be used for sublimation printing. Sublimation printing involves a special process that can be only via sublimation ink.
Sublimation ink has a special feature by which it turns directly from solid to gas when heated and then gets absorbed by the substrate. Once it gets absorbed, it becomes the permanent part of the substrate. This feature is not available in the regular ink that’s why regular ink can not be used for sublimation. There are plenty of other differences as well, but this is the biggest reason or difference between both of them.
Before diving into more details, make sure to read our article on Differences Between Sublimation Ink and Regular Ink. The article has every bit of information about each ink and you will get the clearest idea of each from that article.
Once you have a clear idea about the sublimation ink and the regular ink. It’s time to uncover why can not you use regular ink for sublimation.
Reason Of Why Can’t I Use Regular Ink For Sublimation?
- Regular ink is not intentionally created for the sublimation printing
- It is not compatible with sublimation printers, paper, and other accessories that are involved in the sublimation printing process
- Comparatively thicker than the sublimation ink. This can damage and block your sublimation printer and print head
- Does not last as long as the sublimation ink does
- Not formulated for sublimation printing
- Very few of the regular inks are waterproof and in sublimation printing, the image that is gonna be sublimated should be waterproof
There are a whole lot more reasons why regular ink cant be used for sublimation printing. But these 6 are enough for justification and these are the most important ones as well. So, once we have discussed it and now it’s clear that regular ink can not be sued for sublimation. Let‘s have a look at some points that will help us to select the best sublimation ink for our printing journey.
How To Choose The Sublimation ink For Your Self?
- The very first thing to look at is the brand of the sublimation ink. It must be any well-known brand with some good customer feedback as well.
- The next thing to check is if the ink is compatible with your sublimation printer. Adding to that, if the ink is suitable for the substrate on which you wanna sublimate.
- The expiration date is quite important to check. Because this happened to me, a year back when I bought a sublimation ink I didn’t check the expiration date and it was expired. That’s why now I always make sure to check the expiration date of the sublimation ink whenever I am buying.
- Sublimation ink should have 3-layer protection technology that protects the print head of the printer from blocking.
- The ink particles of the ink should be small enough to pass through the printer nozzles. If the ink has 3-layer protection technology then there is no need to check this. The ink would already be having this attribute.
- Lastly, make sure that the ink is in your budget. The price of the sublimation ink is usually quite decent and most of them are budget-friendly as well.
Just apply these 6 points while buying a sublimation ink and you will get the best of the best sublimation ink that will be budget-friendly along with that it will provide a vivid, bright, smooth, long-lasting, and real-life print experience as well.
Also Read:
1. Can You Use Sublimation Ink On Heat Transfer Paper
2. Best Anti UV Sublimation Ink In 2022
Final Words
Regular ink is not yet formulated for the sublimation printings thus we only have one choice and that is to use sublimation ink for the sublimation printing. And if you want to buy some good quality sublimation ink, just follow the above-mentioned steps and you will be having some awesome quality sublimation ink for your printing journey.