Every person who is in the sublimation field wanted at least once to print white, but he got to know that he cant print white. But why? Why can you not print white, or is there white sublimation ink available? These questions are just irritating me back in the days, same as you right now.
So, I thought, why not answer this with complete detail and information. So after this article, you would clearly know whether that is their white sublimation ink or can you print white with sublimation. But if you don’t want to go through the complete article, then let me answer the question straight to the point first.
“ No, there is no white sublimation ink, and you can not print white with sublimation. In sublimation, white colour does not exist”.
Why Is There No White Sublimation Ink Exist?
Like, if we look at the process of sublimation. We get to know that during the process, the ink is absorbed by the substrate, such as a shirt, for instance. And after that becomes the permanent part of that substrate. Now, if the colour of the shirt of darker than the ink, it will dominate it, and the ink colour will not be clear, vibrant, or even the printed image will look good.
Replace the “light color ink” from white and shirt colour with some “dark colour” shirt. Now, if we even are able to sublimate white on that darker colour shirt, white ink won’t be clear, or based on my experience, white color won’t even be shown on the darker colour shirt.
That’s why people and industry experts always recommend using light-color shirts and substrates for the sublimation printing to conquer the need for white color ink. Because white colour does not exist in sublimation thus light colour shirt can replace the lack of it.
Let’s take another example for more clear understanding.
Example #2
Let’s say we mix the white and black colour ink. What would be the result? It won’t be white or black either. The same applies to sublimation printing. Even denser because in sublimation, the ink becomes the permanent part of the substrate and if the substrate colour is darker than the ink. The light colour will get dominated by the dark colour substrate.
From the above two examples, I am hoping that your concept is clear about “is their white sublimation ink” and why can we sublimate white?. Now, let’s have a look at some most asked FAQs about white sublimation, ink, and more.
Also Read:
1. Is Sublimation Ink Toxic
2. Where To Buy Sublimation Ink For Epson Printer
FAQs
Q No.1: Will a sublimation printer print white?
A sublimation printer can print any color except white. There is no white sublimation ink exists, and sublimation can not be done with white color. Using the light colour garment is always the best option if your design or image that you want to print on a shirt has some white areas or color in it.
Q No.2: How do you sublimate a white design?
Sublimating the white design is not possible. The possible solution for the problem is to use white color garments or light color garments instead of very bright color garments. The reason behind this is, that sublimation printing can not print white, and there is no way to print white on the substrate. If the design or image has white or light colors in it, the person should use the light color garment, or the best would be to use white color garments.
Q No.3: What is a sublimation blank?
What is a sublimation blank? Well, the sublimation blank is the object on which the sublimation printing will be done. OR the thing on which you will be going to print your design or image. The other name of this object is the substrate. Substrate, sublimation blank, sublimation object, all these refer to the same thing.
Q No.4: Can you sublimate on a GREY shirt?
The answer lies between Yes and No. it depends on the color “Grey” like is it too bright, or dark or what? If the grey is light and not too dark, then yes, you can sublimate to it. But if the grey is too dark or dense, then I would never recommend sublimating it. Because the printed image or design won’t look bright or clear on it and if the image has some light colors in it. It will get mixed with the Grey color of the shirt.
Q No.5: Can you do sublimation on hoodies?
Yes, you can do sublimation on hoodies, and most of them come in default white color. That means the image and design you will print on them will look just fantastic, bright, vivid, having real-life touch, and will be long-lasting as well.
Q No.6: Can you sublimate on 50% polyester and 50% cotton?
Yes, you can sublimate on 50% polyester and 50% cotton. Even if the substrate is 100% cotton, there are still some ways to do sublimation. Yes, sublimation printing on the 100% is possible but requires some additional steps.
Q No.7: What can I sublimate to sell?
You can sublimate on a different kind of products to sell, such as mugs, shirts, t-shirts, hoodies, mouse pads, mats, pillow cases, tiles, plates, glass, cups, tumblers, and many many more. You can sell these sublimated things on Amazon, eBay, Facebook marketplace, and other places.
Q No.8: How do you sublimate a white shirt?
Sublimating the white shirt or any white object is super simple and easy. The process will be the same for any sublimation printing, but the results you would achieve after sublimating on the white color will just blow your mind. White color shirts are the friendliest sublimation color for the sublimation printing.
Conclusion – Is There White Sublimation Ink
Sublimating the white object is the best strategy you can follow. And there is no white sublimation ink, and there is no way to sublimate the white color. If you do so, the white area on the image will be colored the same as the original color of the shirt. Such as, if you sublimate an image with white parts on a dark blue shirt, the white part of the image will end up having the same color as the shirt. This will mess up the image and design, which is not what we want. That’s why I always recommend using the light color garments for sublimation.