Dye sublimation (or dye-sub) is a digital printing technique that uses heat to transfer ink onto polyester and polyester resin-coated products. Using a wide-format inkjet printer, dye-sub inks are printed on a special transfer paper. From there, the ink is heat transferred from the paper onto a polyester fabric by using a heat press. The ink changes from a solid to a gas (hence the term “sublimation”) and enters the polyester fibers.

The polymers in the polyester bond when heated, which allows the graphics to quickly become permanently embedded into your materials. As a heated gas, the ink becomes fully infused into the fabric instead of just printed on the surface, resulting in long-lasting, high-quality products.

Compared to inkjet printing on other materials like paper or vinyl, dye sublimation is a more involved process since it involves multiple steps. However, the colors are generally more vibrant and the catalog of products you can sublimate on is huge.