Dye-sublimation (also known as dye-diffusion) is the process of using heat to transfer a printed image onto synthetic material. Hats, shirts, mugs, bottles, key chains, coasters, mouse pads, you name it. This process is usually used on white surfaces, to ensure the best quality possible, and best for a smaller number of items that need to be personalized. The level of personalization that this method achieves is outstanding!
Fun fact: Dye-sublimation can be traced back to the 1950’s in France and came to the US in the 1970’s.
Screen Printing
Screen printing is the process of transferring ink to a porous surface with a blade, and a stencil creating the design. One color is applied at a time, and each is manually added after the previous color dries. Additionally, if you hear anyone say they need silkscreen printing or serigraph printing, that’s the same process.
Fun fact: screen printing first showed up in China during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD).
