Why Can’t We Do a Sublimation Print on Nylon Fiber?

This is one of the greatest questions out there about sublimation printing! Most dye sublimation printing services companies will not offer this option as a rule because it would ruin their printing press. It’s not actually a material problem, it’s a heat problem. The sublimation process is heat dependent. High temperatures are needed to achieve the high-quality printing and depth of color you would expect from dye-sublimation.

Nylon melts easily at high temperatures. The end result of such a process while using nylon material is that it will likely produce a lighter or dizzy color than expected, and as time goes by the transfer ink will gradually fade away to dull. Also, you will deal with a lot of cleaning to do as the nylon will actually melt in your printing machine (this is more of a problem for the printing services company than for the client, but now you see why this process is avoided).  

If you are trying to do a custom sublimation printing on a nylon fiber, we highly recommend you use a cold transfer process with the properly rated material (certain types of silicone, for example), something that runs through the press for no more than 10 seconds. 

Not all custom printing companies offer cold transfer printing services, but Dad’s Printing is on a mission to help our clients create the best possible apparel, even using custom sublimation printing on nylon. We’re changing the world of custom shirts forever. No longer will businesses suffer with crappy, expensive printing. Now, you can take advantage of great styles at prices you can afford.