What Kind Of Technology Is Thermal Transfer Printing?

Sublimation transfer printing is the process of combining heat with a transfer medium to create a personalized t-shirt or merchandise. Transfer media comes in the form of vinyl, a colored rubber material, transfer paper, wax,  and pigment-coated paper.

Heat transfer vinyl comes in a variety of colors and patterns, from solid colors to reflective and glittery materials. It is most commonly used to customize the name and number on the jersey. Transfer paper has no restrictions on colors and patterns. Individual artwork or images can be printed onto the media using an inkjet printer to create shirts to your design! Finally, put the vinyl or transfer paper in a cutter or plotter to cut out the shape of your design and transfer it to the t-shirt using a heat press.

Advantages of thermal transfer printing:
1. Allow different customization for each product, such as name customization
2. Shorter lead time for smaller quantity orders
3. Cost-effective for small quantity order
4. Ability to generate high-quality and complex graphics with unlimited options

Disadvantages of thermal transfer printing:
1. Time consuming and costly to run in large numbers
2. Easy to fade after long-term use and cleaning
3. Ironing the print directly will destroy the image

Fun Facts About Transfer Printing

Transfer printing was introduced as early as the 1650s by John Sadler and Guy Green. This technique was first used to decorate ceramics, mainly earthenware. The technique was widely accepted and quickly spread to other parts of Europe.

At the time, the process involved a metal plate on which decorative elements were carved. The plates will be covered in ink and then pressed or rolled on the ceramic. The process is slow and tedious compared to modern transfer printing, but still much faster than painting on ceramic by hand.

In the late 1940s, thermal transfer printing (a technique more commonly used today) was invented by a US-based SATO company.

Zhejiang Guangyintong New Material Technology Co., Ltd. is a China OEM/ODM heat transfer vinyl manufacturer and factory, wholesale heat transfer vinyl, welcome to consult.