Sublimation paper plays a very important role in the sublimation transfer process. The actual effect of sublimation printing has a very strong relationship with the choice of sublimation paper. So what are the factors that affect the thermal sublimation paper? As a manufacturer with more than ten years of experience in the production of sublimation paper, Wellye will discuss the factors that influence the sublimation paper with all users who are about to enter the sublimation market or who use sublimation paper.
About Sublimation Paper
Sublimation paper, also known as "sublimation transfer paper", "dye sublimation paper", "sublimation printing paper", etc. Sublimation paper is a type of thermal transfer paper because it requires high heat during the sublimation process. Unlike "heat transfer paper", sublimation paper is used for polyester fabrics or media with a sublimation coating on the surface. Some customers want to do heat sublimation on cotton T-shirts, which is actually only possible with cotton T-shirts that have a heat sublimation coating on the surface.
The principle of sublimation printing
Sublimation printing provides a high fidelity image on the printed substrate. Sublimation printing is usually a printing process in which the desired image is reverse printed on sublimation paper by conventional printing techniques (e.g. inkjet sublimation paper) to provide reverse printed sublimation transfer paper. The reverse printed thermal sublimation paper can be combined with the printing substrate in a sublimator to provide sublimation printing from the reverse printed sublimation transfer paper to the printing substrate. Depending on the sublimable ink selected for sublimation printing, the conditions within the sublimator may vary to achieve sublimation printing. Sublimation printing can be produced by a combination of conditions, which include time, temperature and pressure. The desired level of sublimable dye transfer can be achieved by selecting the required time, temperature and pressure to which the sublimation transfer paper and substrate material are subjected. Typically, the surface of the sublimation transfer paper being printed can touch the surface of the printing substrate during sublimation printing. The sublimation transfer paper and the printing substrate can be held together by pressure.
Factors influencing the quality of sublimation paper
Sublimation paper consists of 2 important parts, the base paper and the sublimation coating. It is like a sandwich, with the base paper in the middle, the absorbent coating on top and the anti-curl coating at the bottom. These three parts are very important, they determine whether this sublimation paper can be successfully sublimated for transfer.
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Ink-absorbing coating
The ink-absorbing coating is a functional coating because it serves to keep the sublimation dye in a position where it can be used for sublimation printing. The coating composition consists of at least a filler and a binder. It provides the required porosity to achieve the desired high transfer efficiency. Suitable filler and binder materials, of which there are many different types, are suitable filler materials including silica, calcium carbonate, clay, and binders including polyvinyl alcohol, acrylic resins, latex, natural polymers, etc. The quality of the coating will affect the ink absorption. The amount of coating in one square meter will also have an effect.
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Original paper
The fiber and looseness of the original paper are very important to the transfer effect. Sublimation base paper is composed of softwood and hardwood pulp, which provides the paper with very good high temperature durability and good strength. The higher the tightness of the sublimation base paper, the less porosity it has. If the looseness is lower, the greater the porosity, the ink will penetrate the back side of the base paper instead of staying on the felt surface and transferring directly to the fabric. This will not only lead to poor transfer effect, but also only waste expensive sublimation ink.
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Anti-curl coating.
It helps the paper not curl. After the original paper is coated, there is a drying process. If the original paper has only one coating on the felt side and no coating on the mesh side, it means that the felt side is wet and the mesh side is dry, then the elasticity of the paper will be different, and that is the reason why the paper will curl. Because like sublimation paper A3 and A4, the humidity of the environment will affect the curl problem. In order to save material costs, some factories will not do anti-curl coating, the paper will have a major curing problem, the most serious consequence is that it can hurt or damage your expensive piezo print head.
Often, the choice of sublimation paper can help with the ability to handle sublimation ink and provide the desired high fidelity image. In addition, a good sublimation paper choice can also reduce the amount of sublimation ink needed to provide the desired image compared to existing sublimation paper. A good sublimation paper will not only help you get good transfer results, but also help you save on paper, ink, printer, and substrate costs. Because the failure of sublimation paper leads to the failure of the whole sublimation process.
Conclusion
Therefore, when choosing sublimation paper, pay attention to these three parts of sublimation paper. In the process of bulk purchase, it is recommended to test the sample to confirm whether it is a quality sublimation paper, which can provide benign help to your own sublimation business.
As a professional sublimation paper manufacturer, wellye has more than ten years of experience in sublimation paper production and manufacturing. We have enough experience to meet our customers' customized needs for sublimation transfer paper. Welcome to contact us for more information.
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