Have you ever wondered why the printing service changes its methods from time to time? Why it is one of the popular mediums for showing aesthetics. Well, printing started its origin 3000 years ago in
Mesopotamia. Initially, it was used for royal apparel and small stamps. The oldest form of printing was embroidery, which made beautifully handmade crafts.
With the growing demands, printing services have gone through an evolution. Screen printing, also known as stencil arts, is the first commercially available printing technique. Whether you are looking for vibrant colors or long-lasting printed fabrics, screen prints offer a range of printing solutions. Are the inks used in screen prints sustainable? Well, screen printing leaves a big question mark when the eco-friendly printing process comes; it produces toxic wastes and gases under Ultraviolet (UV) rays. Your screen printing service consumes a lot of energy and water. Although it is the best choice for bulk orders, your choice for printed apparel will be different.
Let’s think about the digital design impressions on your apparel or polyester bags. Are you looking for a quick turnaround printing service? Or, as a printer, you need to install machines that are not costly and offer sustainability. Whether you are looking for reducible and recyclable printing wastes or need a printing service that saves energy, sublimation printing is the best choice. Its printing process is simple and includes only one layer of color. It does not require emulsion chemicals or dark-toned colors. Your sublimation printing offers beautiful designs on mugs, apparel, plastic bags, leather garments, or any light-toned material.
Let’s understand the importance of sublimation and screen printing. Let’s find out which printing technique is the best choice. In this blog, you will find an idea about how both printing techniques are beneficial and the limitations of both these services.
What Is Sublimation Printing?
Are you looking for a printing method that applies to garments, ceramics, or glass? You get vibrant and durable prints on fabric, plastic, or metal if you choose sublimation printing. The most exciting thing about sublimation printing is the transfer of dye onto fabrics or plastics by using heat. You make printing designs onto paper that will further transfer onto the material for final printing. Your special sublimation ink plays a vital role in the printing process. When you place the designed paper on the printing material, it will undergo a heating process. Your sublimation inks get absorbed during the heating process. You will get a fabric or plastic whose colors won’t fade away or tear out after washes.
How Does Sublimation Printing Work?
All-over print(AOP) is sometimes referred to as sublimation printing. You will get vivid colored schemes when your design on sublimation paper transfers onto the chosen material after the high heating and pressured process. Your sublime printed garments are embedded with long-lasting color schemes.
Your first step to AOP will be dye sublimation. It is the making of designs on sublime paper with special sublimation ink. Next, you will have to give high heating and pressure on sublimation printing paper to get printed on fabrics and plastics. During the process, your poured sublimation inks will burn out and become gas vapors. Sublimation prints are longer-lasting as they are prepared under controlled heating and pressure methods, so your fabrics remain original after 100 washes. AOP has been gaining popularity since 1931. Your AOP originated in the middle of the 20th century. It is the unique method in which your solid sublime paper and inks convert into gasses. However, with the advancement of engineering, the entire dye process and transfer methods improved the AOP. As a result, color retention and quality of sublimated prints became better. Hard substrates were the materials initially used for sublimation printing.
How Has The Sublimation Printing Evolved?
The mid-1970s was the era when it became used for commercial purposes. Designers developed a unique sublimation dye that converts onto polyester fabrics. That was the milestone in the history of printing. This breakthrough was the origin of sublime prints on sportswear, apparel, and the home industry. However, the evolution did not stop there; in the 1990s, digital prints became game changers. With the incorporation of digital printers, the printing designs became more elegant and geometrical.
AOP color schemes with high resolution impacted a wide audience. However, the evolution of sublimation printing gained more success in the 21st century when sustainable inks and dyes were made. The scope of sublimation printing increased when 3D printing was used on mugs and plastic utensils. But the sky is the limit; the journey of sublimation prints was revitalized when more creative designs were available for personalization.
How Does AOP Boost Sustainability?
Sublimation printing is more sustainable as it is energy efficient and requires less water consumption. AOP does not produce toxic chemicals and gasses like other printing options like Direct to garments and Screen printing. Your sublime substrates are recyclable and reproducible. It produces waste that is recyclable and reducible. The workers aren’t affected by the disposal of waste. Your brand will become sustainable with the use of sublimation printing. It will boost its credibility and brand visibility to a wide range of audiences. The use of water-soluble inks makes your AOP process more eco-friendly. Sublimation printing is the choice of several fashion houses; its journey does not stop here; it grow in the future due to its long-lasting and environmentally friendly products.
What Are The Unique Selling Points Of Sublimation Printing?
AOP boosts time saving. Your sublime printed t-shirts are available on the market more frequently due to their quick turnaround time. Your sublime printing process does not require complex processes such as stencil making. Your sublimation printing service does not need too many workers. Digital printing machines complete your AOP process quickly. AOP-designed apparel, polyesters, and metals are versatile and vibrant.
You sublimate your designs on shirts, sportswear, swimsuits, leather bags, and mugs. You boost your room’s appearance or office space by using a stylish touch of sublimated materials. On your independence day, your sublimated country’s flags and buntings will boost vibrant colors. You can amuse your guests with your sublimated blankets or pillows.
When you transfer sublimate dye on the substrate, there will be only a single layer for colors. It can fulfill the demands of small and medium-sized companies. Its scope is not limited to bulk orders for industrial use. It is a cost-effective solution. It does not incur too many expenses and energy consumption.
What Are The Limitations Of Sublimation Printing?
Although sublimation printing has immense advantages, it has certain limitations as well. Sublimation materials boost fabrics that have more polyester fibers. It is more effective on plastic-based materials. However, your sublimated garments with less polyester fibers faded after 30 to 50 washes. Whether you are looking for silk, cotton, or leather garment printing, sublimation printing will not be a perfect fit.
Further, it is only available for white or light-colored toned materials. If you want to sublimate magenta colored on black-toned material, the impact will not be appealing. There are some instances where white creases start appearing on the sublimated apparel due to the folding process. The AOP process requires specialized machines, which are costly and not accessible in markets.
What Is Screen Printing?
Are you looking for a printing solution for your bulk orders or refurbishment for future use? Screen printing is the traditional yet most demanding printing area. It has been serving the home industry in many European countries. Your screen printing machines are easy to install. Their parts are easily repaired and accessible. You can refer to screen prints with stencil printing. Screen printing designs require stencil making. For each design, there must be one specific stencil.
Your screen prints use cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYB) colors to make several color combinations. Your screen printing apparels go by pre-printing services that include graphic designing of your future prints, stencil making of your graphic design, chemicals in the form of vibrant inks, drying racks for lamination and coatings, Ultraviolet (UV) light for better shine, apparel, and packaging. Your screen substrates are made after passing through a step-by-step complex process.
How Does Screen Printing Work?
Initially, you make stencils for your designs based on graphic design files. This process is known as filming. This is a photosensitive process. For each layer of color, you need separate stencils. Whether you are starting your screen printing service for silk printing or your order requires more than two layers of colors, screen printing is the best choice. After your stencils are prepared, you need emulsion coatings for lamination; then, you will expose your surface to UV light to fix the lamination. After washing the emulsion, your stencil is ready to print. Apply CMYB colors on stencils, and then apply your designs on your favorite apparel and packaging. Apply heating and cooling processes on the screen prints substrates. There are six types of screen printing.
Spot color screen printing includes vibrant colors with a simple graphic design. Halftone screen prints are suitable for dot prints with different sizes and spaces. Whether you want back or white prints or paper-like prints, your grayscale screen printing is the best choice. For creative and contrasting themes, you choose duotone screen prints. Whether you want high-resolution colors or detailed complex designs, your simulated screen prints are the best. However, there is no heat transfer method in screen printing.
What Are The Benefits OF Screen Printing?
Your screen printing is the best choice for large campaigns like any sports gala, fundraising event, or Independence Day celebrations. Whether you want to reorder your popular designs of apparel or you need the same designs in large quantities, your screen printing offers the best choices. Stencil prints are more versatile and vibrant.
After getting through the high temperature and cooling process, the colors get fixed and do not fade away after 100 washes. You do not see white creases in screen printing apparel while you are getting them folded. Once the stencils are made, companies can reorder them for more apparel to increase their stock. Whether you want vivid colors on your leather bags or need high-resolution panaflex posters, your screen printing is always your first choice.
What Are The Key Disadvantages Of Screen Printing?
Screen printing does not boost sustainability. It uses toxic chemicals and inks that can harm workers. Your screen printing does not offer eco-friendly products. The use of UV light for emulsion makes this process discreditable in the eyes of environmentally conscious people. Further, screen printing wastes contain toxic substances and do not offer recycling and reduction. Your screen printing required lots of water to fix the colors.
Consumption of energy and water does not boost sustainability in your screen-printed fabrics. Stencil art is an expensive and time-consuming process. Your screen prints are not advisable for small orders due to their costly stencil-making. Your screen printing service requires heavy equipment and machines. Its warehousing costs are higher than direct garments or sublimation printing.
How Do You Compare Sublimation With Screen Printing?
- Screen printing has a variety of color saturation. They are vibrant and give fluorescent images. You boost actual color schemes as stencils print exact colors to the apparel. On the other hand, sublimation prints are exotic only of fabrics with high polyester fibers.
- Screen prints fade after 100 washes; however, sublimation prints have more durability and reliability. Under high ironing, the screen prints get faded or cracked. At the same time, you can preserve actual color schemes in sublimation prints even after 100 washes. They are long-lasting and durable.
- Screen prints do not show white creases after getting folded. However, sublimation prints show cracks. Sublimation prints are more appealing on white or light-coloured fabrics. However, screen printing is not limited to specific colored fabric or material. It can show on all surfaces.
- Screen printing service is the best choice for large-scale orders or industrial use. However, sublimation prints are best suited for small orders. It can meet the demands of almost all scales of orders. Sublimate printing service is more cost-effective even for bulk orders, as it requires only one layer of colors.
- You can use screen prints for cotton, silk, metal, and plastic. However, sublimation printing is limited to materials with high polyester fibers. Sublime substrates are usually mugs and synthetic fibers.
- Screen printing produces toxic waste, which can harm workers. The screen printing process is not sustainable because it conserves more energy and water. However, sublimation printing offers sustainable solutions. The sublime wastes are nontoxic and recyclable. You boost less water consumption while using the sublime substrate. They are more energy efficient. The material used in screen prints is not biodegradable. However, sublime prints offer biodegradable substances.
- The turnaround time for sublimation printing is less than for screen printing services. You make stencils for each color scheme and layer. However, sublime printing is easy as it requires only one layer of color. The machinery costs of screen prints are more than digital printing or sublimation printing. Screen printing processes are complex and require high temperatures. Sublimation printing is based on water-soluble inks with a moderate heating press.
- Sublimation is a more flexible printing process. Screen printing is a complex way to print onto apparel. It was trending during the 1950s due to heavy industrial use; however, it began with direct garments and sublimation printing. It became the second choice for many large and medium-sized companies. Screen prints are more versatile and vibrant in comparison to sublime prints.
- Screen prints are the best choice for a wide array of products, such as packaging, electronic devices, apparel, panaflex posters, and billboards. At the same time,At the same time, sublime prints are only suitable for plastic bags, mugs, metals, polyester fabrics, and leather garments. It’s getting popular in shoe wear and swimsuits.
- Screen printing service is easily available. Its market share is nearly 4.5 Billion USD worldwide. You can place an order from any country. however, the market share of sublimation is hardly 690 million. It is growing at the rate of 6%. Silk and custom screen printing are the two most powerful stencil arts. Sublimation is in the process of development. It requires at least three more decades to prove itself.
Conclusion
Now that you know the difference between sublime and screen printing methods, it’s time to get your favorite printing service. No matter if your favorite T-shirt shows bright and shining colors, its durability will not be guaranteed until 100 washes. Let’s make your apparel without cracks and white creases. For better results, you need to understand the key differences between two important printing methods:
Sublimation and screen printing.
Let’s have a scenario where you have to organize your company event at an exhibition; you need a bulk quantity of T-shirts with your company logo; which printing service do you choose? Will you go for cost-effective solutions or sustainable products? You need to go through the pros and cons of both these printing methods. With the evolution of printing designs, your preference for any specific printing service needs a bit of your attention. Thus, no matter how versatile and vibrant screen prints are, for environmentally conscious people, they do not meet the selection criteria.
