Impressions - October 2014 - 69

in multiple ways (spot-hit, allover print
(AOP) or oversized printing), then you will
need a printer that is big enough.
Perhaps the greatest advantage to a
large-format printer is access to "tac" or
"tacky" transfer paper, which afﬁxes itself
to the garment after the press has been
applied. This prevents "ghosting," one of
the most frustrating issues for sublimators
and a major cause of high error rates.
Tac paper is only good for fabric-based
substrates and will cause issues with hard
goods and ceramics. It is not available in
desktop sublimation systems because it
can't effectively make its way through the
carriage and is susceptible to the temperatures inside the printer.
A larger printer offers you the size
to effectively perform sublimation in three
unique ways: spot-hit, AOP and cutand-sew.
Sublimating apparel makes every other
type of heat-transfer process look easy.
There is no other substrate-print technology combination that can be more
challenging to perfect. But the reward of
consistent quality can be quite high. Let's
take a look at prepping garments/fabrics
for each of these three production types.

SPOT-HIT PRESS REVIEW
Spot-hit sublimation is one of the
most proﬁtable ways to enter the market. While many people are focused on
AOP, there is tremendous margin opportunity in 13" x 19" spot-hit production.
This type of sublimation for apparel has

become a proﬁt segment with the use of
colored garments, which have a higher retail price point and dominate the retail racks
from which consumers select products.
The ideal spot-hit press should have
reliable, even heat throughout. This is
universal for all presses. Try to ﬁnd current

PICK THE RIGHT PRESS
Identifying the right press for sublimation is perhaps one of the most important
decisions you can make. While most decorating technologies will work with just
about any heat press, sublimation is a bit
more challenging. Picking the wrong press
can set you up for failure, while choosing
the right one will make you smile every
time you use it. (Note: Remember to identify proﬁt segments - places where value for
the garment's end consumer is signiﬁcantly
higher than the cost of goods.)
When it comes to price versus cost,
many people try to start with the leastexpensive press. "Why not?" they think.
Everyone wants a deal. But presses should
be investments. Buying a higher quality
press will make production a more proﬁtable long-term process.
You and your employees will look
forward to using the right press. The
wrong press, however, will fail you when
you need it the most. Remember that
Murphy's Law is part of every business. So
before you decide to "save" that $300 or
$400, reconsider your purchase decision.
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