Impressions - Digital Decorator - Summer 2015 - 20

Sublimation
By Chris Bernat,
Contributing Writer

Rising:

The Super Spot
A new production concept for
the innovative sublimator.

S

Using colored garments and
large 20" x 25" spot hit prints
can really deliver a great solution to the customer.

To view a
short video of this
process, please visit
impressionsmag.com/
superspot.

20 § SUMMER 2015

ublimation continues
to grow in all types of
markets. From athletics and streetwear to outdoor and coastal
retailers, increasing demand for sublimation is evident. Promotional products and
advertising specialty markets also are tapping sublimation more and more for their
customers. This is being driven by a number of product features, including the
rise of performance poly fabrics and
the increased demand for full-color
graphics and mass-customized
content.
Most people are well aware
of the allover print (AOP)
phenomenon that has been
occurring in market for a couple
of years. If you are a large-format
sublimation house and you have not
been busy with these types of orders, you
may want to ask your sales department
what they are doing in their spare time.
Customers like oversized graphics, but
there are some negatives that are associated with allover print as well.
One of the biggest complaints you will
hear is regarding the "creases" or "white
lines" that occur when you take a preexisting shirt and mash it in a large press.
Naturally, there are going to be places on
the garment (primarily under the arms
and along the seams) that crease and,
as a result, the ink cannot make contact
with the front of the garment. While this
is not a problem from some markets (such
as retail), it is a deal breaker in others.

But the demand for large graphics is there
despite these limitations. Of course there
always is the option of cut and sew (which
assembles the garment after printing of the
individual pieces), but sometimes the client
cannot afford the extra cost of a cut-and-sew
solution. Furthermore, you may not have a
reliable source for this type of production.
So what other options can you put in front
of the customer to prevent him from looking elsewhere? How can you maintain your
competitive edge with the clients?
Consider a new strategy; one that has
the majority of the benefits and none of the
drawbacks. Offer a new option that is less
expensive for you to make and has a significantly faster production time. What is this
option? And more importantly, why do you
not know about it already?

SUPER WHAT?
SUPER SPOT!
Sometimes the market is not considering
some of the most creative options. Things
that become more obvious only after customers say, "Yes...but" to the other products
you have offered to them. In this instance we
are going to make the case for super-sized
spot-hit production that I call the "super
spot." There are a lot of clothing companies
that are doing a lot of "spot-hit" sublimation. Most people see this as something that
means you are limited to a smaller footprint.
Most of the swing-away presses on the
market are either 15" x 20" or 16" x 20" but
there are some units like the Swingman
25P by Hix Corp. that offer you something
http://www.impressionsmag.com/superspot
Impressions - Digital Decorator - Summer 2015

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