How to make sublimation brighter: Put an end to dull, faded prints

Sublimation printing is a fairly simple process but one that requires refinement for the absolute best results. When starting out I found, like many other sublimation beginners, a couple of issues with my initial prints – they were dull and washed out – and it took me some time to figure out how to make sublimation brighter. It is not all about heat press settings when producing vibrant prints, you need to ensure you have a capable printer, quality sublimation paper, and a It takes a couple of extra steps, but there are some tried-and-tested ways to improve your images and get the results you expect.

You also need to ensure your print settings are correct and play around with color profiles to get a brighter sublimation on your chosen substrate.

How to make sublimation brighter

When it comes to printing sublimation images, it is important to start by getting your printer setup correctly. Whenever you print something for the first time, the printer assumes and applies the default settings that it thinks will be best for you. However, unless you get very lucky, these settings likely aren’t defaulted to what you need to print on. Make sure you set your paper type to matte and the print quality to the highest for the best results.

So, before printing your next sublimation design, head over to the print settings and select the highest possible quality you can. Depending on the make and model of your sublimation printer, there can be a daunting array of options to choose from. Always select the highest output resolution before pressing the print button. Choose low-speed and premium matte paper settings on your print manager before printing.

With Epson printers, if your colors are still somewhat muted then you can try using the Adobe gamma 2.2 preset in Color Mode rather than Epson’s gamma 1.7 or 1.8.

Our recommended sublimation printer for beginners:

Use Higher-Quality Sublimation Ink and Paper

Another key component is using the best sublimation paper and sublimation ink. Poor-quality materials can result in dull, poor-quality prints. There are tiers of quality to the ink available. Cheap sublimation ink can do more harm than good, and will never last as long as the more expensive variants. For converted Epson printers, I recommend Hiipoo ink as a good all-rounder between value and versatility. There are other brands such as A-Sub, Printer Jacks, and Cosmos; but Hiipoo is my personal preference.

If you are new to sublimation printing and think your printout appears dull – remember that this will always be the case on sublimation paper. Do not judge vibrancy until you have completed the sublimation process with a heat press.

Temperature and Timing

Even if you get the design print right, other factors can impede the brightness of sublimation printing on the target material. It isn’t a one-fits-all approach; different materials have their own temperature settings. The right one can make sublimation brighter, the wrong one can ruin it. Ensuring you have the best heat press settings is yet another key focus area to ensure you get vibrant prints onto various substrates.

Here we can see the recommended temperatures for the standard sublimation media. For instance, a polyester fabric needs 400° F for the best output, while cotton needs less.  Note the timings associated with each one, as they can also make or break your print. If you keep the sublimation press on for too long, you’ll effectively burn your design in with a brownish tint.

Another major tip is to tweak your heat settings, adjust the time, and record what produces more vibrant results. Furthermore, you need to ensure you remove all moisture when using fabric by pre-pressing your substrate. You also need to ensure your sublimation print has good contact with your blank substrate for the best end results.

Use an ICC Color Profile

If the default or custom printer profiles still produce a non-vibrant output, try using an ICC color profile to sort out the mess. These are effectively presets that help your printer translate and understand the colors you need for your sublimation design. Brands such as Hiipoo have custom profiles for Epson printers, which I found useful for getting more vivid and brighter sublimation prints.

Once you install the profile, simply select it from the driver and ignore the default profiles. The catch is that you can’t preview them as effectively, meaning that it can be hard to find the right color profile for your design.

Inspect Printer Components

Sublimation ink tends to dry up and clog in the printheads, which can cause flow issues and – among other things – affect the brightness of your sublimation print. It’s healthy to clean the printhead semi-regularly, but particularly if you see any banding or print errors.

Open up the printer and, as carefully as you can, clean the printheads with a slightly damp paper towel or sponge. Depending on whether you use an ink tank or not, you may want to check for any clogging or leaks in or around the cartridges or the tanks themselves. After letting everything dry, run what’s known as a test sheet or “purge” sheet, to check the printer for errors. Repeat until you have no errors.

This is the most involved way to make sublimation brighter, but is still healthy to do if you use your printer frequently. If this doesn’t work, the errors may run deeper into the hardware and may warrant a new sublimation printer altogether.

The importance of sublimation brightness

Regardless of whether sublimation is a hobby or a business venture, top-quality results should always be the goal. A dark design can be lost entirely if you don’t make sublimation brighter via our methods, which makes for a poor overall experience.

It’s also important to learn how to fix these issues as you encounter them: there is a learning curve associated with craft skills such as this, and you shouldn’t be discouraged if you encounter issues like darker images. The only effect it has is ensuring you’ll get better results the next time around!

All the above can help you eliminate wastage of your blanks, ink, and time; along with being good practice for printer maintenance.

Are your sublimation prints too dark?

Before we can provide a solution, let’s diagnose the problem. There are a few causes of dark sublimation prints, and very few of them are unsolvable:

1. You are using low-quality images with poor resolution: As with any printing or graphic design work, the resolution of the printed image is always going to affect the end result.
2. Your printer is running low on ink: This is pretty self-explanatory, and quick to fix. Check your ink levels and if needed purchase some more ink.
3. The target material contains a lot of moisture: Especially when sublimation printing onto t-shirts, it’s important that the material is dry and correctly repaired. Many t-shirt manufacturers recommend ironing or stretching their products slightly before sublimation.
4. You are not using high-quality sublimation ink and paper: Another fairly straightforward fix, better materials beget better prints.
5. You aren’t following the target material’s temperature and pressure settings: Settings and configurations can be a learning curve, but it’s always worth learning.
6. You are using the default printer color profiles: This is quick to fix but a bit more involved. See below for more information.
7. The printer heads are worn out or clogged: These are more of a hassle to sort. More on that later.

On a side note, it’s worth noting that the printer itself can be the root of the problem. Like any sphere of technology, older models simply can’t compete with the newer ones.

My first forays into sublimation printing were using an Epson printer, one not specially designed for sublimation. They are great starter options to help you get your head around sublimation printing, but there is a ceiling to the quality that you can achieve.

If you’re dissatisfied with your print results even after trying these other methods, then it may be time for an upgrade.

FAQs

Final Word

Sublimation printing can be a tiresome and often unrewarding process, but I still love it. If you succeed in making your sublimation brighter, it’s immensely satisfying to see your designs come to life. And your clients or friends will appreciate it too.

I hope today’s tips have been helpful. I’ve tried to include everything I’ve encountered in my experience, but everyone’s situation is unique. Test out my methods and, failing them, consider a new sublimation printer or heat press machine. Either way, I urge you not to settle for average-quality prints: quality is its own reward.