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Service 08 — Sublimation & Transfer

Sublimation. Colour that lives in the fibre.

Sublimation doesn’t print onto the fabric, it dyes it: under heat the artwork sinks into the polyester fibre — all-over, photorealistic, with no touchable layer. Heat transfer covers the special cases where screen and digital printing don’t fit.

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all-over◆photorealistic◆polyester◆no touchable layer
Sublimation & Transfer
When sublimation?

The motif runs across the seams.

When the artwork needs the whole surface, the fabric has to breathe, or a special case has no standard answer.

01

All-over

Artwork across seams and the full surface — jerseys, sportswear, flags. What the frame limits in screen printing, sublimation prints edge to edge.

02

No hand feel

The colour doesn’t sit on top, it lives in the fibre — nothing cracks, nothing peels, the fabric stays as soft and breathable as unprinted.

03

Transfer as the joker

Where substrate, quantity or artwork don’t fit screen or digital, heat transfer closes the gap — decided case by case.

The process: from briefing to delivery

Step 1

Briefing & quote

Artwork, garment and polyester content, quantity, deadline — quote within 24 hours on weekdays.

Step 2

Data check & approval

We check print data and fabric suitability (polyester content!), then a digital proof for approval.

Step 3

Production

Print onto transfer paper, fixation under heat and pressure — piece-by-piece quality control.

Step 4

Finishing & shipping

Jerseys, sportswear and flags are labelled, packed individually and go to warehouse, venue or end customer.

Specifications

The key figures.

Guide values for planning — we clarify special cases in conversation.

TechniqueSublimation (polyester) · heat transfer
ColoursFull colour / photorealistic
AreaUp to all-over
GarmentsPolyester & performance fabrics, light base colours
QuantityProject-dependent — clarified in the first call
LimitsNo cotton, no dark bases — that’s what screen printing or DTF are for
Common questions

What people ask first.

01
Why does sublimation only work on polyester?

Because under heat the colour moves into the fibre instead of sitting on top of it — only polyester fabrics can do that. On cotton nothing holds.

02
Can I have dark garments printed?

Not with sublimation — the colour is translucent, it does not cover. For dark goods, screen printing or DTF is the way, and you will find both here as well.

03
What does all-over mean?

The motif runs across the whole surface and across the seams — jerseys, sportswear, flags. What the frame limits in screen printing, sublimation prints without a break.

04
Can you feel the motif on the fabric?

No. There is no layer you could feel — nothing cracks, nothing flakes, and the fabric stays as breathable as it was unprinted. That is why sportswear is printed this way.

05
When do I need heat transfer instead of sublimation?

When the substrate, the quantity or the motif does not fit — transfer closes the gap left between screen, digital and sublimation. We decide that case by case on the project.

Other techniques

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Reply < 24 h on weekdays

Request a sublimation project.

Have quantity, deadline and artwork at hand. Then we can start costing right away.

Make an enquiry →
→ merch@cortela.de→ Mon–Fri · 9 am–6 pm