HOW DOES SUBLIMATION WORK?

When the ink from your special sublimation transfer paper is heat pressed onto your substrate (t-shirt, fabric, mug, mousepad, keychain) and reaches a certain high temperature, the ink is transformed into a gas. This occurs because the heat not only releases the gas from the sublimation ink, but it also opens up the pores of the polyester, polymer, or polymer-coated item you’re heat pressing onto. 

Once your sublimation printer presses the transfer paper onto your item and then releases your pressure, the temperature is allowed to cool, at which point the sublimation ink turns back into solid form and the pores permanently close — thus encapsulating the ink within the polymer coating of your substrate.