Sublimation Printing – Typical properties of sublimation transfer and direct sublimation printing.

Sublimation Transfer Using Paper	Sublimation Directly Onto Polyester
Paper is required for printing and for calendar protection.	Protection paper is only required during sublimation in the calendar to protect the calendar felt from stains. The paper is single use.
No special polyester required Big versatility of substrates and applications. For instance: aluminium panels, mugs … Home decoration fabrics generally have a rougher surface structure. Calendars handle rough surface structures very well. Most calendars have no difficulty with stretch fabrics.	Special pre-treated polyester required in most cases, otherwise the ink is migrating along the polyester fibres Restricted to textile printing. Especially in home decoration pre-treated fabrics are hard to find. Rough surfaces result in higher risks of head crash/strikes and dust being captured on the print heads. Not all printers are able to handle stretch fabrics.
	Best through print can be achieved, therefore it is a popular technique for flag printing.
With both techniques, very sharp output can be produced. Both however have their own pitfalls: Paper needs to be dry before starting the sublimation process. Wet paper may lead to ghosting.	With both techniques, very sharp output can be produced. Both however have their own pitfalls: State-of-the-art coating is required to minimise bleeding.
Washing is not required. Components which may cause the need for washing are caught into the transfer paper. The polyester only captures the sublimation colorants	Washing may be required since the ink is jetted directly onto the polyester. The need for washing is application dependant. Any application leading to wearable clothing (fashion or sports) will require washing. Other applications may also require washing to remove ink additives as well as excess colorants which could not be absorbed by the polyester.
Generally allows for higher printing speeds.	Mostly lower printing speeds.
Ink consumption between the 2 techniques is comparable.	Ink consumption between the 2 techniques is comparable.