Sublimation Questions

  • Can you sublimate black shirts?

    No. You can only sub on black and/or dark colored shirts if you're using a WHITE material that has a polyester base. Like sublimating white glitter vinyl on a black shirt, or using a sublimation TRANSFER paper made for dark garments. But can you sublimate a black shirt alone? No.

  • Can you sublimate on cotton shirts?

    No. Not unless you are using a polyester base additive THAT'S MEANT FOR SUBBING on cotton shirts. Also, the rule still applies, you CANNOT sub on black shirts no matter the material.

  • Is sublimation ink washable?

    Yes however the ink will only remain adhered to the polyester fibers. If you have a cotton/poly blend garment, your ink that's in the cotton fibers will wash out. Resulting in a less than vibrant image prior to washing.

  • My shirt is 50%-80% polyester, why is my image not showing up vibrant after pressing?

    Sublimation ink will only bond with the percentage of polyester content that your shirt/garment is made of. The higher your polyester count, the more ink will be transferred over. Less polyester, the less amount of ink will be transferred and maintained after washing.

  • What ink base should I be using?

    Sawgrass/Rich Printer: Gel-based Ink Epson Printers: Water-based Ink.

  • What is sublimation printing?

    **Sublimation definition:**Sublimation is a chemical process where a solid turns into a gas without going through a liquid stage. In sublimation printing, we are using a special ink for printing our image on sublimation paper, and then heating up the image to the point where the solid turns into...

  • What items do I need for sublimation?

    Go to the Cosmos Ink website, click the menu tab in the top left corner, CLICK THE ARROW next to "Shop Now", and click on "Recommended Supplies". This will give you an entire list of supplies needed with links. To get there faster, Click Here.

  • What's the best 100% polyester shirt to use that feels like cotton?

    Personally, prior to launching our brand of shirts, I like the Jerzees 21M brand. But there are a  TON of polyester shirts out there from different vendors. My best advice would be to order a few different ones and test them out. Jerzees 21M Cosmos Ink | Sublimation Blank T-Shirt Gildan G420 Sub...

  • What's the best sublimation paper to use?

    This is something you'll have to test out. Everyone has their own preference, but I see the same brands consistently that have a good proven track record. Those brands are as follows: Image Right for Epson Printers A-Sub TexPrint-XPHR (for Epson Printers) TexPrint-R (for Ricoh/Sawgrass Printers)

  • Why did only a yellowish silhouette of my image transfer to my substrate after heat pressing?

    In the event that only a yellowish silhouette transfers to your substrate after heat pressing, this is an indication that YOU'RE USING PIGMENT INKand not sublimation ink. For your image to transfer over successfully, you must use sublimation ink, sublimation paper, and press items MADE FOR SUBLIM...

  • Why does my sublimation ink look dull on paper?

    Sublimation ink is heat reactive, meaning that the true colors won't show until you've pressed it onto your substrate/item for the recommended time for that substrate/item.