Full Version: New to Sublimation
From: Michael [#5]
10 Nov 2005
To: logojohn [#4] 10 Nov 2005
PMS color chips are printed on paper with a specific brightness from a specific press/process. Any other printer/ink/process will not get an exact color match. Quite often, getting within two chips is considered an excellent match.
With all that in mind, you can get close with inkjet dyesublimation. It takes some time to match your inks and color profile to the chips in your PMS book. Each substrate reflects differently (as do inks and dyes) from others and from coated or uncoated paper, which is the standard used by Pantone. Just continue on with your plan and print samples until you are happy with the match.
Fisher Textiles sells 15" x 15" squares of Softlink which are great for samples and testing, but cutting up a Softlink T shirt is a less expensive way to go.
If you'd like more info or help on colors and color matching, check out www.pantone.com.
Hope this helps.
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#6]
15 Nov 2005
To: tony (TONY310) [#1] 22 Nov 2005
You said:
That sounds as if you have a tangible example of losing a few jobs to companies with full-color capability.
Do you know specifically, which product or process edged you out?
From: LaZerDude (C_BURKE) [#7]
20 Nov 2005
To: tony (TONY310) [#1] 22 Nov 2005
Tony,
Besides dyesub.org, another source that helped me when I was researching color sublimation was www.alphasupply.com.
They have several tutorials that I found informative, and the folks that own it were very helpful on the phone, even though they knew at the time I was not going to buy.
It sounds as if you will have a lot of additional work should you make the leap to sublimation. I have a philosophy when it comes to tools.
Don't buy cheap tools, and buy more than you need then grow into it.
Were I going to make the leap what I finally decided upon was the Epson 4000 printer. It is a workhorse and when bought as a package with the GeoKnight 1620 press, and supplies is not really that expensive. ( The reason I have not made the leap by the way is because I am still getting my business off the ground and do not have a large enough customer base to warrant it yet.)
You will find two players in the "ink" market. Sawgrass technologies and Artanium inks. Essentially both are the same, but what I learned in asking around and reading is that for a beginner, sawgrass is the better way to go becuase of support and color correction issues.
By no means I am I an expert, but I have been looking into sublimatin for about a year now and those are just some of the things I have found out.
I hope this has been of some small help , and good luck in your endeavors.