Sublimation vs. Screen Printing: Key Differences Explained

Sublimation uses tech stuff. Screen printing uses hands. Both are picked a lot for putting pictures on stuff or signs. They both need a shape or pattern. Sublimation does it with smart machines. Screen printing works better in small batches. This article tells how these two ways aren’t the same.

What Is Sublimation Printing?

Sublimation printing is used a lot. It works by using heat with pressure. This pushes a picture from special paper to stuff like cloth. The heat is hot — somewhere 350 to 400 degrees. It makes the ink go from solid to gas. It’s cheap & easy. Many people at home & in shops use this to make custom things.

More people like sublimation now. The printed thing looks clear & nice. But if done wrong, you get weird white lines or faded spots. That mess can waste time or money. Try printing test things first. That helps learn how the tools work & what the pictures look like on cloth.

How does sublimation printing work?

Sublimation means a solid changes into gas. It skips being liquid. When printing this way, the design turns to gas with heat. Then it goes onto something else. It’s not like normal printing. No drying ink needed.

To start, you need some things. A printer that works with sublimation. It must take special ink.

You also need a heat press to push the design onto cloth. If mugs are your thing, you get a mug clamp or press. You gotta pick the right thing to print on. Not all stuff works. You’ll need paper too. Like sublimation paper or plain copy paper. For color, you might get software to help fix it. That’s RIP software.

Polyester & ceramic are best to use. But not every design fits this way of printing. All-over prints can be tricky. Problems like ghosting or bad colors or white lines can happen.

Cotton or other natural stuff doesn’t work well. They don’t soak up ink right. If you’re using that kind of cloth, try digital or screen printing instead.

What can you do with sublimation printing?

Here’s stuff people make using this method. It works well in most cases:

• Rigid substrates: Used on stiff things. Like glass, plastic, metal, fiberglass. These don’t bend like fabric. They need polymer coating.
• Signage: Good fit for “click to print” groups. Vinyl makes it easy to print posters & trade show stuff.
• Polyester fabrics: Split into two kinds:
• Knit fabrics: Like flags. These polyester pieces move easy & hang nice.
• Woven fabrics: Tougher. Used for things like cloth backdrops.
• Home decor: Interior designers get stuff from companies that use dye-sub. For things like ceramic floor tiles.
• Photographs: Best way to print photos. Super clear images on magnets, clothes, or canvas.

What Is Screen Printing?

Screen printing makes designs by pushing ink through a mesh with holes. This method gets used in lots of fields. People also call it serigraphy or silk screen printing. But these names point to the same idea. You can make stencils in a few ways:

• Stick masking tape or vinyl to cover parts of the mesh that you don’t want ink on.
• use paint-on materials like glue or varnish as “screen blockers” to form the stencil shape. These substances block parts of the mesh, so ink doesn’t pass through those areas. It’s a simple way to build a custom screen design without special tools.
• Use a special emulsion that reacts to light. After it gets light, you treat it like a photo to make the stencil.

Screen printing produces bold, vibrant colors, even on dark materials. This is one of the main reasons people choose this method. The ink or paint rests on top of the fabric or paper, which gives the print a thick or raised texture when you touch it.

How does screen printing work?

Many screen print ways exist. Still, they all stick to one base method. A stencil made with light-reactive emulsion is common. This works best for complex designs. It’s often used for commercial printing jobs.

It all starts with a design. The image is printed onto a clear sheet known as acetate film. Next, a mesh screen is selected based on the design’s details & the fabric’s texture. The mesh is then coated with a light-sensitive emulsion. When exposed to light, the emulsion hardens.

Next, the clear acetate sheet goes over the mesh with the emulsion. Then light shines on it. The light makes the emulsion hard except where the design is. Those parts stay soft. After that, you wash off the soft parts. That gives you a stencil that lets ink through in the right spots.

Now the screen is ready for printing. You put it on a printing press. Then the shirt or item is laid flat under it. Ink goes at the top of the screen. You use a blade or squeegee to push ink across. The ink only goes through the open parts of the mesh. That’s how the design gets printed below.

What can you do with screen printing?

Screen printing works well for bold-looking banners, pictures & canvas prints. It also suits cloth or fabric jobs. That makes it good for printing many different custom items or clothing pieces.

You can make nearly any color with screen printing. It’s often picked for big batch jobs. It’s not easy for small batches. That’s because setting up takes effort each time. Since only one color prints per pass, it can cause trouble like color overlap or bad alignment with multi-color prints.

The screen printing way needs people to do it. On the other hand, digital printing uses computers to handle the design. Machines can do screen printing jobs, yet they aren’t run by software. This makes it different from digital methods. Screen printing & sublimation don’t depend much on tech or computers.

Main Points That Show How Sublimation Differs from Screen Printing

Below you’ll see 12 major ways sublimation printing & screen-printing are not the same:

1. Print quality

Screen printing gives strong color looks with clear detail. It works great when using one color or just a few. This fits things like logos or written text. Not ideal for multi-color stuff like photos. Textures from screen prints feel smooth. Looks can be bold too.

Sublimation also gives bright color results with sharp shapes. But this way, printing lots of colors or even real photo images becomes possible. That makes it better for complex pictures.

2. Durability

In screen print, the ink stays on top. It doesn’t soak in. Adding more colors makes it thicker. The ink, usually plastisol, holds up over time. But cracks come later. Peeling can start. Colors might dull after several washes. So, not super long-lasting.

With sublimation, colors blend right into the fabric. Heat helps melt it in. That makes it stay longer. Washes don’t fade it. Peeling won’t happen either. That means better strength.

3. Print complexity

Screen print is best when using big bold styles. Use few colors. Gradients can be tough to print. Getting smooth fades takes skill. Also, lots of tools, special liquids & time. That makes it hard to do detailed images.

But sublimation helps with tricky patterns or photos. You can design in a tool like Photoshop. The printer then moves that look onto the transfer page. So, it’s simpler for hard images.

4. Number of colors and color blending

Screen printing fits when using simple looks with one or a couple of shades. Each shade gets printed one by one. That means more time if more colors are used. It prints fine on any shade of fabric. To blend colors, people mix paints by hand or use machines. When done by hand, shade results can shift each time. That depends a lot on skill.

Sublimation can show many colors well. Gradients also come out clean. This process goes on white or light-colored stuff. Uses see-through inks. These won’t show up on dark cloth. Colors come from mixing CMYK in design software. That program uses something called ICC profile. That lets the printer hit the right tones every time.

5. Special effects

Special finishes can be added to sublimation prints. This brings shiny details & textures like leather or cracks. Glitter or fancy ink like silver or gold adds more sparkle.

With screen printing, unique inks do cool stuff too. You can make bumpy designs or fake crack patterns. But sublimation only uses cyan, magenta, yellow & black. It doesn’t work with those special kinds of ink.

6. Fabrics and materials

Cotton works best for screen printing. Ink grabs onto cotton fibers better. That makes clean prints.

Sublimation likes polyester-rich materials. Good examples: polyester blends or fabric coated with polymers. The more polyester inside, the better print you get. This method also works on nylon, spandex, neoprene. Not just fabric—it prints on mugs too. Use ones made of enamel or ceramic. Even cork coasters can get printed this way.

But it fails with natural fibers. Things like silk or cotton won’t take sublimation ink. That ink won’t bond right.

7. Eco-friendliness

Screen printing mostly uses plastisol ink. That kind is harmful & doesn’t break down in nature. It’s not green. There’s an option to go with water-based inks, which are better for the planet. Often, folks buy these products in big amounts for discounts. This can lead to extra stuff lying around unused. That causes waste.

Sublimation printing uses safe, non-toxic inks. It also cuts down on water use compared to other dye ways. This method supports on-demand making. That means fewer extras sit around. Even scraps can get reused. Like making headbands from leftover fabric.

8. Cost efficiency

Screen printing makes sense when printing big numbers. You must make a stencil. Then print one by one. That setup takes time & effort. Not worth it for just a few shirts. So it’s better for large orders. Buying in bulk can save money, but extra items may go to waste if not sold. That hurts cost efficiency when selling one item at a time.

Sublimation works for both small runs & big ones. Each shirt needs the same time. So it’s okay to print one or two. This helps custom orders. One item can be bought without buying extras. So it fits on-demand sales better.

9. Consistency

Screen printing helps make repeat prints that look the same. You can reuse screens with the same ink. That helps with keeping looks alike. Though, after a while, smudges might show.

Sublimation also keeps prints steady. But each shirt needs its own transfer sheet. You must place the sheet just right. If it moves, ghost images or smears may show. Lint can cause those too.

Both ways can make steady results. But small flaws might pop up. Ink smears or stuck lint might change how the print looks a bit.

10. Items required

For screen printing, you need some tools. Like ink, a screen, squeegee, stencils & masking tape. The squeegee moves ink on top of the screen. It pushes it through stencil holes to the paper. Stencils show where the picture goes. Masking tape covers parts of the mesh. That stops ink from leaking through spots you don’t want. Plastisol ink gets used a lot. It helps the print look clean & sharp.

Sublimation printing needs a few digital tools. Like a computer, heat press, printer that does sublimation & special paper. The computer runs the software. That software helps the printer work right. Design programs help set the right colors using ICC settings. So, the prints come out with correct tones.

Heat press is important. It reaches high heat & strong pressure. That’s needed to make good prints. The sublimation paper carries the design. It works on t-shirts, mugs & other items made for sublimation.

11. Set-up time

Time to set up changes by design type. Screen printing takes longer. Even one-color prints need a stencil. Ink has to be added too. If there’s more than one color, each one needs its own screen & stencil. That adds more work. So, this process eats up more time.

Sublimation set-up is quicker. You just make a digital image. Then print it on transfer paper. You can even order custom transfers. That saves some time too.

12. Costs

Cost depends on tools you choose. Screen printing usually costs less to begin. You can get pricey tools, or go cheap with DIY mesh screens made with craft stuff. But if you add more colors or make complex designs, it gets costly. Also, reorders cost more. That’s ‘cause set-up is done again.

Sublimation costs more to start. That’s due to special gear. You need the printer, inks, transfer paper & pay for software. You also need polyester shirts.

It can take longer to finish each item. That’s because each one uses a new transfer sheet. So labor time goes up. Still, it prints all at once. No added price for more colors or shapes. You can reorder easy too. No extra setup needed for that.

Takeaway

Screen printing stayed popular for years. It was used by both small shops & big companies. But now, sublimation printing is catching up. It brings more perks. It works on many surfaces. Also, the prints last longer & show more details. It’s easier to turn digital pics into sublimation files. That makes things simple. Still, screen printing stays in the game. It’s cheap to start with. Also, it’s easy to get into. Many people in developing places still use it often.