Have you ever had the God-awful experience of burning an ugly hole into your nylon bag? While trying to make it look pleasant with sublimation? Well, if you haven’t, I have. And believe me, it was the most dissatisfying experience of my life. The reason behind this whole tragedy is the delicate nature of nylon fabric. It can easily burn off if exposed to high temperatures for longer periods. But the question is can you sublimate on nylon?
The answer is, yes, you can definitely sublimate on nylon but there are certain things that you need to keep in mind while doing so. So, to make it easier for you to understand this whole sublimation process with the bonus tips for sublimating on nylon; I have prepared the following article just for you guys. Go through it once, to clearly understand the dos and don’ts of this process.
Table of Contents
Can You Sublimate On Nylon? – Sublimation on Nylon
Starting with the basics, if you are thinking about sublimating your t-shirt, I must warn you to carefully check out the material. You should only proceed if the cloth material is included in the short list of allowable sublimation fabrics. But for this, you need to be aware of what really is included in that list.
So, to make things easier for you, let me explain here for any future reference. You can also perform sublimate print by cricut on Nylon fabric, Spandex, and Lycra. Other than that, you can also use blended materials but make sure that it contains at least fifty percent Polyester.
Can You Heat Press Nylon Bags?
If you are wondering whether you can heat press a nylon bag or not then the answer is yes. However, you need to be extra cautious with the temperature and timing because nylon is super easy to burn off. Careful treatment and thought processes can really pay off.
For instance, set the heat press at 275 degrees and heat press three times for five seconds each. If you feel like you should increase the temperature of the heat press, you certainly can. But firstly go with low temperature, don’t rush anything. Take your time and let the fabric adjust to the temperature before increasing it. Otherwise our material can be damage.
How to Print On Nylon Bags?
Sublimation on nylon bags may seem like an impossible task but surprisingly it is possible. You just need to be very careful with each step, especially during the heat press process. Now, you must be wondering what ways you should be careful and how careful you must be. So, to further simplify things, I have prepared a step-by-step process which clarifies your concept can you sublimate on nylon?
1- Sublimation Printer and Suitable Inks
Select a perfect printer for sublimation and compatible ink is a very crucial part of this whole process. If we are unable to choose a right sublimation printer then it will ruin the everything. You can convert a regular printer into sublimation printer. But do not use regular paper ink for sublimation. You will face serious compatibility issues.
2- Heat Press Paper
Your next step should be to select your favorite image on the computer. Adjust the settings including the size, and positioning on the screen. Once you are satisfied, feed heat press paper into the printer tray and hit print. Make sure that you use a good quality heat press paper because sublimation ink will not stick to a regular paper. The print on the paper may look dull but don’t worry, it will turn out just fine on the nylon bag.
3- Heat Press Machine
Carefully position the print out on your nylon bag facing down and secure it with heat resistant tape. Cover it up with butter paper and set the heat press machine to 275 degrees. Then, heat press the whole thing three times for five seconds each to avoid any damage to the delicate fabric. You may adjust the temperature as per requirement. After that, let the whole thing cool for a few minutes before peeling off the paper, and Voila! You have done a beautiful print.
4- Nylon Blanks
Nylon blanks refer to a plain, unprinted nylon material that serves as the base for sublimation printing. This blank material typically comes in the form of white or light colored nylon fabric or products like bags, apparel, or accessories. Nylon blanks for sublimation printing are popular in the textile industry for creating custom designed products
5- Heat Tapes
Heat tapes play a vital role in the process of nylon sublimation printing. These specially designed tapes are used to secure the sublimation transfer paper onto the nylon substrate before heat pressing. The main purpose of using heat tapes is to ensure that the transfer paper stays in place during the heat transfer process, preventing any movement that could result in blurred or misaligned prints.
Tips to Sublimate on Nylon
There are some useful tips which we can follow to produce good result.
Tip1: Always use good quality material for best results. Good quality materials means sublimation paper, sublimation blank and sublimation ink.
Tip2: Clean the printer head before taking the print image.
Tip3: Sublimation blank should not be move. Otherwise it will damage the print. For this purpose use heat tapes to avoid movements.
Tip4: Use a reasonable temperature and pressure.
FAQs
What materials can you sublimation print on?
There is just a handful of cloth material that you can sublimate on. It is just another one of a few things that you need to be very careful of while selecting the proper stuff for sublimation. In order to get a perfect sublimation print, you should select a hundred percent polyester fabric. However, blended materials can also be used but just make sure that it has fifty percent polyester. Apart from that, Nylon, Spandex, and Lycra can also be used for sublimation.
How to soften nylon webbing?
The easiest and simplest way to soften nylon webbing is by soaking it in warm water for a couple of minutes. Nylon webbing is a highly elastic material with a tendency to stretch about 2 percent along the length but due to high strength, it is only possible if you let it soak in warm water. You can also use fabric softener for quick results. To retain the elasticity, you must tie it to some bar immediately after taking it out of the water.
Can you sublimate on nylon spandex?
There are only a couple of materials that you can sublimate print on. If you use any other material, the end result will not be what you originally had in mind. It is due to restricted compatibility between sublimation ink and any other cloth material. Amongst the list of allowable fabrics for sublimation, Spandex is also included. So, if you are thinking about using spandex for your next sublimation project, I suggest you go for it!
Final Thoughts
I hope I was able to clear away most of the misconceptions you might have had in your mind. Now hopefully you will get your answer can you sublimate on nylon? It is really just about keeping a steady pace. Do not rushing things too much as your impatience can really burn your nylon bag. So, you must be very careful with the temperature adjustments of the heat press and the duration of impact.
