Did you know that we also provide dye sublimation printing services alongside our day-to-day corporate printing services?
Our in-house sublimation printer offers a world of creative possibilities for all our clients, so if you are looking for creative new ways to promote your brand across your network, let’s find out what our services can do for you.
Before we explore the different possibilities available to you, let’s take a moment to understand exactly what this printing technology includes.
Our Birmingham base is equipped with a Ricoh SG311 Printer that can print lasting designs onto any polymer-based products – from clothing and merchandise, to promotional gifts and ceramic products. This unique printing process uses a heat press to convert the ink used into a gas, rather than its usual liquid form, which is then applied to the transfer paper and printed onto any specially-coated surface using a heat press.
Once the gaseous inks have been printed onto an item, they permanently dye the coated surface with a smooth, complete design that will not run or smudge no matter what conditions it is exposed to. Sublimation inks are generally more vibrant and colourful than most other inks, and they can be printed onto a variety of surfaces that others can’t, so let’s now take a look at what promotional materials you can personalise with our dye sublimation printer.
The dyes used in our dye sublimation process can penetrate any polyester and polymer-coated substrates, including fabrics, ceramics, signage, metals, and any other sublimation-friendly surfaces.
This means that our sublimation dye printers can personalise just about any products you require for events, shows, and everyday use, including:
Your employees are the best representation of your business, demonstrating your company’s values and professionalism across all of their interactions. So, whether they’re out on the street promoting your brand to local customers or travelling to networking events across the country, printed apparel is a great way to promote your brand whilst on the move.
It’s not just clients and visitors who you should be reminding of your brand message – it’s also your own team members. Whether you’re looking for branded pens, notepads, mouse mats, work phone cases or desk accessories, our services are on hand to reinforce brand recognition across your team and throughout their daily tasks.
Attract people to your stand at your next industry networking event and leave them with a lasting reminder of your brand with custom-printed materials. People are often in a rush at these events, hoping to view as many stands and talk with as many professionals as they can, so you will need an engaging item which features your branding to unlock their memories of your friendly team and unique business offerings at a later date.
A great way to thank a visitor, partner, or potential client for their time and attention is to have printed promotional gifts ready to hand out as they leave. Get creative but keep it professional, and try to opt for everyday office essentials that they will get plenty of use out of, including pens, notebooks, key rings and laptop bags.
We individually price each printing project based upon your specific requirements, so if you’ve never previously considered having custom pieces printed for your business but you would like to get started, click here to request our dye sublimation services.
If you’re looking for new and creative ways to promote your business to your local area, then dye sublimation printing is an excellent way to spread your visual branding through your employees. This innovative printing technique offers unparalleled precision and vibrancy in colour reproduction when transferring designs onto a variety of sublimation-friendly surfaces, so explore our beginners guide to the process and applications of subliminal printing.
Unlike traditional printing methods, or other innovative methods such as inkjet or laser printing, this technique offers superior quality and durability, resulting in detailed, high-resolution images that are resistant to fading and wear. These alternative methods of printing deposit the pigment onto the surface, leading to quicker peeling and less vivid colours, whereas sublimation processes transfer the dye directly onto the materials using heat. This allows the dye to permeate the substrate, and offers businesses a high-value customisation option compared to other printing techniques, making it easier than ever for businesses to produce long-lasting, photorealistic images on fabrics and other materials.
This makes it ideal for apparel, signage, and promotional items, and works well on any sublimation-friendly surface, including polyester and polymer-coated substrates, including:
⦁ Apparel and textile customisation (uniforms, fashion, sportswear)
⦁ Promotional products (mugs, keychains, mouse pads)
⦁ Signage and displays (banners, flags, trade show graphics)
⦁ Novelty items and personalised gifts
Does this printing option sound like the best choice for your business? Read on to explore the process of bringing your designs to life.
This specialist printing process stands out amongst our services as a rewarding, worthwhile investment in building a brand and showcasing a business, so if you are interested in our process, here are the key steps.
⦁ Design Preparation
The process starts with selecting a high-quality, high-resolution design or image. The process can replicate intricate details and colours, so the chosen design should be of the highest possible quality to ensure a clear final product. In most cases, it is well worth the time and effort taken to refine the image using graphic design software or adjust for colour corrections or sizing.
⦁ Printing the Design
A specialised printer equipped with sublimation inks is used, and the design is printed in reverse onto sublimation paper, a special type of paper designed to hold the sublimation ink and release it evenly when heated.
⦁ Transferring the Design
The printed design on the sublimation paper is then placed onto the material to be printed on, also known as the substrate, and both are placed into a heat press. The substrate needs to be either polyester or coated with a polymer to accept the dye, including fabrics, ceramics, metal, and more. The heat press then applies high temperature and pressure, causing the ink to permeate the fibres of the substrate and permanently dye it.
⦁ Cooling and Finishing
After the heat press cycle, the item is removed and allowed to cool whilst the ink sets permanently into the substrate. Once cooled, the final product is now ready, offering photographic-quality images with a soft hand feel, complete with bright colours, sharp details, and a high level of durability against washing and sunlight.
From the design selection to the final print, our team will be on-hand to discuss any ongoing requirements or specifications that you have, as well as to answer any questions, so if you already have an idea in your head that you would like to see printed onto wearable products, be sure to get in touch today.
Dye sublimation printing presents a multitude of advantages for businesses aiming to elevate their brand and product offerings, including:
⦁ Enhanced Brand Visibility
Whether on fabrics, ceramics, or metals, the process reinforces brand identity, including logos and brand colours, across various printed materials. Whether your branding is printed on apparel, signs, or gifted promotional products, the process produces prints with exceptional clarity and colour depth, making sure that your brand messages stand out from a distance.
⦁ Scalability and Cost-Effectiveness
These printing methods are scalable, meaning that they are cost-effective for both small custom orders and large production runs, without the need for large initial investments in setup or materials, evening the playing field between small businesses and larger corporations and giving local businesses access to high-quality branded apparel without eating into budgets.
⦁ Flexibility and Customisation Options
From apparel and accessories to promotional items and signage, businesses can apply their designs to a wide range of products, allowing for full creative freedom in product customisation without needing to invest in materials or equipment themselves.
⦁ Quick Turnaround Times
Once the design and materials are prepared, the direct-to-substrate process is swift, eliminating the need for multiple steps and enabling businesses to fulfil orders quickly and respond promptly to market demands.
⦁ Long-Lasting Results
The ink bonds at a molecular level with the substrate, resulting in prints that won’t crack, peel, or fade over time, even with frequent washing or exposure to sunlight.
Incorporating these processes into your promotional strategy opens up a world of possibilities for branding, product diversification, and customer engagement, making it a compelling choice for businesses looking to innovate in unimaginative markets.
We treat each project as a unique opportunity to push creative boundaries and expand our services to meet the needs of each business that we work with, so contact us today to discuss your interest and receive a quote.
When it comes to marketing your business, dye sublimation printing is an innovative and effective way to stand out from the competition. This technique involves utilising heat and pressure to transfer designs onto fabrics, resulting in vibrant, eye-catching prints that can be used for promotional materials, signage, custom work attire, or branded products.
Here at Russell Printers, we specialise in elevating your brand with high-quality, long-lasting materials that catch your customers’ eye and keep their attention. If you are thinking about investing in our sublimation printing services, read on to explore how this process can boost your branding and benefit your business.
As a marketing tool, dye sublimation printing is an innovative and effective way to enhance your branding efforts and connect with your target audience. By creating instantly-recognisable visual materials that resonate with your customers, you can create a cohesive and professional image that will showcase your brand’s personality through a wide range of applications, including:
One of the most popular uses of dye sublimation printing is for custom workwear and uniforms, including sublimation tshirt printing or hat printing. These outfits can include information about your company, upcoming events, any promotional offers, and clear ways to contact your business to encourage interested parties to get in touch. The human element of this particular marketing application also puts your employees front and centre, and showcases them as an essential part of your business, as well as ensuring that they are promoting your brand everywhere they go.
Another popular application of dye sublimation printing is for promotional products, such as tote bags, mugs, and other items that can be given away or sold to customers. By creating unique and eye-catching designs that showcase your brand, create a lasting impression with your customers and encourage brand recall.
Dye sublimation printing can also be used for signage and displays, such as banners, flags, and trade show exhibits to draw attention to your brand, as well as a wide variety of other branding materials, such as business cards, brochures, and other printed materials, to create a strong, consistent, and cohesive visual identity across all of your materials. By creating eye-catching and engaging materials that showcase your products and services, you can help to attract new customers and build your brand’s reputation in your industry.
Dye sublimation printing is a unique and versatile process that offers a number of benefits for businesses looking to enhance their branding efforts, including:
At Russell Printers, we are committed to helping businesses of all sizes achieve their branding goals with our state-of-the-art dye sublimation printing services. Whether you are looking to create custom workwear, promotional products, signage, or other branding materials, contact our team today to discuss your vision and stand out from the competition.
Explore how dye sublimation can be the right choice for quality t-shirt printing for Birmingham and UK businesses.
Clothing merchandising has grown in popularity, particularly casual t-shirts with a logo printed on the front. However, when promoting yourself, you should be thinking more outside the box and considering how you can create art to represent your brand and provide a quality t-shirt design with meaning. Within the design, you should also be considering your print requirements, which is where we are available to step in and help.
Whether you are a marketing agency setting up a new promotion for a client or a local artist looking to expand on their portfolio, continue reading for inspiration on how to get started with dye sublimation for t-shirt printing.
While you may be looking to produce a range of merchandise to promote a last minute event or as an incentive to customers, you should consider the project as much more than simply adding your logo to a bulk order of t-shirts.
When it comes to your design, be creative to give people more of a reason to purchase your t-shirt, instead of simply to support your brand. Consider how you can incorporate your logo and who you are as a brand and how you can spin that into a timeless design which will appeal to your target audience.
Clothing should be designed to last a long time, meaning without graphics which will crack after a few washes and with designs which will be relevant for longer than a few months. This is why it’s important to consider what materials and print methods would best suit your design and its longevity – and if you aren’t sure, speak to our team who can offer advice.
Dye sublimation printing is a digital printing technology which works with full colour artwork compatible with polyester and polymer-coated substrates. The process involves using a heat press which can be used on a range of items, including printing onto apparel, signs, banners and other promotional products.
If you are interested in learning more about the process, click here to visit our previous blog post.
If you are interested in working with us on dye sublimation printing, contact our team where we can discuss your requirements in detail and provide you with a quote on request. We provide t-shirt printing Birmingham businesses can rely on, with excellent customer service along the way.
For more information on our printing services, please browse the website.
You’ve finally decided to take the plunge and create your own clothing brand. But what next? Choosing the type of clothing, the manufacturer and printing processes used are perhaps the most time-consuming element of starting your own business. If you’re printing t-shirts, there’s one type of printing onto polyester that trumps them all – sublimation printing.
Sublimation printing is a high-tech printing process used widely in the print on demand industry. It involves transferring a design from sublimation paper onto a piece of fabric by using pressure, ink and high heat.
When it comes to apparel like t-shirts, sublimation printing is a complete gamechanger, because it allows you to print seam-to-seam.
To begin, a design is printed onto special sublimation paper. The inks on the paper are then heated up, turned into a gas and combined with the fabric to make a permanent print. Unlike other apparel printing methods like vinyl, sublimation printing is permanent and fades less. This is because the ink is embedded into the fabric rather than simply layering it on top.
The heat opens up the individual fabric pores and along with the pressure, the ink cools and returns to a solid. The end result is a full colour image that can go seam-to-seam and won’t fade or crack.
Unlike some forms of apparel customisation, sublimation printing is particularly high tech that requires expensive printing equipment. Most companies who use sublimation printing for their apparel use sublimation companies or a specialist sublimation printer to fulfil their requirements. There’s no shortage of commercial printers out there, but only a sublimation printing pro can give you the result you no doubt want for your business.
Perhaps the strongest benefit of sublimation printing is the freedom you have with your designs. You could, for example, print a whole t-shirt that looks like a flower, or even a beautiful landscape. The possibilities sublimation printing offers are endless, and once you experience it for yourself, you’re unlikely to look back.
Designs printed with this printing style last longer than other printing methods. Even after multiple washes your design will still look fresh with not a crack in sight!
Some but not all commercial printers use sublimation printing, so don’t be afraid to ask. When you’re making your enquiries, do be sure to ask about their experience, who they work for and whether you can see some of their previous work. You may also be able to get samples before you commit to an order.
When you run your own business, it’s only natural that you want to work with the best suppliers out there. After all, they’ll become a key player in making sure your business runs smoothly and your clothing looks great and lasts. Here at Russell Printers, we specialise in garment printing and work with people just like you to make their clothing brand dreams come true.
To talk to us about how we can help with your apparel printing needs or become your specialist sublimation printer, please call 0121 236 2784.
When hosting an event, an effective way of building excitement and making everyone feel included is through tshirt printing. Matching tshirts can help attendees to feel like a part of a team, while creating uniformity and visible branding across the room. Tshirt printing in Birmingham for all occasions is straightforward with our team.
Explore how tshirt printing can be used for a variety of events:
If you will be continuing the trend of regular video calls with friends and family, make it more of an occasion by planning fun backgrounds, themed banners and send matching tshirts for everyone to wear! Going the extra mile for a birthday video call will make it a birthday to remember.
No hen do or stag do would be complete without a themed dress code. To make it all part of the fun, consider custom tshirt printing for your group to flaunt! Ideas for personalisation include the bride or groom-to-be’s name, a fun hashtag or the name of your friendship group. Then, save the shirts as a memory of a fantastic celebration!
If you are organising a workplace social, allow your employees to show company pride and stand with their teams in their custom made tshirts. Depending on where your workplace social is located, this could work well at not only promoting your company but what it’s like to work there.
When your business has their next exhibition scheduled in the calendar, consider tshirt printing for the team who will be presenting there. This works as easy branding, to help your team look uniformed and can also make them seem more approachable if they are not in a suit and tie. You can even introduce this as your new corporate workwear if you are looking to refresh your look.
During lockdown, many businesses had to be creative about what they could sell online to keep their businesses open. Whether you have a restaurant, art gallery or clothing store, merchandise is a great idea for promoting your business. Branded tshirts can be appealing to loyal customers looking to support you, all it takes is a creative design and our quality printing process.
TShirt printing Birmingham is available from us, with guaranteed quality and fast delivery. Regardless of what stage you are in the planning process, whether you already have your initial designs planned or not, get in touch with our team. We can help you throughout the entire tshirt printing process.
You’ve got a great idea for some printed merchandise, but are totally stuck on what type of printing will work best. Sound familiar? Many people looking for print on demand clothing or other printed merchandise struggle to know which route to take. After all, printing isn’t always as straightforward as it seems.
These days, sublimation printing is proving a popular choice. Here, we delve into what sublimation printing and dye sublimation is, and whether it might be appropriate for your product.
Dye sublimation uses heat to bring ink and fabric together. A design is printed onto paper with special inks that turn to gas under heat. Then, this is combined with fabric and permanently printed on. When it comes to print on demand apparel, sublimation printing is a game changer. It lets you print seam to seam, across the whole garment, and stays fresh looking for longer.
The effects of dye sublimation are permanent and less prone to fading and cracking like some other printing methods. This is, in part, because the heat opens up the pores of the fabric and firmly embeds it into the garment.
Sublimation printing allows you to choose a design that can go from seam to seam, making it particularly versatile. What’s more, it’s a quick and effective digital print method that’s growing in popularity for small batch orders. If you’re just starting out with your own clothing line, sublimation printing can be a high-quality, cost-effective option.
If you’re looking for printed products that stand the test of time, have bold colours and high-res quality, this kind of printing is for you. Some of the best clothing lines and advertising displays use dye sublimation – a testament to its quality.
With traditional printing methods, you could be charged for each separate logo application. But with sublimation, a large number can be printed in one go.
The main hurdle people come across is printing on suitable materials. This type of printing is only suitable for garments made from polyester or polyester blends. Although sublimation is possible on other fabrics, the image can’t always be said to be permanent.
However, if you’re looking to create a clothing line with a vintage, distressed feel, using a fabric with less polyester in, and a cotton/poly mix, would be a good way of achieving this.
If your clothing range uses vibrant colours, bold illustrations or big designs, sublimation printing could be for you. Because it allows seam to seam printing, you don’t have to make your design small just to fit the printing method, which is a huge bonus!
Printing photography onto apparel via sublimation printing also leaves a great finish full of detail. The best bit is, you can fill the whole garment with the photo rather than just having it on the front.
If you’re thinking of using sublimation printing to launch your own apparel brand, we can help. For a quote, please call 0121 236 2784 or email info@russellprinters.co.uk to discuss your requirements in more detail.
As 2017 draws to a close and we look forward to the festive period ahead, we’d like to thank all of our customers and friends for their support over the last 12 months. It has been a busy year for Russell Printers, with the move to bigger premises in Hockley and welcoming a new director just a few of our notable highlights.
Our move to Mott Street Industrial Estate has enabled us to respond to increased demand for high-quality t-shirt printing and thanks to the installation of our new OKI transfer printer, we can now print onto any material in full colour.
For those of you who have not had chance to visit us at our new building yet, here are a few ‘behind the scenes’ shots of where the action takes place:
Getting Nostalgic
As any company with a history as rich as ours would agree, there is nothing like a trip down memory lane, particularly at this time of year when we are looking back on another great year here at Russells. The eagle eyed amongst you may be able to pick out Ian and Neil from the photo below:
And if you visit our new premises in Hockley, you can literally go back in time with our feature history wall, showing the Russells story from past to present:
What does the future hold for Russell Printers?
Having provided printing in Birmingham since 1905 we’ve witnessed many changes in the industry and happily we’ve been able to respond to these to continually offer a service that is up to date with what you and your business need.
As we look forward to 2018, there is a lot to get excited about as we continue to offer everything from traditional business stationery to corporate workwear and dye sublimation to print your designs and branding onto a wide range of materials.
Whatever print your business needs just give our team a call on 0121 236 2784 and we’ll be happy to help.
Sublimation printing is a unique process in itself, as it allows users to imprint designs and images onto products which have a polymer base or coating. It works through using a heat press and can print onto a range of items including: mugs, mouse mats, phone cases, trophies, clocks, keyrings and many more.
Personalise Your Merchandise
Printing companies who use sublimation printers are able to create unique designs onto a variety of products. This is particularly useful for businesses for example, who may want to hand out merchandise that is branded with their company logo at events or meetings. Not only is this a beneficial advertising tool, but it also will give you edge over your competition. You can really be as creative as you want.
How Does Sublimation Printing Work?
The sublimation process involves printing a heat transfer which uses sublimation ink cartridges that react when placed under a temperature of around 200°C. Once this temperature has been reached, the inks turn into a gaseous state and the colours become even more vibrant. Once placed onto an item, it permanently dyes the coated surface.
As soon as this has dried, it will feel smooth and the colour will not run and cannot be smudged. In effect it becomes part of the surface. The image or design is transferred onto the sublimation paper where it can then be applied to the promotional item using a heat press. The colours can penetrate through fabrics as well, which means that you can personalise just about anything.
Where Could I Use The Items?
Students will soon be returning to universities, and if you are planning on attending one of the many fresher’s fayres that are about to begin to promote your business, then you may want to look at some funky items to grab the attention of passers-by. For example, you could create some really innovative designs on mobile phone cases, iPad covers, laptop bags, mugs and keyrings. You could include funny slogans, or a catchy phrase which will help you to be remembered at a later date.
How We Can Help
If you have wanted to print some designs or artwork out onto products, then we could help you. We have a dye sublimation printer here at Russell Printers. You can even give us your designs and we will ensure that the finished product will be of high quality. We will be happy to show you previous examples of what kind of products we have personalised using the same printer to give you additional reassurance.
If you would like more information on how we can help you by using our dye sublimation printer and are based in the Birmingham or surrounding areas, then you can give one of our team here at Russell Printers a call on 0121 359 0783.
