How it’s made: Label (Sublimated)

This embellishment method unlocks the incredible possibilities of sublimation printing with the quick turnaround of ready-made products – although it can be used with full-custom products as well.

The process of sublimation uses special dyes printed on a paper that is transferred onto a fabric using a heat press. Because of the nature of the dyes, the colors are only transferred over to polyester fibers. This limitation however is pretty much the only downside. Sublimation printing is the best method to achieve vibrant gradient colors and make small details that would be otherwise impossible to make with embroidery.

It’s also important to know sublimation printing is an additive method so the base fabric is always white. When a black or a dark design is printed and we add a border around the label small white spots can sometime be seen. This is inherent to sublimation printing as what you are seeing is the portion of the fabric where the dyes have not been in contact during the transfer.

As with all patches and labels, sublimated labels are available with a running stitch border, a satin stitch border or a merrowed border.