Does Your Sublimation Tile Have Bad Coating Spots?

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Tile Coating Problems and How To Deal With It


Does Your
Sublimation Tile and Stone
Have Bad Coating Spots?

…or do you need to learn some new tricks?
When we are pressing dye sublimation transfers onto tile and stone sometimes you can get light areas in the surface of the item. Most commonly this happens in the center and edges of the tile or stone.

Mike…What happened here?
Though this can happen for many reasons, the first reaction for many customers is to point to the coating on the tile or product as being “bad” or defective.



A good thing to try is to re-press the already imaged problem tile with a solid dark blue or black transfer. Even better if you reposition or rotate the tile on the heat press. If the tile takes the dark image within the light spots, you know it is not the coating on the tile…perhaps a paper problem or a problem with the temp, time or pressure of your press.

Mike…after pressing the dark transfer my spots did not go away…What can I do about it?
If the light spots persist after the 2nd pressing with the dark transfer, well then you have a coating or product problem. Time to call your vendor for RMA and replacement of these items.

Mike…after pressing the dark transfer my spots went away…What can I do about it?
If your tile is light around the edges or has a light circular spot in the center, add a minute to your time until you get the best result. You can also check the temp of your heat press.
See my article on having a bad case of BTC.

It is important to use a high temp Nomex Felt pad when doing tile or stone. This provides best surface results and a great print along the edges of the item. If you are pressing a light image or image with a lot of white in it, the placing a clean white paper between your image and the nomex pad is a great idea to prevent ghosting or staining in light areas.

Placing tiles face down on the press and heating them from the back is the best way to print ceramic tiles. This procedure provides better contact with the entire surface of the tile and its beveled edges. All you do is place the Nomex felt on the lower rubber bottom platen. The sublimation transfer is placed on the felt, face-up (and slightly towards the back). The tile is centered on the image, facedown. A Teflon sheet is placed over the back of the tile so the tile does not scratch the upper heat platen. Close the heat press for the recommended cycle time.