Troubleshooting for Sublimation Heat Transfer Printing
Complete Troubleshooting Guide for Sublimation Transfer Printing. Plus Easy-to-Use Time, Temperature & Pressure Chart!
Select the item below that best describes your problem.
- The colors in my transferred image are incorrect.
- There are streaks across my image.
- My nozzle check does not print correctly.
- Black does not transfer as a good, rich black.
- My transferred image looks blurry.
- The paper sticks to my mugs.
- I get an error message when I print with PowerDriver.
The colors in my transferred image are incorrect.
The most common reason that colors transfer incorrectly is not using the color correction software included with the SubliJet inks. Make sure that you are using the appropriate color correction software when you print your image.
There are streaks across my image.
Streaks in the printouts can be caused by a dirty print head. There are several ways to initiate a print head cleaning on Epson printers. For a complete discussion of print head cleaning, please see your Epson Manual.
My nozzle check does not print correctly.
The print head may need to be cleaned, if the nozzle check pattern shows gaps. There are several ways to initiate a print head cleaning on Epson printers. For complete instructions on print head cleaning, see your Epson Manual.
Black does not transfer as a good, rich black.
The most common cause for the black ink not transferring as a good, rich black is the type of paper being used. Sawgrass Systems continually performs extensive testing on all brands of ink jet paper available on the market today. We currently recommend AccuPlot EPQ brand of paper for use with the EPSON and Ricoh desktop printers.
The transfer time, temperature, and pressure also affects the intensity of the black ink. Please refer to the chart below for the proper time, temperature, and pressure for each substrate.
| Substrate |
SubliJet XL & IQ Transfer Time |
Transfer Temp. | Transfer Pressure |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polyester | 40-50 sec. | 400°F | Med/High 40 psi |
Best for permanency and washability. |
| Mouse Pads | 45-50 sec. | 400°F | Med/High 40 psi |
100% Polyester surface only |
| Vapor Apparel | Micro Fiber/30 sec. Basic T/30 sec. Sweatshirt/30 sec. Lady's Touch/30 sec. Performance Stretch/30 sec. |
Micro Fiber/380°F Basic T/385°F Sweatshirt/385°F Lady's Touch/385°F Performance Stretch/380°F |
Med/High 40 psi |
Press for 5 seconds to remove moisture. Use Teflon sheets inside shirt to prevent ink "blow through." |
| FR Plastic | 65-80 sec. | 400°F | Med/High 40 psi |
Some items have a peel away protective coating |
| Unisub Metal | 50-60 sec. Face up / 60-70 sec. Face down | 400°F | Med/High 40 psi |
Use absorbent backing behind transfer paper. Temperature varies with brand of metal used. Peel away coating |
| Ceramic Tiles | *5 - 7.5 min. Face down *Varies by tile brand |
*350-400°F *Varies by tile brand |
Med/High 40 psi |
Use Nomex/felt pad. Place transfer face-up on lower pad and tile face down on transfer. |
| UniSub (wood) | 65-80 sec. | 400°F | Med/High 40 psi |
The thicker the material is, the longer the transfer time will be. Peel away protective coating. |
| Ceramic Mugs | 210-300 sec. | 400°F | Med/High 40 psi |
Use heat resistant tape to hold transfer in place. Remove all slack from transfer around mug to avoid creasing. |
| Aluminum Water Bottles | 210-300 sec. | 400°F | Med/High 40 psi |
Wrap bottle in heat conducting rubber pad. |
Remember: Dye-sublimation is a Time-Sensitive procedure and each heat press and each production environment will have it's own unique properties. Small adjustments may be necessary to achieve optimum results.
My transferred image looks blurry.
The most common cause for blurry images is not using a recommended paper. Sawgrass Technologies continually performs extensive testing on all brands of ink jet paper available on the market today. We currently recommend AccuPlot EPQ brand paper for use with EPSON and Ricoh desk top printers.
This problem occurs due to softening of the coating when the mug is heated during the transfer process. To reduced the effects of the softened coating, remove the paper from the mug before cooling. If any residue remains, you may clean the surface of the mug with rubbing alcohol after it has been fully cooled.
I get an error message when I print with PowerDriver.
Low hard drive space can cause a spooling error when using PowerDriver Pro. Check your hard drive to make sure you have at least 100 MB of free space. Refer to your computer's user guide for assistance.
If you do not have 100 MB of free space, delete unused files to make more space available.
A spooling error message may also occur while printing, if PowerDriver Pro
and the Epson printer driver are not set to the same LPT: port.
Verify that both drivers are set to the same LPT: port.
An error message may also result from renaming the Epson printer driver. Check your printers folder to verify that the printer has the correct name.
If the printer does not have the appropriate name, PowerDriver Pro will not
work correctly. Ensure "copy 2" does not appear after the printer
name. If your printer is named something other than what is listed above delete
the printer and reinstall it from the installation disk.