As an artistic heart and creativity in my mind, I always take new techniques to express creativity and bring my vision to life. In recent days I just came across a new technique called sublimation on canvas. I just love this printing method as this innovative process allows artists like me to transfer my heart onto the canvas. This printing transfers high-resolution and vibrant images on canvas.
In this blog, I’ll share the whole process of sublimation printing on canvas with my own experience. So, let’s get started!
The Materials & equipment required to make sublimation on Canvas:
- Image or design to be print
- Canvas
- Sublimation Paper
- Sublimation Printer
- Sublimation Ink
- Heat Resistant Tape
- Heat Press Machine
- Clear Coating Or Varnish
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A step-by-step guide to sublimation on Canvas:
Follow the following steps carefully and rigorously to blow your mind and the heart on the canvas.
Step #1) Finalise the image/design:
You have to do the sublimation that is printing your heart on the canvas. So your heart is the first thing to be ready. Right! Here your work is to just finalise the picture/ image which you want to be sublimated on.
Step #2) Take a printout of the image/picture:
Once the picture is final, the very next work of yours is to adjust it, set it and resize it. Please check the size of your canvas and the paper which you are using. Adjust the picture accordingly. To adjust and resize the picture you can use applications like MS Word, MS Publisher, Paint, Snapseed, etc. But I use ‘Canva’, as I feel so much comfortable with it. Wait! Don’t be in a hurry!
Do you have letters in your picture? Yes! Just flip the picture (mirror it). Otherwise, your sublimation image will be reversed as the final result. Now it’s time to take a printout. But I will suggest one thing. Do the test print first. I use a regular white paper to do that. By doing this you get a clear idea about how your printer works, or any other problem your printer is facing before going for the final print.
You take a print out but it looks so dull. Right! Don’t worry. It is because you are using sublimation ink and it blasts after getting heat. So here your print looks dull but after sublimation, it will bombard the canvas and give you a blasting result.
Step #3) Do ready your canvas:
To make the canvas ready for sublimation, take a canvas. Here you have to select a canvas that is poly-coated. And what if I have a cotton canvas in my hand? Don’t worry! You can also sublimate on the cotton canvas too. For cotton canvas, you have to coat its surface with the sublimation coating spray or clear dye sublimation HTV. But I use the poly-coated canvas.
Preheat the heat press at 3850F to 4000F for 60 seconds. Take a canvas. Take a lamination sheet. Cut the edge of the lamination sheet and peel it off in two parts. Use its one part. Place the lamination sheet on the canvas. While placing the lamination sheet on the canvas you have to keep one thing in mind, the matte side of the sheet goes down on the canvas and the shiny side is up. Cover it with butcher paper. Place it in the heat press. After time passes, take it off from the heat press and give it time to cool down completely.
The canvas is ready to sublimate. No bubbles or creases occur on the canvas.
Step #4) Sublimate the canvas:
Now the canvas is cooled completely. Place the print/transfer paper on the canvas. Protect it with heat-resistant tape. So that the set-up will not move while sublimation and fading/ ghosting occurs. Cover the whole setup with the butcher paper. Set the heat press at 4000 F for 60 seconds. Place the whole set-up in the heat press. And wait for the result.
Now take it off the whole set-up from the heat press and give it time to cool down. Now just pull the transfer paper from the corner. If you get the desired result then remove all the transfer paper from the canvas and let your creativity shine. And if you think you want a bright print then without removing the transfer paper place the set-up as it is in the heat press for 15 seconds. And now remove the paper and do your creativity blow.
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Conclusion:
All of you, an artistic person, love art the most. You can create it for yourself, for home décor and for your business also. It will help you to grow as an artistic person and an artistic business. Just follow the above guide step by step very carefully and rigorously. And you get the result which amazes you the most. With this happy sublimation!
You may also check – Sublimate on Metal