Hello! Hope you are doing well and enjoying your artistic life. Am I right?
Yeah! Today I’m so excited to gossip with you about the new art. Not totally new but somewhat new. A few days ago I just came across this art i.e. sublimation on glass. Looks strange. But you read it right. Sublimation on the glass. All of you know that the sublimation greatly works on the polyester-coated surface and it is a sensitive thing.
But this is the newness of this art. I thought that you have to give it a try for your home décor and also for your professional upgrade. I’m very sure that this art will still be in the hearts of your family, relatives and your clients also. So let’s get started.
Material & equipment you are in need:
The materials and the equipment needed to do the sublimation on the glass are:
- Sublimation Printer
- Sublimation Paper
- Sublimation Ink
- Lint Roller/ Rubbing Alcohol
- Lint Free Cloth (If using rubbing alcohol)
- Heat Press Machine
- Substrate/ Glass Sublimation Blank
- Heat Resistant Tape
- Gloves
- Protective paper/ Butcher Paper
How to do it? Step-by-step guide:
Now I hope you are ready with all your supplies needed for the glass sublimation. Just follow the step-by-step guide to transform your imagination into reality and to get to know each and everything in detail.
1. Sublimation Design Creation:
This is the design/image/art you want to blow up on the glass surface by sublimation. If you have your design ready with you then good! And if not, just get your design ready. You can use some software/applications to do that. I normally go with the ‘Canva’. It is good as it provides all the customisation and other features which I want and is freely available.
2. Print Your Sublimation Image/Design:
Now, print your design on the sublimation transfer paper with the help of the printer. Use only inkjet printers.
I received so many emails asking about the printer. So my advice is just to use an inkjet printer.
Tip: Use only an inkjet printer for printing and don’t mirror the image before printing
3. Preparing the glass item/substrate for the sublimation process:
Yeah! Looks so small and at the start I just let go of this step. And you know that was my big mistake at the start. And I pay for that in the form of bad sublimation results. So don’t skip this step and do it properly. Clean the poly-coated side of the substrate properly. You can clean it by rolling a lint roller over it multiple times. Or you can use rubbing alcohol. Clean the surface by using a lint-free cloth and rubbing alcohol.
But if you are using the alcohol for cleaning just make sure that the glass area must be completely dry before going to print. I use a lint roller as I feel so comfortable with it. The aim behind doing this is just to clean the surface free from any dust, debris, lint, hair or fingerprints.
What happens when the glass surface has dust or fingerprints?
It causes flaws in the sublimation. The ink does not permeate properly on the substrate. And you got some whitish patches in the final print.
What if my sublimation blank is not poly-coated? Can I do the sublimation directly on it?
No, you can’t directly sublimate on any glass surface. If your sublimation blank is not poly coated then coat it with the white vinyl. Apply the vinyl to the back side of the glass. Use transfer tape and a scraper to remove the bubbles during vinyl transfer. I recommend using White Oracal 651 Vinyl as I found it best.
4. Few adjustments before the final process:
- Place the design/print first.
- Place the glass surface on the print in such a way that the poly-coated surface or you can say that the glass’s backside is on the or in direct contact with the print.
- Make sure that the print and the sublimation blank are firmly on each other. So you have to secure it with heat-resistant tape on all sides tightly. To hold everything in place.
- Place the protective paper above and underneath the assembly. Here you can use butcher paper instead of the protective paper.
With all this preparation you can now move forward to the heat press.
5. Heat press setting:
Preheat your heat press. The normal temperature setting for the sublimation on the glass is 4000 F or 2040C but refers to the manufacturer’s guidelines first. And adjust it accordingly when I go for this step. My first work is just reading the manufacturer’s guidelines or the first-hand reviews of the product so that I can take lessons from others ‘ mistakes and not repeat them. I suggest you go with the manufacturer’s guidelines as every item contains its unique quality. So the heat-time settings may vary.
6. Press the glass:
Please place the protective sheet/Butcher Paper up and below the sandwich of the sublimation print and the glass. It helps to protect the heat press. Press the assembly for 4-6 minutes at 2040C.
7. Cool and finish:
It is too hot. Use protective gloves to remove the glass from the heat press.
And allow it to cool down completely. After that, you have to remove the paper. Here I suggest that please just remove the corner of the print and ensure that your print is sublimated as you require or not.
If yes, remove the paper completely and surprise the world with your sublimation glass art.
If not, stick the paper as it is and allow it to heat, press some more time, cool it and then remove the paper.
Before a few days, I found an email and he asked me,
What if I remove the whole paper and then find that the print is not satisfying me?
In that situation, I suggest that you just stick the paper perfectly to the design everything in place. But we are human, not machines. Something will be misplaced, I know. For that, I suggest you just remove the corner and make sure that the printing goes well or not.
You may also check – Sublimate on Metal
Why glass for sublimation?
- There are so many reasons to choose glass items for sublimation. And the reasons are:
- Glass’s characteristics like transparency and its behaviour when exposed to the light
- You can place your imagination with a variety of things like glass panels, cutting boards, fridge magnets, etc. It’s versatile in nature.
- It is a versatile material that makes it a good sublimation substrate for personal and commercial purposes.
- Gives you the high-definition print, free from peeling off, scratching and fading, and gives you the sublimated glass item ideal for daily and occasional use.
Precautions to be taken while sublimating on the glass:
- You can’t sublimate on any glass. Each glass item must be poly-coated for sublimation. Always use the heat-resistant glass.
- If your substrate contains any rubber attachment or any other attachment, then just remove it to get a proper flat surface for the sublimation.
- To avoid any issues while printing just clean the surface of the poly coated glass surface, maintain the heat and pressure setting.
- Give it the proper time to cool down and assemble it before using or handling it.
You may also check – Sublimation On Acrylic
Conclusion:
So with this complete step-by-step guide, I hope you get complete knowledge about the Sublimation on Glass. How to do it? What to do and what not to do? Also, post sublimation care. All these steps play a pivotal role to make the sublimation happen and obtain the desired results. So with that keep learning and do art. Happy sublimation!