Sublimation Print File Requirements for All-Over Print

How sublimation works

The design is printed in reverse onto transfer paper, then pressed onto the fabric with heat and pressure. For cut-and-sew AOP, the factory prints each pattern piece (panel) or a full roll, then cuts and sews.

Sublimation bonds only with polyester or polyester-coated surfaces. There is no white ink: white areas show the fabric colour. So it works on white or light fabric.

File checklist

• ›Resolution: at least 150 dpi at the final print size. Use 300 dpi for small prints and fine detail.
• ›Size: build the file at the real print size of the panel or roll, not a scaled-down preview.
• ›Bleed: extend the design past the cut line. Many factories ask for at least 3 mm. Fabric can shrink in the heat press, so some ask for more. Ask your factory.
• ›Colour: many sublimation printers take RGB files and convert them with their own profile. Ask your printer which colour mode and profile they use.
• ›Format: PDF, TIFF or PNG. Do not send editable source files (AI or PSD).
• ›Repeats: check the tile joins for ghost lines before you build the panels.

Common problems

• ›Very bright greens, oranges and neon colours that the inks cannot reach. They print duller than on screen.
• ›White gaps at the seams when the panels have no bleed.
• ›A soft or pixelated print when a small file is stretched across a large panel.
• ›Ghost lines across the garment from a repeat tile that does not join cleanly.

What the AOP101 audit checks

Choose "Dye Sublimation / Transfer" as the print method and enter your print size. The audit flags resolution below 150 dpi at that size. It checks the colour mode (RGB passes, CMYK gets a warning), PDF bleed, canvas size and ghost lines.