Sublimation printing is a rewarding and profitable business. Thousands of individuals and small companies are making money with dye sublimation to create amazing personalized items for family members, local community groups, online platforms (like Etsy, eBay, and Facebook) and local paying customers.

What is most impressive is the sheer amount of items available for personalization on the internet. Examples of popular items include;

• Mugs
• T-Shirts
• Drinkware (Metal/Ceramic/Glass)
• Socks
• Metal Photo Panels
• Ornaments

Three examples of sublimated mug designs.

You can purchase these at Amazon, eBay, through Facebook Groups or other marketplaces, but its usually the best bet to focus on suppliers catering to the sublimation segment of the market, such as my favorite online sublimation retailers Conde and Swing Design.

There is a list of sublimation blank supplies in this Sublimation Printer article: Sublimation Blanks

What Is Sublimation Printing

(Skip to the next section if you already know how sublimation works and want to get to the point of how you can make money with sublimation)

Sublimation printing is the process of changing a solid to a gas without transitioning to a liquid state. Typically this is accomplished using temperatures in the 350F–400F range for 4–16 minutes.

When this process takes place, it allows the gaseous ink to permeate an object; this could be solid like a mug, or flexible like fabric. The ink turns back into a solid and it adheres amazingly well to polyester, or a polyester coating, creating a permanent bond with that object.

When sublimating, there are a few limitations that must need addressing:

1. You cannot sublimate a white color. Due to the physics of sublimation, the chemical makeup of white pigment is incompatible. Because you cannot sublimate a white pigment, it also prevents many light colors such as yellows and pinks from reproducing correctly when not using a bright white substrate.
2. Sublimation printing requires your finished product contain polyester. Blanks designed for sublimation can have a special polyester coating applied, or it can be a fabric with a majority blend of polyester or a spray that will allow fabrics such as cotton to processed. If you use a blended polyester/cotton fabric, the image transfer will not be as vivid or vibrant.
3. The object you are customizing can withstand up to 400F temperatures. The high temperatures required for the sublimation process, and if your items melt, it kind of defeats the purpose!

Finding A Niche To Sell Your Products

Finding someone to pay you for your work is the single hardest part about owning any business. While the customer base is attractive, competing in the online world of Print on Demand can be a tough. The competition is fierce, and the margins are tight.

However, most successful sublimation printing professionals focus on local shops, organizations, schools, and events. Doing this allows you to create a demand for future sales and target a local market where face to face customer service excels. This type of customer service creates a relationship for repeat business.

A few examples of excellent local demographics to sell items include:

1. Schools, school boards, and school parents. Almost every community has a spirit and pride for your local school. You can create personalized items with each child athlete’s name and number, school logo, and sport identification. The premium pricing comes with 100% customized items with students’ names and or photos.
   Items can include; pins, buttons, koozies, mugs, drinkware, flags, hats, socks, shirts, yard banners, welcome doormats, decals, keychains, license plate holders, coasters, and metal photo blanks.
2. Consignment Shops. Many local, especially small towns, will allow the sale of local branded items in their shop as consignment items. Typically you can work a deal to split the profits for display space at the local establishment.
3. Local Businesses love to supply their customers with their business branding and may purchase large quantities of promotional items such as mugs and coasters to give out. Bringing a set of finished items as an example sporting local businesses logo can not only create an immediate sale for you but open the communication line for future purchases.
   Business opportunities include; investment, coffee shops, local banks, local restaurants, doctors’ offices, daycare, bookstores, and local sports and awards stores.
4. Local Churches are always running events, and if you can compete for price and turn around quickly, it can be a great way to get your name out and keep the sublimation printer running. T-shirts, mugs, drinkware, and license plate holders will likely be the mainstay for this market.
5. Photographers are a great resource to provide your services. Sublimation is fantastic for reproducing high-quality reproductions of photos one a wide array of products. Most notable, glossy metal sheets are a permanent way to display high-quality images for family memories or public art displays. Be sure to pitch this service to your local businesses as well — it can be a good fit for you and the photographer in many cases. Photographers can also be use sublimation for customizable t-shirt, pillows, and other soft fabrics.

Design for Sales

Identify your niche market. Next, you need to decide on what designs you will use for your customization. Many sublimation professionals will offer design services as part of the sublimation process. Some will charge extra for design or require a minimum order to have the graphic design fees included.

Others will choose to purchase and download design straight from the internet.

If you are designing your artwork, there are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Do not infringe on copyright laws. Disney is well known for suing small businesses for using copyrighted materials.
2. Design your designs at the correct proportions, using 300 DPI. A common mistake is resizing a small image to create a low quality larger image, and sometimes incorrectly resizing the image to have stretched in incorrect proportions.
3. When possible, design using vector graphics. Creating scalable vector graphics will create a MUCH better quality end product for you and your customers.

Here’s The Formula To Get Started In Sublimation Printing And Profit

Getting started in sublimation printing will require an investment that can range anywhere from $500-$4000 depending on your commitment and goals. The best part is that many people can recoup their investment in as little as 2–3 projects.

Since this article is about equipping someone new to the hobby, I have outlined below two scenarios with equipment and business models that you can combine to get your business off the ground, each with their associated costs and expected revenue.

The first product is the least expensive way to turn a profit and recover your sublimation printing investment. Your new office for the new sublimation printing business will be much more satisfying.