Impressions - March 2014 - 76

talking SHOP

Digital Decorating

How to Sublimate Apparel
Find a new proﬁt center by adding this simple decorating solution.
By Jimmy Lamb, Contributing Writer

re you considering adding a decorating process to your shop's arsenal? Sublimation is the ideal
match for decorating nearly anything made
of polyester, which has increased in popularity with the innovations taking place in
the poly-performance apparel arena.
Sublimation delivers stunning fullcolor images on white and light-colored
garments with ease. Plus, due to the molecular nature of the sublimation process, it's
one of the only decoration processes that
won't fade, crack or peel when laundered.
Combine that with the low entry cost
of apparel sublimation equipment (about
$2,700 for a printer/heat press combination that can deliver images up to about
12" x 18") and it's easy to see why sublimation is such a hot topic in the apparel
decoration industry.
On the surface, apparel production via
sublimation is quick and simple, checking
in at less than $1 in materials cost and a
cycle time of less than three minutes per
shirt (prepping, printing and pressing).
But is it really that easy, and what kind
of learning curve is involved in mastering
the technique?
Before we discuss how to do it, let's
ﬁrst take a look at what is happening in
the world of polyester apparel products.

POLYESTER - REALLY?
So maybe the word "polyester" sounds
icky and gives you cause to shudder when
you hear it. After all, 100% polyester garments were hot (literally) back in the days
of disco and leisure suits, then they quickly disappeared. Though billed as a durable
and maintenance-free fabric, polyester
eventually lost out to cotton when it came
to comfort and breathability, thus leaving
behind a negative legacy.
But that was then and this is now. Realizing they had to overcome the negative
connotations associated with polyester,
fabric manufacturers carefully crafted new
76

Impressions | March 2014

Sublimated
apparel is
gaining popularity.
It works ﬁne on
light and even
some medium
colors, depending
on the design's
colors.

terminology for this cutting-edge fabric:
poly-performance or, simply, performance.
Notice how the word polyester has been
stricken from the description. Interestingly, many poly-performance garments even
have the look and feel of cotton, which is
another step toward separating presentday polyester from that of the past.
This is an important marketing lesson,
as you may encounter the same battles
when selling to end users. Sure, most items
are 100% polyester, but that has little to
do with the actual features designed into
the fabric, so always focus on the performance (moisture-wicking) and comfort
characteristics that make it what it is.
From a technical perspective, moisturewicking fabric is composed of tiny cells that
allow perspiration to be pulled away from
the skin and transferred to the garment's
outer surface, where it can evaporate.
Poly-performance apparel is unique
and offers features that other products do

not, so the costs are logically going to be
higher when compared to standard garments. For example, a 100% cotton white
T-shirt can be purchased for $1-$1.50
(depending on weight, style and brand).
A typical poly-performance T-shirt will
cost $5-$6, depending on style and brand.
Thus, when you are selling performance
wear, you must position it as a premium
product. Don't make the mistake of trying to sell a performance T-shirt against a
cotton T-shirt as if they are equal products.
And keep in mind that some versions of
poly-performance T-shirts look and feel
like cotton (a plus), but they should not
be treated as equals to the basic 100% cotton T-shirt.
When it comes to pricing, you can use
Under Armor as a benchmark, as their Tshirts typically start at $24.95 in retail stores
across the country. Keep this in mind when
you develop your own pricing strategy.
Overall, sublimation is considered the
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