Impressions - September 2016 - 50

THE XF FACTOR
Sawgrass Technologies recently created an enhanced sublimation ink
set that includes XF inks, which were created to deliver improved UV
stability. The inks are: C, M, Y, KXF, Lc, Lm, LkXF and LlkXF. This ink set
was designed in conjunction with Universal Woods to take advantage
of the characteristics of its ChromaLuxe line of photo panels. Together,
the inks and panels deliver high-definition, photographic-quality output with smoother gradients and shading for skin tones, pastels and
black-and-white images. All of these are crucial to producing high-end
sublimation prints.

This design was printed using
an expanded-gamut ink set.
The orange color traditionally
is a challenge to print with
standard CMYK inks.

Fluorescents are another burgeoning
area for specialty sublimation inks. Traditionally, it has been difficult to create
these colors for sublimation, as the luminous properties associated with them
call for specific colors that fall outside the
scope of standard CMYK inks, and even
eight-color ink sets.
In the case of an eight-color ink, the
two light black inks are replaced with
fluorescent pink and fluorescent yellow.
This enables users to add a wide range
of fluorescent spot colors to images or
produce completely fluorescent images for special effects not possible with a
CMYK-only solution. It also opens the
door to a variety of special applications,
such as promotional, safety and highvisibility products.
These specialty sublimation inks are
examples of how technology within the
decorating discipline continues to expand.
Though not every ink is available for every
printer, stay abreast of what your suppliers offer. If you want to purchase new
sublimation equipment, look beyond the
image size and print speed, and focus on
the available ink sets and how they can
benefit your operation. More color options yield more sublimation opportunities,
which lead to increased profitability and
business growth.
You can learn more about specialty
P.50

ink sets by visiting sublimation dealers
at the upcoming Imprinted Sportswear
Shows event in Fort Worth,Texas, to be held
Oct. 6-8. 
Award-winning author and international speaker Jimmy Lamb has more than 20 years of apparel
decoration experience. He currently is manager
of communications for Sawgrass Technologies,
Charleston, S.C. For more information or
to comment on this article, email Jimmy
at jlamb@sawgrassink.com.

I M P R E S S I O N S M A G . C O M SEPTEMBER 2016

Above
It has been difficult to create
fluorescent colors for sublimation,
such as the ones shown on this
shirt.Their luminous properties
mandate specific colors that fall
outside the gamut of standard
CMYK inks.
Left
Fluorescent inks enable users to
add a wide range of spot colors
to images or produce fluorescent
images for even greater special
effects that aren't possible with a
CMYK-only solution.

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Impressions - September 2016

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