Apparel Sublimation + Decoration
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APISOURCE houses one of the largest embellishment facilities on the East Coast.
We are nationally recognized for our product quality, sales volume, and overall service.
API offers in-house localized textile sublimation. While API does not do Allover print sublimation (AOPS) in our Lanham production facilities, we have partnered with numerous decorators both domestic and overseas to provide allover print sublimation.
More about Allover Print Sublimation from our friends at Impressions Magazine:
Allover print sublimation (AOPS) is, well, all over the place. Of course it is a trendy application on T-shirts and V-necks seen in the wholesale decorated apparel marketplace. But from burnout garments, poly-performance tops and mixed martial arts (MMA) gear to hoodies and dresses, the popularity of AOPS is rising. If you have not seen it as a new source of potential revenue, you may want to look one more time.
It’s not just enjoying success in the imprintables market. Walk into Macy’s, Belk, H&M or just about any other major clothing retailer and you will see some apparel decorated with sublimation in the store. There are multiple brands offering different types of garments for this process. The topic has been well covered in Impressions and at the Imprinted Sportswear Shows (ISS), but it has grown and changed in the past couple of seasons.
Garment decorators are getting more and more requests for allover sublimation, and declining the opportunity could have long-term ramifications. Many people are predicting it will only increase in popularity from here on out.
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Dye Sublimation by Eversole Run Apparel - API Preferred Sublimation Supplier
No matter what type of AOPS you plan to do, there are several things you will need. At a bare minimum, you will need sublimation paper, an industrial (a.k.a. large) heat press and the right garments for your target customer.
You also will need the know-how to do it properly. So let’s get started and cover a couple of important areas.
OFFSET VS. DIGITAL SUBLIMATION
Offset sublimation is all about volume. The vast majority of sublimation prints in the marketplace are made with offset sublimation equipment. This machinery involves a major capital investment — more than $1 million when you factor in all the costs and expertise needed to operate the machinery.
Offset sublimation paper comes in several standard-sized sheets. It is not a continuous printing process and, as a result, it is regulated to specific output sizes. Offset paper comes in the following standard sizes: 391⁄2" x 277⁄8" and 42" x 59".
The offset option makes sense when you are in the volume business. Most offset printers do not want to do runs below 500 units, and they much prefer runs between 5,000 and 10,000. That is because they need to make plates for the printing process. The costs of offset prints are directly impacted by the amount being produced. The more you print, the lower the cost. More often than not, if you are dealing with large orders and volume is above 500 units of allover prints, offset will be involved and could be contracted out.
Digital sublimation, on the other hand, is all about custom smaller runs. Most people who are considering allover printing are looking at a digital printer for output. For the majority of us, the average order will be fewer than 500 units. If customization (by size or per shirt) is involved in your business plan, then digital is your only option.
- Article by: Christopher Bernat, Contributing Writer, Impressions Magazine, Allover Printing: It's All Over America Article.