Printing fabric with sublimation paper

Ordering Your Sublimation Transfer Paper

Please carefully choose the type of transfer paper you need; either textile or rigid/super dry substrate paper. Textile paper is for printing fabric or t shirts for example. Rigid or Super Dry paper is for hard objects that accept sublimation printing. Please ensure your dimensions are correct and you've selected the right type of transfer paper for your project before proceeding to payment. Typically, transfer paper will be printed within 1 hour of placing your order.

• Upload your image the way you want it to appear on the finished product. Transfer paper is automatically mirrored for you to press. Do not mirror your design and finish it as you want to see it printed.
• Heat transfer paper between 356F - 401F. Time may vary between 50-110 secs.
• Always test on a small piece to ensure the fabric or paper does not melt or scorch.
• Suitable for polyester fabrics / substrate only
• This is not wet decal transfer paper. Our paper is to be used in a heat press only.

Transfer paper works best on white fabric, if you use an alternative fabric your colors will be impacted. The print will still transfer, however you will find that the colors are not a perfect reproduction. The white area on the transfer paper is plain, there is no ink or dye to transfer onto the material. This means that any area which you leave white on your design will appear the color of the material that you are using.

Note: Textile transfer paper: max width 62.5 inches | hard surface transfer paper: max width 42 inches

Disclaimer: As stated above, our transfer paper is designed for use in a heat press only. If you want to use an iron or an alternative means of press, we advise you do so at your own risk. Perfectly transferring an image using transfer paper is a delicate process, and you must take into consideration the type of fabric, temperature, pressure and positioning. If you're using the paper at home, please be aware of and accept these risks that accompany it.

Your Transfer Paper Color

You'll notice your design will be pale when you first receive the transfer paper. However, this is not how your finished pressed fabric will look. Once the ink has been heat transferred to your medium, the inks will come to life and reflect the colors in your design. This is normal and nothing to worry about as your design will look fabulous once heat transferred!

Student Information

Students, we have a great student discount that apply to the sublimation paper, so please take advantage of this for your college projects.

Sizing For Hemming And Shrinkage

We have a full Cut & Sew service here at Contrado, and are able to hem your fabric prints for a small additional charge. We create a small one- or two-fold hem that typically uses 0.2" to 0.75" (5-20mm) of material, depending on the thickness of the fabric. So, for example, if you want a finished piece of fabric that measures 39.37" x 39.37", you will need to order a size of 39.96" x 39.96" to allow for the hem (on top of that please also allow for shrinkage of min 2%). The thicker the fabric, the bigger the hem will be. You can choose to have your prints hemmed with either Black or White thread. On our silk and other light woven fabrics, one hemmed edge will be straight (vertically down the roll) and the other will be slightly rippled. The hemming material allowances are as follows and you need to make your print bigger to accommodate the hem:

• Light Fabrics (0.59oz-2.95oz): For silks and other light fabrics, we use 0.24" - 0.32" / 6mm-8mm in the hem (2 fold), so overall width/height will be minus 0.48"-0.56""/ 12-16mm
• Medium Fabrics (2.98oz-5.90oz): For medium-weight fabrics that fray, we use 0.5 - 0.75" / 15-20mm in the hem (2 fold) so overall width/height will be minus 1.4" - 1.6" / 35-40mm
• Stiff/Heavy/No-fray fabrics: we use 0.5 - 0.75" / 15-20mm in the hem (1 fold) so overall width/height will be minus 1.5" / 35-40mm

All of these measurements are approximate and can vary. Including with shrinkage, it can mean a fairly significant difference to ordered dimensions, so please plan your print accordingly. Depending on how open the weave is, our fabric can shrink anywhere from 2% to 8% with the average being 2.5%.

How Would you Like the Edge?

• As it comes. We cut around your image, leaving a simply scissor cut, perhaps uneven white fabric border. 
• Hem with thread. We can hem your fabric with a choice of black or white thread. Please allow 1-2 days additional production time. See below for information on how hemming affects the size of your print. We offer an overlock hem, as well as a folded hem (one or two fold depending on the fabric) however not all fabrics are suited to both hem types. If you can see both options, it means both are suitable, and you will be able to choose whichever you prefer. 
• Cut on the line. We will cut neatly on the edge of your design. This means that if you have a border around your design we will cut around that border, if your design takes the whole space of the fabric, then we will neatly cut around the edge of that image. Please be aware, when we cut along the line, we have to cut against the grain of the fabric. This is the standard procedure for fabric cutting. This means that with some fabrics, for example, Georgette and Mulmul, which have a slight wave in them, some fraying will occur. This is unavoidable, as the cut follows the grain of the textile. 

All of our fabrics are cut manually by hand, with the utmost care and attention. If your fabric has a slightly uneven look on the edges or a touch of fraying, this does not indicate a flaw in the textile. It is not always possible to achieve a perfectly straight cut with certain fabrics, so please do bare this in mind when it comes to your design. If you have any queries or would like to know about our cutting methods in more detail, please get in touch and we will be more than happy to discuss them with you.

Please note: As we make everything by hand, all sizes may vary slightly.

For further information about our fabrics see our FAQs.

Do I have to mirror my design before I send it to you for printing?

No. This is important. We automatically mirror your designs so that when you transfer the designs across they are printed the way you would like them to be seen. When you are uploading your designs, upload them the way you would like to see them.

Are there any fabrics that aren't suitable for using with transfer paper?

When sublimation printing fabric we recommend using fabrics which are 85% polyester or above for best results. Transfer paper inks react with poly based fabrics, so if you're using natural fabrics the process will not be successful. If you have a low percentage polyester the colors and designs may be faded or the print may be less clear. So choose your fabric wisely. We recommend always doing a test print before working on a large scale. Temperature is critical so if you are not familiar with this technique you need to learn how to do it.

Can I use an iron to transfer the prints?

Use transfer paper between 180°C - 205°C. Time may vary between 50-110 secs. It's wise that you test on a small piece to ensure the fabric or paper does not melt or scorch. This transfer paper is designed to be used in a heat press only. For home use with an iron or alternative press method, we advise you to do so at your own risk. Many factors need to be considered for the perfect image transfer, such as fabric, temperature, pressure and positioning etc. If you're using at home, please understand you are accepting the risks that accompany it.