100 premium quality A4 sublimation paper for mug transfer and sub heat press
This listing is for 100 sheets of premium quality sublimation paper, which is the same as we provide in our sublimation printer bundles. This paper is for use with sublimation ink only, and is not suitable for use with toner or pigment inks. We do not recommend using these papers with the Sawgrass SG400 or SG800 printer using Sublijet-HD inks.
Used in conjunction with our sublimation inks, these
papers provide results which consistently outclass the opposition and produce
outstanding quality t-shirts, mugs and more.
When we settled on our sublimation ink, we tested a
lot of different papers in order to see which would work best, and to save our
customers some legwork in testing out the different options themselves. We know
that our sublimation customers are concerned with the quality of their products
above all else, and were determined to find the absolute best paper to recommend
- after all, it doesn't matter how cheap your mugs are if they look cheap.
In order to demonstrate how
our paper fares against the opposition, we decided on a simple test. We bought a
pack of sublimation paper from ten of the main suppliers in the UK, printed the
same image onto each, and sublimated them.
With sublimation paper, there
are two main aspects which you should pay attention to. These are how the paper
absorbs the ink, and how it releases the ink onto your substrate. Sublimation
papers can all look very similar, and work based on the principle of a polymer
management layer and release agent, but the recipe can vary substantially from
one brand to another - it's important to find the paper which works best for
your setup.
If your sublimation paper isn't capable of absorbing
the ink quickly enough, your images can bleed and appear fuzzy around the edges.
This bleeding will transfer across to the finished product, and can leave you
with mugs and t-shirts looking sub-par. I'm pleased to say that only one of the
papers in our test had this problem, and it wasn't ours. Most sublimation papers
on the market today are what's known as fast-drying papers, so will readily
absorb the ink during printing.
You'll find far more variety
when it comes to releasing the inks. Ideally, you would have close to 100% of
the ink transfer from your sublimation paper onto the finished product. Having
more ink transfer means that your blacks will be richer, your colours more
vibrant, and you will achieve much better results overall, allowing your images
to really stand out. It also makes colour-matching easier, as you don't have to
worry about your images looking washed-out or faded.
So, with that out of the way,
lets look at the results of our tests. We included papers from all of the major
suppliers, to try and find a definitive answer to which papers work best with
our inks. The printer used for this is the Epson 1500w six-colour A3 printer,
and you might also spot a couple of Ricoh sublimation printers in the background
- we'll be discussing printers in greater detail in another post.
The first step was to print
out our image onto each of the papers. It's best to leave sublimation paper to
dry for a few minutes so the ink can finish being absorbed before it's handled
too much, so we ended up decorating most of the office with these sheets - the
image we chose was a sheet of around 1,000 colour patches, for the greatest
variation in colours tested.
The images have now been
printed, and are ready for sublimation - as you can see, there's very little
variation at this stage of the process - all of the images were printed from the
same printer, using the same settings.
We sublimated onto white
aluminium sheets, one of the easiest substrates to work with. Ours are from
Subli Metals Ltd, who provide a huge variety of sizes and finishes. At this
point, all of the images have been sublimated for 50 seconds at 180°C and we
haven't seen the results - our paper is in the top left of this image.
The
big reveal - from looking at the sheets of paper, you can see there is quite a
lot of ink left on each of the papers, except for one. I wonder which paper it
is...
Enhance! Here's a closer
picture of our paper compared to one of the others - you can see that a lot more
ink has transferred across to the metal sheet with ours, giving much more
vibrant colours - this will enable you to achieve the greatest possible
variation in colours on your products.
Enhance! Another, closer look
at the sublimated products - the image on the right appears faded, and almost
cloudy in places, because of the incomplete transfer of ink. We probably don't
need to point this out again, but the one on the left was using our paper. An
issue like this may not seem like much on an aluminium sheet, but is far too
noticeable on photographic products such as mugs, or on t-shirts (which have a
lot more material to dye).
Having access to the largest
possible colour gamut means you can consistently produce superb products for
your clients, and we feel that our paper offers end results which outclass the
opposition in terms of both ink fastness and ink transfer.
About Us
About City Ink Express City Ink Express is a leading supplier of CIS (Continuous Ink Systems), ink cartridge refill kits, toner cartridges and refillable ink cartridges. Our goal is to lower the amount you spend on ink considerably, without harming the quality of your printing. The inks we supply are not cheap imports made from low quality, generic materials. We source materials from countries like Japan, the USA and Germany, where they are produced to a high specification and ensure a wide colour gamut and vivid output. You will find that our inks have had high end UV absorber components added, to prolong ink life, durability and stop them from fading at the same rate as budget inks. Quality CIS systems for Brother, Epson, HP & Canon Printers Unlike standard ink cartridges, CIS systems do not run out regularly as they are filled with a continuous supply of ink, resulting in large savings of time and money. We supply CIS ink systems that are developed to work with printers from major manufacturers that include Epson, HP, Canon and Brother.
Payment
We Accept the following payment methods All major credit cards, Bank Transfer, Paypal, Cheuqes, Postal orders and collect in person by appointment only
Shipping
2nd Class Signed For: Items are usually delivered within 4 days from the date of purchase, with delivery confirmation 1st Class Signed For: Item delivery normally within 2 days, with delivery confirmation Royal Mail international: Delivery to Europe can be anywhere from 2-10 days, all items are sent with delivery confirmation 24-48 Courier: is fully trackable throughout its delivery If you need a definite timescale for Europe (excluding UK) and Worldwide orders please feel free to contact us All items will require a signature on delivery. If you have not received your package on time, please get in touch with us and we will help you to track down the parcel - this may be at your local delivery office, or it might have been delayed by the courier for some reason.
Terms
We are happy to accept change of mind returns, as long as the items are complete and returned unused to us, in the same condition as you received them. Unfortunately, we are not able to accept returns of used non-faulty items. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, you have the right to return any unused items for a full refund up to 14 days after receiving the item. We ask that customers contact us before returning any items; you may be issued with a RMA (return merchandise authorisation) number to help speed up your refund. We recommend using a signed-for delivery service for returns. If you receive a damaged or incomplete order, please keep both the packaging and the items you have received - if we need to make a claim from our courier for missing items, we will need the packaging for this. We have the utmost confidence in our products, but if you do have any difficulty then please contact us. Our priority is always to help you get set up, and our first recourse in these situations is to offer support through eBay messages or email. If your problem cannot be resolved in this way, then we may at our discretion offer any of the following: 1. Replacement parts 2. Return of the products for testing/repair 3. A refund If we ask you to return any items to us, we will also provide instructions for packaging the items - this is to ensure no ink spillage, or damage to the product, occurs. If these instructions are not followed, we will not be held responsible for any damage to the items as a result. If you have any difficulty with the products or service you have received, please contact us as soon as possible so we can help resolve any issues. In addition to your legal rights, CityInkExpress offers a 12 month warranty on the following products, unless otherwise specified: CISS Refillable Cartridges Printers (Excluding the print head) Most manufacturers do not warrant print heads, as they are considered a consumable part, and the longevity of your print head depends primarily on how you use the printer. This warranty covers repair, and replacement parts, but does not cover any cost incurred in returning items to us for repair.
Returns
We are happy to accept change of mind returns, as long as the items are complete and returned unused to us, in the same condition as you received them. Unfortunately, we are not able to accept returns of used non-faulty items. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, you have the right to return any unused items for a full refund up to 14 days after receiving the item. We ask that customers contact us before returning any items; you may be issued with a RMA (return merchandise authorisation) number to help speed up your refund. We recommend using a signed-for delivery service for returns. If you receive a damaged or incomplete order, please keep both the packaging and the items you have received - if we need to make a claim from our courier for missing items, we will need the packaging for this. We have the utmost confidence in our products, but if you do have any difficulty then please contact us. Our priority is always to help you get set up, and our first recourse in these situations is to offer support through eBay messages or email. If your problem cannot be resolved in this way, then we may at our discretion offer any of the following: 1. Replacement parts 2. Return of the products for testing/repair 3. A refund If we ask you to return any items to us, we will also provide instructions for packaging the items - this is to ensure no ink spillage, or damage to the product, occurs. If these instructions are not followed, we will not be held responsible for any damage to the items as a result. If you have any difficulty with the products or service you have received, please contact us as soon as possible so we can help resolve any issues. In addition to your legal rights, CityInkExpress offers a 12 month warranty on the following products, unless otherwise specified: CISS Refillable Cartridges Printers (Excluding the print head) Most manufacturers do not warrant print heads, as they are considered a consumable part, and the longevity of your print head depends primarily on how you use the printer. This warranty covers repair, and replacement parts, but does not cover any cost incurred in returning items to us for repair.
