SUBLIMATION Vs DTG? Which One Is Better?

[@tamrogers2870]

man, i wish you were in Australia! you really are the one stop shop for everything i need!!

[@ricomatv]

Thanks for your feed back! If you fill out your information here, you can learn what products are available in your area: ricoma.com/us/contact-us

[@lostboytnt1]

a few comments. first off, on the 'price' you didn't go into the finer points of it, on dtg, not only is the startup cost WAY higher, when printing white ink, the cost per print can be DOLLARS per print. while on white/light garments the cost per print can be pocket change, as comparable with the price per print on sublimation. Another consideration is environmental/maintenance concerns. a DTG printer has to be printed on, and cleaned significantly more often than a sublimation printer. If a dtg printer isn't used on a regular basis, and clogs, the repair could cost thousands of dollars. It has to be kept in a very climate controlled environment, and does not travel well, while a sublimation printer could even easily be mobile, and taken on-site for printing and pressing on location. Also, you could pre-print as many designs as you like, and only take the transfers, and a heat press to a location, and print on demand. I disagree with you as far as 'production' speed, as a DTG printed garment still needs to be heat pressed, and that's only slightly less time than heat transferring sublimation prints. On both, you're still printing, then pressing/curing, just one is on the shirt directly, the other on paper, then transferring. Also, I think you should have gone further into alternatives for sublimating on different colors/fabrics using sublimation vinyl. People also need to realize that pre-treating is not always as simple as just 'spraying the garment with pretreating solution' it has to be a very conformal coating, of an exact amount of the proper type of solution, or it will adversely affect the print quality. This is the reason why most people who print high quantity DTG garments use a dedicated pretreating machine (which I'm sure they also sell) It's an expensive machine, but nowhere near the expense of a DTG printer, and well worth the cost if you're going to be doing quantity. I think that sublimation is a good stepping stone for people who want to get into digital prints, without a substantial investment like DTG. (especially if you use a conversion kit) Please realize that both methods have a learning curve. While I'm sure they are happy to offer whatever support you need to get up and running, and making quality printed garments in a short period of time, give yourself some time to perfect your process, don't expect to never have any misprints or issues from day 1. Regardless of the path you decide to take, do your research, make sure you have the proper market for the equipment and the costs you're going to incur. Both are very good money makers, and an easy (with practice) way to get into the digital printing market. Good luck, and happy printing!

[@crena64]

Very good

[@ricomatv]

Thank you for your feedback, while this video serves as a basic understanding of the two methods for people looking into starting, our product specialists go further into detail on more of these issues. thanks for watching!

[@lexbogie1]

great post tho

[@lostboytnt1]

@Sam Lewis it's limited to light polyester, doesn't have to be white. Also you can use 50/50, just will get a much lighter print (as only half the ink will 'stick')

[@lostboytnt1]

@Sam Lewis I've never had much luck, haven't tried much though, as I have a dtg

[@larryeber]

Thanks for taking the time to make this helpful video Henry. I like to make personalized gifts. Between the R550 and the EM1010, I feel I am at a good spot as far as having quality equipment that can produce a large variety of items. I am however looking at the Ri 1000 as a possible purchase down the road. Thanks again for all of the videos and the superior support your staff have provided to me.

[@ricomatv]

Glad it was helpful! Make sure to subscribe to our channel for more content just like this!

[@yolandasotolopez]

I'm so torn about which to choose...Being limited to only poly items is kind of a bummer

[@ricomatv]

Please let us know if you need any help! We are here to help. :)

[@yolandasotolopez]

@@ricomatv I would like some information regarding packages and prices

[@ricomatv]

Fill out a form here and a product specialist will reach out to answer your questions: ricoma.com/us/contact-us

[@BGIS2000]

There are products out there that will allow you to use your sublimation equipment with colored and/or cotton garments

[@dubsbarry9963]

Fantastically informative video! Fast, captivating, and succinct

[@ricomatv]

Glad you liked it!

[@MrsWheezer]

Just found your channel while trying to learn about DTG; sublimation’s my current thing. Very informative. You can get around the ‘light garment’ limitation by sublimating the full garment. There are some issues with that, with wrinkles leaving white spots. It does require a larger heat press.

[@ricomatv]

Thanks for watching and for your feedback!

[@MrsWheezer]

@Sam Lewis Start with a white tee. Sublimate the whole shirt. You are turning the white tee black. Uses a heck of a lot of black sublimation ink, though.

[@khalishakhairani4795]

Large format Sublimation itself is a problem, you can't put custom designs, it has to be like a sport-oriented design. Even big cartoon company sell dtg t shirt on amazon print on demand or h&m.

[@DecodebyHeart]

Extremely informative video. Well done!

[@ricomatv]

Glad you liked it!

[@hiviz_rider3038]

Not to call you a liar or misinformed but i just used sublimation with a shirt that is 100% cotton and on a grey shirt that has 60%cotton and 40% polyester and they are good yes you are correct it did not work on a black shirt but there is a solution for that and is to buy sublimation cotton sheets put over the black shirt then you lay your design over that. And for the non polyester shirts or polyester blend or cotton blend, only thing is you need to spray a liquid similar to the one used for dtg. If the shirt has more polyester than cotton then no liquid spray needed.

[@ricomatv]

Thanks for watching and for your feedback!

[@hiviz_rider3038]

@@ricomatv of course you welcome i'm glad i can help!

[@2stroketyson79]

the spray for 100% cotton sucks the color fades after just a few washes

[@edwinrijos6679]

@@2stroketyson79 Yes correct it fades, gives it more like a vintage look. i did not say it was going to look perfect and colorful after a couple of washes. I said it does work, for example some one needs 5 shirts for a birthday party that probably wont use more than 2 times you can offer that option for cheap. spray does not suck i still use it on my 50/50 shirts and they still look great after lots of washes.

[@LiquidSnake1988]

​@@edwinrijos6679hmmmm now im curious

[@louisd95714]

This is very good comparison between the two. I want to point out, however, that sublimating cotton is possible as long as the garment is pre treated with a special application. Sublimating dark colors is also possible as long as the portion being sublimated is pre bleached to take the dark color out.

[@ricomatv]

Thank you for the feedback!

[@pyrojason]

Sublimation only for polyester.. but ok for mugs? How does that work? A different process for those? Thanks for the comparison between these two - very informative!

[@ricomatv]

Hi there, yes it would be a different process. you can contact our tech support for more help and clarification, ricoma.com/us/tech-support

[@AnonymousGuy-ij3xi]

I really like the informative type video and style you hand. Keep it up

[@ricomatv]

Thanks, will do!

[@marksmith5814]

The sawgrass chromablast printer will do cotton as well as polyester.

[@ricomatv]

Thanks for watching and for your feedback!

[@leojames7331]

This was a really great video. thank you.

[@ricomatv]

Thanks for watching!!

[@someguynamedlarry]

Which one is better at fine lines?

[@ricomatv]

We'd say sublimation!

[@someguynamedlarry]

@@ricomatv Are the claims that there is some sort of spray that allows sublimation to 100% cotton true in your eyes?

[@TheJoker-zt4nk]

TY very informative! New to POD, used to 4+Color Heidelberg quality, so the sublimation I've seen is just terrible (that's being kind). For eons I've work in AI, PS, lately more in Affinity Designer & Affinity Photo so I comprehend files, dpi's, colorways etc, but thus far my only POD sublimation experience is Redbubble's. And the quality of anything they've printed is so unacceptable to me. Even simple 1 or 2 colors designs are a blur, fuzzy, forget gradients, thin lines or crisp TEXT. Is that just the quality I can expect from sublimation or just the quality of Redbubble's sublimation? I've not seen a decent sublimation print from them. I hope it's just their printers & there is better print quality for POD out there?! Can you talk of the print quality comparability of sublimation, DTG or DTF ? Realizing they will never be Heidelberg quality, but I've had desktop printers with better quality then any of the samples I've seen thus from Redbubbles sublimation. TY in advance.

[@biegebythesea6775]

heidelberg? can you guide us towards good printers?

[@feelsand_LLC]

What did you spray on the shirt?

[@ricomatv]

We used pre-treatment!

[@DomoniquePaul]

whcih is the best printing method for bamboo fabric?

[@ricomatv]

Hi there, thanks so much for watching. This is a great question to ask in our Facebook support group, Embroidery and Custom Apparel Mastery. This group is meant for all lovers of embroidery with lots of resources and more members discussing topics and helping each other out and learning about Ricoma machines and other brands! We recommend you join this group as we'd love to have you! facebook.com/groups/embroiderymastery

[@maximilienkolbe7543]

Thank you, this is a great video. what about maintenance?

[@ricomatv]

Hi there, thanks so much for watching. For questions about your machine, please reach out to our customer support team at [e-mail]

[@emmanuelcarrie4128]

Can you do a compare and contrast between sublimation and DTF?

[@ricomatv]

Great recommendation thank you for the idea!

[@rmclough4016]

Major drawbacks with sublimation seems to be that you are limited to white polyester t shirts

[@ricomatv]

Sublimation does have it's limitations, however when done correctly, it will last for ever.

[@GoFishOffice]

This was great info, thank you

[@ricomatv]

We're so glad you liked it! Make sure to subscribe to our channel for more content

[@juleswc]

Fantastic presentation!!!

[@ricomatv]

Thanks! Glad you found it helpful

[@eagleeyes7423]

How I can buy this machine because am interested

[@ricomatv]

Hi! Please submit a request through here --->ricoma.com/US/contact-us

[@eduardohernandez6881]

Hi...what can I do to make the color WHITE more brighter at DTG printer??or I have to do it in my design program??I need help..because every time I print DTG the color white look opaque...thanks..I hope you can help me..

[@ricomatv]

HI there, our service team would be happy to help, you can contact them here: ricoma.com/us/tech-support

[@returnedtheslab2126]

It depends on the color. If it’s a darker garment then you need to lay extra ink down. Usually a white base layer then the color.

[@karlkelly9005]

Are you you limited to print size when doing heat transfer?

[@ricomatv]

Hi there, it depends on your printer. For instance, Ricoma's new Luminaris 200 White Toner Transfer Printer can print designs that are up to 52 inches in length.

[@techtraveler1365]

Ricoma R550, I checked website no longer available selling printers.

[@ricomatv]

Hi there, thanks so much for watching. We replaced the R550 with out new Luminaris 200 White Toner Transfer Printer. To learn more about it, click here: ricoma.com/US/machine/luminaris-200

[@vishnukoshey547]

This video is great😳 so much info in 10mins

[@ricomatv]

SO glad it was helpful!

[@dailymeme4107]

your videos have very good quality

[@ricomatv]

Glad you like them!

[@bangfaze]

Between sublimation and DTG which one is better and what is the difference ?

[@ricomatv]

Sublimation: Like heat transfer printing, you’re printing the design onto regular copy paper or sublimation paper and then using heat via the heat press to transfer the design onto a substrate. When you heat the printed design during sublimation, the toner on the transfer paper goes from a solid to a gas and then embeds itself into the fabric. When it cools, it goes back to being a solid and becomes a permanent part of the material. Sublimation doesn’t add an extra layer to the top of the fabric, unlike heat transfer printing. And you won’t feel the difference between the printed image and the rest of the material. DTG: Instead of dropping ink onto paper like a regular printer, a DTG printer drops special garment ink directly onto the fabric. To use the DTG printing method, you first have to pretreat the garment, and then you can load it into the printer. Once it’s loaded, the design is printed onto the garment. The last thing you need to do is cure the design, which is when you dry or harden the design’s ink, so it adheres properly to the garment. You do this with a heat press to ensure the design can withstand many washes and prevent it from fading too quickly.

[@javoartsanddesigns6965]

How can I sublimate a photo with writings on a tshirt

[@ricomatv]

Hello, check out our videos on sublimation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rV6wiKFvbb6CosU&t

[@josephinerelos6418]

How much is the investment for DTG printer

[@ricomatv]

Hi Josephine! Please submit a request with the team so they can breakdown the prices for you ---> ricoma.com/US/contact-us

[@OHCandP]

Went to the website to find a r550 but I don't see anything available. Has it been discontinued?

[@ricomatv]

Hello, the R550 is currently unavailable. Thanks for watching our video!

[@JohnAchterhofQED]

Excellent, very informative video. Thanks!

[@ricomatv]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Midnunes]

Thank you so much for this! Very clear and detailed. I tip my hat to you sir.

[@ricomatv]

You're very welcome! Thanks for watching. :)

[@Cebubohol-wm6qo]

Very useful video thank you

[@ricomatv]

Glad it was helpful!

[@richardbaechle9719]

Does DTG give that stiff sticker look like the heat transfer does?

[@ricomatv]

Hi Richard, thanks so much for watching. You will be able to feel where the ink is printed on the shirt; however, it does not have as stiff of a "feel" as heat transfer. DTG printed designs last approximately 50+ washes (or the typically lifespan of a shirt). Hope this helps!

[@EmilyB5]

Nice video. Can DTG print gradients? And 50% transparent pixel?

[@ricomatv]

DTG printing can reproduce gradients, however this depends on what shirt color your design is being printed on. If your design with gradients is printed on a white shirt, it will most likely look good, however this might not be the case when it comes to black or darker shirts.

[@EmilyB5]

@@ricomatv • Thanks a lot for your reply. Can you tell me about the transparent pixel? If my design have some transparent pixel, is it going to print ok?

[@darrenhill9931]

great video

[@ricomatv]

😀

[@IllDawgable]

Greetings. Just a question, can a DTG print be damaged by one ironing directly on the print?

[@ricomatv]

We always recommend using a teflon sheet!

[@showjaypee7317]

I heard DTG/DTF better quality then sublimation . I'm attempting to print directly into acrylic though ( trying to make custom PC parts then put customers logos or custom designs onto it ), since I'm starting out don't really wanna spend thousands on DTG printer do you think sublimation would do the job on arylic or will the quality look bad ? I'm attempting to get it to where it would look as if it were literally printed from paper to the arylic and wondering if sublimation could do that or would it look faded and see through if I used sublimation ?( Don't even know if that makes sense hopefully it does )

[@ricomatv]

Hi there, thanks so much for watching. This is a great question to ask in our Facebook support group, Embroidery and Custom Apparel Mastery. This group is meant for all lovers of embroidery with lots of resources and more members discussing topics and helping each other out and learning about Ricoma machines and other brands! We recommend you join this group as we'd love to have you! facebook.com/groups/embroiderymastery

[@fresiatran9827]

What's a good dtg printer that is Bluetooth compatible with an android phone?

[@ricomatv]

Hi there, thanks so much for watching. This is a great question to ask in our Facebook support group, Embroidery and Custom Apparel Mastery. This group is meant for all lovers of embroidery with lots of resources and more members discussing topics and helping each other out and learning about Ricoma machines and other brands! We recommend you join this group as we'd love to have you! facebook.com/groups/embroiderymastery

[@Tasraww]

I need both

[@ricomatv]

Hi there, thanks so much for watching. If you are interested in purchasing one of our machines, please fill out this form and one of our product specialists will reach out to you! ricoma.com/US/contact-us

[@ertale1874]

What a helpful video Thank you a lot

[@ricomatv]

Glad it was helpful!

[@JMXCzw]

Very informative video... Thank you

[@ricomatv]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ranjinirajainfilm]

Thank you for these info ☺️

[@ricomatv]

You are so welcome! Thank you for watching.

[@kawaturk]

Please Help. How to update a single head embroidery machine? 2015 model machine ... Thank you, predecessor ❤️

[@ricomatv]

if you'd like to upgrade to a new machine click here to be connected with our product specialists -> ricoam.com/us/contact-us

[@destinythompson4248]

How much is the printer overall!? I see on your site 235$ a month, but for how many months!?

[@ricomatv]

Hi there! We recommend speaking to a sales representative because there are a variety of financing options and the price can vary based on that. If you'd like, please fill out our contact us form below and member of our team reach out to you to discuss this. ricoma.com/US

[@Ricks2Cents]

The Real Debate is DTG VS DTF!!! DTG maybe come a thing of the past on Desktop style printers.

[@ricomatv]

Ww have other custom apparel method comparisons like this video on our channel, check them out here -> kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZXQc3iqf72Dmc0&ab_channel=RicomaEmbroideryMachines

[@Ricks2Cents]

@@ricomatv I think you missed my point. Do you know what DTF is?

[@1tdillon]

Great info! However, still a lost on the types and techniques used. For example, what type of printing are companies like NineLine and the old Affliction shirts using? It's as if the the material itself is actually colored i.e., if looks and feels like there is no printed material and the shirts themselves feel ultra soft and high end (pima?). A little lost how these companies are getting such high end prints that look and feel so good. Anyone have any insight to help demystify the different techniques used?

[@ricomatv]

Hi there, thanks so much for watching. This is a great question to ask in our Facebook support group, Embroidery and Custom Apparel Mastery. This group is meant for all lovers of embroidery with lots of resources and more members discussing topics and helping each other out and learning about Ricoma machines and other brands! We recommend you join this group as we'd love to have you! facebook.com/groups/embroiderymastery

[@emilioc5519]

Did you ever get ur answer??

[@vincemess]

One question, if sublimation printing doesn't print white, is there any other alternative aside from DTG and silk screen printing?

[@ricomatv]

Heat transfer! Check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZXQc3iqf72Dmc0&t

[@smartguy1125]

I'm new here, thanks for the vid. I just watched your vid comparing heat transfer and sublimation from august. You said in there that sublimation was limited to only polyester type materials and that heat printing had the advantage when it comes to variety because you can print on hard surfaces like ceramic and metal. But here you're saying you can print on hard surfaces like mugs with sublimation too. So which is it? Because after I watched that first vid I was thinking I could only print shirts with sublimation. Was that just something you forgot in the last vid?

[@ricomatv]

Sublimation and heat transfer both print onto paper first and then use heat press to heat transfer the printed design onto a substrate. It’s just that with sublimation you can only transfer onto light colored and polyester coated substrates. But if the substrate such as a mug is light colored and polyester coated then sublimation can definitely work. It’s not a matter if the surface is hard or not, it just needs to fit under a heat press and poly coated. Hope this helps!

[@unbroken1010]

@@05videos6 no said 70 percent

[@situationroom3090]

Thank you

[@ricomatv]

Thank you for watching!

[@polkunus]

Sublimation doesn't have to be on poly. Designers like yohji use sublimation on cotton and wool

[@ricomatv]

Thanks for the feedback! Hope you enjoyed this video.

[@unbroken1010]

I doubt they doing 100 percent cotton and don't expect to last if they do

[@Kelli_D.]

Couple questions about dtg. One once done can you feel it on the shirt, like you do with vinyl? Like it's rough and thick and not part of the shirt. Second does the dtg printers have to have internet to be able to use it? Third are dtg printers portable? I've been doing sublimation all my machines are portable but since I do customization on the spot I have to have internet. Which makes it hard to go set up at rallies and other venues.

[@ricomatv]

Hi Kelli, thanks so much for watching. You will feel the ink a bit but it is not as noticeable/rough as vinyl. It does not need to be connected to the internet for every day printing but it will need an internet connection for any firmware updates as needed. As for printing, you can use a USB. The DTG is not easily portable. It can be transported but it is a heavy machine. Hope this helps!

[@Kelli_D.]

@@ricomatv thank you that was very helpful.

[@lexbogie1]

Great video

[@ricomatv]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@azurestrike6551]

I learned that I do not like the feeling of sublimation shirts. It feels like a piece of paper on a shirt and it feels like heat is trapped when I wear my shirt

[@ricomatv]

Hi! Thanks for the feedback, appreciate that!

[@IllDawgable]

With sublimation you also miss out on cotton.

[@215scotty]

It’s actually a spray that you can put sublimation on pretty much anything

[@maritarodriguez1294]

Do you have any videos on Spanish

[@ricomatv]

HI there, thanks so much for watching. You can turned on closed captioning and switch the language to Spanish in settings. Hope this helps!

[@aryaprincess2479]

What is the point of constantly changing the camera when you talk directly to it and have a 3rd view camera that moves around? It makes us dizzy.

[@ricomatv]

Thanks for watching and for your feedback!

[@mahaliawilsonmclea1901]

Where is ur company

[@ricomatv]

HI there, thanks so much for watching. We are located in Miami, FL.

[@mahaliawilsonmclea1901]

@@ricomatv ok can I get a contact number for you

[@cv.sikbyy]

Oh yea

[@ricomatv]

Thanks for watching! Let us know if you have any other suggestions :)

[@bphilma]

subscribed

[@ricomatv]

Welcome to Ricoma TV!

[@tobe1359]

Sublimination ....feels like paper on the tshirt...no like it! Maybe good for mugs and hats. DTG better for t-shirts, my believes

[@ricomatv]

Thanks for your feedback! We love to hear all our viewers opinions. Thanks for watching.

[@joshualane7104]

Say “what” again! I dare you! 😭

[@ricomatv]

lol! Thanks for watching!

[@timbercambium8002]

Great information guys...I realize that this is only my opinion and I would normally keep it to myself with most content creators. But you guys honestly, are on a different level than most when it comes to your videos. Why is it that you take the time to make a high quality video presentation content with at least two camera angles, one of which is a nice panning cam with well mixed audio, balancing out the dialog with the music in the background - then take it down a nearing the bottom of the barrel by taking random clips from random sources and cramming them into your video. Why?? I don't find it funny - It's just a distraction which causes me to move on to another video and click the thumbs down. If you don't see the value in a straight forward, concise video comparing DTG to sublimation and you feel that you have to add these clips that only breakups the content, I assure you, it doesn't add to the content.

[@ricomatv]

Thank you for the feed back. We will definitely take your suggestions in consideration.

[@timbercambium8002]

@@ricomatv Thanks guys. I honestly don't mean any disrespect. Maybe I should have looked for a private email address rather than put it in the public comments. My bad on that. Thank you for considering my comments.

[@infiniti37G]

DTG is over price. Sublimition wins

[@ricomatv]

Hello, thanks so much for watching. Either option is a great choice. It just depends on which one best suits your needs. The RICOH Ri 1000 DTG Printer Package starts with payments as low as $235/month with 0% financing! Package includes a heat press, software, training, pre-treatment, & additional accessories. If you are interested in learning more, please click here > ricoma.com/US/machine/ricoh-ri-1000

[@destinythompson4248]

@@ricomatv 235$ a month for how many months. I can't find the answer on your website!!

[@2stroketyson79]

DTG is way better just cost way more for a DTG printer

[@ricomatv]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@hotshotmaster1960]

good info.. thanks

[@ricomatv]

You're welcome