Textile sublimation: which fabrics this print holds on, and where it fails

Textile sublimation: which fabrics this print holds on, and where it fails

Sublimation is a print in which the ink penetrates the polyester fiber: the design can cover the whole garment, with no thickness at all. It only holds on light polyester, never on cotton or a dark fabric. At tknp.io, 6 models take it (5 t-shirts and 1 polo), on quote from 10 units.

Sublimation in 4 benchmarks:

• The fabric: polyester, in a light color. White, light grey or pastel, the design shows; on black, navy or cotton, it disappears.
• Recycled: recycled polyester works too, two of the six compatible models are made of it.
• Durability: our technique page rates it "Excellent" in the wash, and states that the print never cracks or peels.
• Ordering: on quote only, and our answer reaches you within 24 business hours.

How sublimation printing works

The process comes in three steps, as our sublimation page describes it: the design is first printed on paper with special inks; under a hot press, that ink changes into a gas that seeps into the fiber of the polyester; it then becomes the very color of the fabric. There is no film and no layer laid on top, hence the unchanged feel and, according to our page, a design possible across the whole garment, with no color limit. The model pages, for their part, show a 50 cm² line: the exact size is set in the quote.

This mechanism explains every compatibility rule that follows: the ink dyes the fiber instead of covering it. So it needs a fiber that takes it, polyester, and a background light enough to show it.

Which fabrics does sublimation hold on?

Here, fabric by fabric, is what our sublimation page and the pages of the compatible models say, read on 10 November 2026:

So a polyester fabric is not enough: Just Cool's Cool T, polyester as well, lacks sublimation on its product page: it offers DTF transfer, screen printing and embroidery online, DTG printing and patches on quote. What counts is the list of prints on each product page; for the other techniques that hold on this fabric, see our article printing on polyester fabric.

The 6 compatible models at tknp.io

All are Sol's in polyester, designed for sport and events. Blank garment price at 10 units, read on the product pages on 10 November 2026, excl. VAT and indicative; sublimation itself has no public price, it is priced on quote.

The number of colors counts every shade on the page, dark ones included: for sublimation, keep only the light ones. Three of these pages add labels, which apply to the blank model as the manufacturer presents it: OEKO-TEX and PETA Approved Vegan for the Sporty Kids and the Sprint, OEKO-TEX, GRS and PETA Approved Vegan for the Pitcher polo.

How long does a sublimation print last?

Our sublimation page rates its wash durability "Excellent", like screen printing and embroidery in the same table, and the reason is mechanical: the ink is inside the fiber, there is nothing to peel off or crack.

Your t-shirt is cotton or dark: what to choose instead?

Sublimation is not the only way to print in color across a whole surface. On cotton or dark polyester, DTF transfer applies a printed film with heat, whatever the color of the fabric; for a dark background, the solutions are all gathered in the article printing a black t-shirt. For the same logo in few colors printed as a run, screen printing stays the most economical.

Ordering sublimation on tknp.io

Sublimation is ordered on quote, from 10 units: send the design, the chosen model and the number of units, and the pricing comes back within 24 business hours. It is the technique for the custom t-shirts of a team or a competition, when the design must cover the whole garment and the merch is in light polyester.

What to remember

Sublimation dyes the fiber instead of covering it: it holds on light polyester, recycled or not, and fails on cotton as on a dark fabric. At tknp.io, it is done on quote on 6 Sol's models, from 10 units.