Sublimation Blanks - A Game Changer for Alcohol Inks

VIDEO TUTORIAL

This is not a video about sublimation printing. Sublimation printing allows you to print photos or patterns onto a variety of objects (clothing, mugs, wood, metal, almost anything). It does however require special inks (not alcohol inks) printed onto a special paper which it then transferred to a surface (that’s has a coating to accept the design) with heat or a special machine. That’s a lot of “special” materials. If you’d like to learn more about sublimation printing, I’ve listed a link to an intro videos in the description below this video on YouTube.

The game changer in using alcohol ink on these specialty surfaces is that they are almost completely scratch-resistant! Think of alcohol ink on glazed ceramic - the ink dries on the surface, but can easily be scratched off with just a fingernail or light use. However, ceramic sublimation blanks are coated with something that helps the alcohol ink better adhere to the surface. The inks still move and flow like they do on regular glazed ceramic, but with much better durability!  In my new Holiday Ornaments Workshops this year, I’m using these ceramic sublimation blanks.

You can also purchase wood sublimation blanks, or metal sublimation blanks, specifically for making earrings. I’ve made earrings where I paint a design on synthetic paper like Yupo, then cut out and glue the design to blanks made out of wood. It’s a lot of work. I’ve also painted alcohol inks onto metal blanks for earrings, but they have to be sprayed or coated with resin to keep the ink from scratching off. Again, a lot of work.

But sublimation blanks have a coating on both sides that allows the alcohol ink to flow, but doesn’t scratch off when dry. Granted, this does not protect them from UV/ fading issues, but frankly, my earrings are never left out in direct sunlight for weeks at a time. 

One dilemma I had was finding metal blanks with a clear coating, instead of a white coating. I love the look of alcohol ink on galvanized metal - the shine/pattern of the metal shines through the ink color so beautifully! I had a lot of flat metal ornaments from Hobby Lobby, and the inked designs look great. But they get scratched up like crazy unless you spray them or varnish them with multiple coats (and you know how long that can take.)  What I did find, however, was clear sublimation film, which I guess is used by sublimation printers to make stickers. I bought some and tested it out. I just applied the clear adhesive film to the metal and trimmed off the excess. I was able to apply the alcohol ink and make designs the same as I do to bare metal. But again, once dry, no scratching! Hooray!

I hope you’ll try some of these ideas/projects. If you’re interested in learning how to create holiday ornaments with me, please check out my new workshops.