Vinyl & Dye Sublimation Heat Transfer

What is a heat transfer?

Heat transfer involves using heat and pressure for a specific duration to apply a design (vinyl or sublimation) onto an object like a t-shirt or coffee mug.

For a vinyl transfer, the design is cut and transferred to your item by applying varying degrees of heat and pressure with a heat press machine.

We have many colours of vinyl available for you to work with.

For dye sublimation, the design is printed onto sublimation paper that is then transferred through heat and pressure transforming the solid ink into a gas (bypassing the liquid phase) and permanently binding into your material.

With dye sublimation, you are able to achieve vibrant, photo-realistic, and ultra-durable prints, however it only works on light-coloured polyester fabrics (at least 60% polyester) or specially coated sublimation mugs.

For non-polyester fabrics, a sublimation spray is available however we cannot guarantee results.

In the MCHL Makerspace we have a Cameo Silhouette 5 for Vinyl projects and a Epson F160 Sublimation Printer.

There is a mug press that can handle:

  • 11oz single mug heater with a diameter range of 7.5 to 9cm and a size of 130x235mm
  • 20oz longer version mug heater, primarily designed for bottles, with a diameter range of 7.5 to 8.2cm and a size of 220x235mm

There is a heat press that has a 40cm x 50cm bed. It comes with a smooth pull-out drawer to enable you to have sufficient space to load your garment. Its quick change system enables you to change the accessory platen in few seconds and needs no tools. The threadable base enables you to load or rotate the garment over the lower platen.

We use Silhouette Studio for design.

Our charges are based on materials used, not on machine usage. Please consult our price list for more information.