The difference between white ink heat transfer and sublimation.

Simply put, both are suitable for clothing and textiles, but they are very different in terms of color water fastness and craftsmanship.

Hot stamping fabrics vary:
White ink heat transfer can be used on knitted, textile, nylon, non-woven, Oxford cloth and other fabrics. Thermal transfer Sublimation Paper can only be applied to light-colored or white polyester fabrics. The higher the polyester content, the brighter the color.
Colors vary:
White ink heat transfer can easily achieve photo-quality effects. When doing heat transfer, as long as you provide clear high-definition picture files, you can achieve photo-level results. The effect of heat transfer sublimation paper is closely related to the fabric. Generally speaking, the higher the polyester content of the fabric, the brighter the color. Then it is also related to the temperature and time of hot stamping. The higher the temperature and the longer the hot stamping time, the brighter the color.
The temperature and time of hot stamping are different:
Generally speaking, the temperature of white ink heat transfer is about 160 degrees, and the time is about 13 seconds (different manufacturers use different hot melt adhesives, so the temperature and time of hot stamping may be different, but most values are in this range) , and the temperature of sublimation paper should be between 200-230 degrees, and the time should be between 15-20 seconds.
The feel after hot stamping is different:
There is a layer of direct-jet white ink on the back of white ink heat transfer printing, so the heat transfer printing on the fabric feels a bit like dark silk screen printing, and it is not too hard to the touch. Thermal transfer sublimation paper has ink penetrated into the fabric, so it is called sublimation. It has no feel to the touch and is relatively soft.
There are differences in washing fastness:
Generally speaking, the washing fastness of current white ink direct-jet heat transfer printing is about the same as that of thermal transfer sublimation paper. Of course, there are differences in quality between the two types of heat transfer printing. The white ink heat press machine distinguishes the quality of heat press mainly based on: elasticity and washing fastness. Sublimation paper does not have this feature.