From the bright bold look of high quality screen printed apparel to the fine detail of(heat transfer and dye sublimation) on mugs, keychains and other merchandise,

New Sublimation Equipment for mugs, plaques, custom tiles and SO much more to brand your logo and artwork on!

What is the difference between Screen Printing and Dye Sublimation?

At Doohickey Production we offer both Screen Printing and Dye Sublimation (Heat Transfer)

Screen Printing

Screen PrintingScreen printing with its ability to lay down a heavier ink deposit is a process where an industrial woven fabric or "screen" is manually stretched to a predetermined tension, and affixed to a wood or aluminum frame using a suitable adhesive or mechanical means.

The woven structure of the screen contains mesh openings which allow the ink to pass onto the substrate in the areas that are not blocked by the stencil material.

Ink is placed onto a screen and is spread by a printer who manually pushes or pulls the hand-held squeegee across the surface of the screen.

Screen print methods Plastisol
the most common plastisol based helloprint used in garment decoration. Good colour opacity onto dark garments and clear graphic detail with, as the name suggests, a more plasticized texture. This print can be made softer with special additives or heavier by adding extra layers of ink.

Water Based inks
these penetrate the fabric more than the plastisol inks and create a much softer feel. Ideal for printing darker inks onto lighter coloured garments. Also useful for larger area prints where texture is important.

PVC/ Phalate Free
relatively new breed of ink and printing with the benefits of plastisol but without the two main toxic components - soft feeling print.

Discharge inks
used to print lighter colours onto dark background fabrics, they work by removing the dye in the garment – this means they leave a much softer texture. They are less graphic in nature than plastisol inks, and exact colours are difficult to control, but especially good for distressed and vintage prints.

Foil
is what you would imagine. A glue is printed onto the fabric and then foil is applied for a mirror finish.

Glitter/Shimmer
silver flakes are suspended in a plastisol ink to create this sparkle effect. Usually available in gold or silver but can be mixed to make most colours.

Metallic
similar to glitter, but smaller particles suspended in the ink. A glue is printed onto the fabric then a nanoscale fibers applied on it.

Expanding ink (puff)
an additive to plastisol inks which raises the print off the garment, creating a 3D feel.
Caviar beads
again a glue is printed in the shape of the design, to which small plastic beads are then applied – works well with solid block areas creating an interesting tactile surface.

Four colour process
artwork is created using dots (CMYK) which combine to create the full spectrum of colours needed for photographic prints – this means a large number of colours can be printed using only 4 screens, making the set-up costs viable. The inks are required to blend and are more translucent, meaning a compromise with vibrancy of colour.

Gloss
a clear base laid over plastisol inks to create a shiny finish.

Nylobond
a special ink additive for printing onto technical or waterproof fabrics.

Mirrored silver
Another solvent based ink but you can almost see your face in it.

Screenprinting is more versatile than traditional printing techniques. The surface does not have to be printed under pressure, unlike etching or lithography, and it does not have to be planar. Screenprinting inks can be used to work with a variety of materials, such as textiles, ceramics, wood, paper, glass, metal, and plastic. As a result, screen printing is used in many different industries, from clothing to product labels to circuit board printing.

What is Sublimation?
Dye sublimation is defined as the process of solid dye particles changing into gas using heat and pressure, then bond with any polymers (Polyester) present, and change back into a solid. Using these inks and a special ink-jet paper, we are able to create sublimation transfers. With a heat press and the accurate time, temperature & pressure we can complete the process by applying the printed transfer on to one of a million blanks products. When the heating cycle is completed, the image on the paper has been transferred to the item and has actually become a part of the surface. You can run your finger across the surface of sublimation and you will feel nothing.

Sublimation also allows for bright colors and photograph quality images to be transferred to a variety type of light colored Imprintables. Another words, anything white or light in color with a 100% polyester or poly coated will accept a sublimation transfer. T-Shirts, Mouse Pads, Mugs, Ceramic & Glass Tiles, License Plates, Business Cards, Trophy plates, Dog-Tags, etc…The possibilities are endless.