Sublimation Only Works on Polyester or a Coated Blank

This is the one rule that decides everything. The dye needs polyester fibres or a polymer coating to bond into. On 100% cotton it washes straight out, because there is nothing for the gas to enter.

That is why every blank here is either polyester fabric, a coated metal sign, a coated ceramic magnet, or an aluminium insert — the coating is what makes a hard object sublimatable at all.

Browse sublimation supplies

Twelve sublimation blanks — a pink 40oz tumbler, green coffee tumbler, navy can cooler, kids water bottle, sports bottles, PU keychain holders, a film-roll keychain, a wind spinner, a phone case, a badge and sublimation paper

Paper, Film, Tape and a Press — the Whole Consumable Set

Sublimation paper carries the ink until the press releases it. A PTFE sheet keeps the platen clean and spreads the heat. Heat-shrink film wraps a curved tumbler so the print contacts every part of the surface.

Miss one item and the job stops: no paper means no transfer, no PTFE means ink on your platen, no shrink film means a tumbler with a pale seam down one side.

Browse sublimation supplies

Diagram: sublimation dye bonds inside polyester fibres but sits on top of cotton and washes out

Pick Your Blank

The substrate decides the temperature and the dwell time.

Glow in the Dark Stainless Steel Tumbler with Handle blank

Tumblers and drinkware

Stainless with a white polymer coating. 40oz handled tumblers, water bottles, can coolers and coffee tumblers — a wrap and a convection oven or a tumbler press.

Phone cases and hard goods

Coated plastic and aluminium inserts. Flat, rigid and fast to press — the easiest sublimation there is.

Ceramic and acrylic magnets

A coated face on a rigid body. Short dwell, firm pressure, and they cool fast enough to handle.

Metal signs and badges

Coated aluminium. The coating takes the dye and the metal takes the abuse, which is why these outlast printed alternatives.

Sublimation, DTF or Laser? The Blank Decides

All three routes personalise a blank. Only one of them is right for the material in front of you.

Polyester or coated — sublimate

Nothing on the surface, so it cannot peel or crack. The best print quality available on white polyester, and permanent on a coated blank.

Cotton or dark fabric — DTF

Sublimation cannot see cotton and cannot print white. DTF lays a full-colour layer with a white base onto any fibre and any colour.

Bare metal, wood or glass — laser

No coating to bond into, so no ink route works well. A laser marks the material itself instead.

Same tumbler, two routes

A coated tumbler sublimates in full colour. A powder-coated one engraves on a laser for a permanent single-tone mark. Pick by whether you want colour or permanence.

Sublimation & Tumbler Projects From the Community

Real blanks makers have pressed, from ornaments to a 40oz wrap.

"Mr. Indecency" Grinch Mugshot Whoville Police Dept.

Sublimated Grinch ornament

Baby Deer Jigsaw Puzzle Using Sublimation.

Sublimated baby deer jigsaw

Swifty Bookshelf Tumbler Mug Wrap

Sublimated tumbler wrap

Gaming Dice tray sublimated onto wooden base.

Dice tray sublimated onto wood

Vintage Halftone Design Sublimated onto a Canvas Tote.

Halftone design on a canvas tote

Halloween Wrap for 40 Oz Tumbler

Halloween wrap on a 40oz tumbler

Explore the Materials Lab

Printing materials and supplies

UV and DTF ink, film, powder, screen printing consumables and printable blanks.

Nine DTF and UV consumables — film rolls, adhesive powder, cleaning fluid, gold and silver foil, UV ink and primer wipe

DTF and UV printing supplies

Ink, film and adhesive powder as matched sets, plus what UV DTF does that plain DTF cannot.

Heat transfer vinyl

Twenty-four finishes from plain PU to 3D puff. Cut, weed, press — no ink at all.

Four pieces cast in vacuum-formed moulds — a blue resin shell plate, a flower-set resin heart tray, gummy sweets in a formed tray and three sunflower candles

Vacuum forming sheet

PETG, HIPS and TPU flex for the WonderPress — form the shell, then cast resin, wax or chocolate in it.

Sublimation Blanks Guides & Ideas

Deeper reading once the material is sorted.

What Is Sublimation? How Sublimation Printing Works

What is sublimation? How the process works, how to sublimate step by step, what materials it works on, the best sublimation machines, and how it compares with DTF and HTV.

2026/08/04834

How to Do Sublimation Printing: 5 Steps, and the Two That Fail

How to do sublimation printing step by step: mirror the design, print, tape it face down, press, peel hot — plus the press stack and the mistakes that waste blanks.

2026/09/01298

DTF vs Sublimation: The Fabric Decides, Not the Artwork

DTF vs sublimation comes down to one thing: what the garment is made of. Why sublimation needs polyester, why it cannot print white, and when DTF is the only option.

2026/08/27373

40 Free Stainless Steel Tumbler Ideas (Laser-Engraved Designs)

40 free laser-engraved stainless steel tumbler ideas from the xTool community: florals, pets, funny quotes, patriotic, and sports designs, each with a project file.

2026/08/11385

42 Custom Tumbler Ideas: Laser-Engraved & Personalized Designs

Explore 42 custom tumbler ideas from the Atomm community, from laser-engraved stainless steel and personalized names to YETI, Stanley, and themed designs.

2026/07/31599

40 Free Sublimation Coaster Ideas

Browse 40 free sublimation coaster ideas — full-color portraits, pets, and photo designs you can personalize into keepsake coasters.

2026/07/24633

FAQs

What is sublimation printing?

Heat turns solid dye into a gas that bonds inside polyester fibres or a polymer coating, then it returns to a solid as it cools. Because the dye ends up inside the substrate rather than on it, there is no layer to feel, peel or crack.

Sublimation Blanks & Supplies for xTool Machines