How to Sublimate on Dark Shirts and Cotton Fabric?

Sublimation printing is a widely used technique for creating vivid, realistic designs on fabrics. What sets it apart is how the design bonds with the fabric and stays durable without compromising its softness.

But, sublimation works well on light-colored polyesters or blends with at least two-thirds polyester. So, what about cotton or dark fabrics? They don’t play along, at least not directly, with sublimation dyes. But, don’t worry, there’s a clever workaround through vinyl.

Read this blog to understand why dark fabrics resist sublimation and learn a detailed way to sublimate on cotton and darker materials.

Why is Directly Sublimating Not Possible on Dark Shirts?

Sublimation uses dye-based inks that transform into gas when heated, and then bond with the fabric material. Polyester is a synthetic material with a fibrous structure that can accept such dyes. However, cotton is a natural material with a different molecular structure that cannot absorb or hold those dye inks as polyester.

Sublimation has another limitation—it doesn’t include white ink. This means any part of your design that relies on white will remain transparent. So, the fabric's background color shows through. On dark fabrics, this results in dull or invisible designs, as the dark background overwhelms the transferred colors.

Heat transfer Vinyl (HTV) solves both these problems. It sticks to cotton well, and its surface readily accepts sublimation inks. Also, its base provides a clear canvas to print any designs you want.

Tools and Materials Needed

To sublimate cotton fabric or darker shirts, you’ll have to gather these supplies and machines:

Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV)

Vinyl comes in various colors and textures, but for sublimation, you’ll need plain white vinyl as it provides a solid background for the design.

For lighter fabrics, especially cotton, a bright white base isn’t always necessary. xTool material store offers a light fabric vinyl that is slightly transparent so the design’s originality and background remain intact.

For darker fabrics, a white base is a must, to mask the fabric’s dark color and allow the sublimation design to pop. xTool store has a matte sublimation vinyl for dark fabrics, which works perfectly for this purpose.

Sublimation Supplies

You do need all the standard sublimation supplies. This includes a sublimation printer (an inkjet printer compatible with sublimation inks), dye-based sublimation ink, and sublimation paper for printing your designs.

Vinyl Cutter

A vinyl cutter is necessary to cut out the HTV in the shape of your design. xTool M1 Ultra is a great option. It is a feature-packed machine that can cut vinyl, fabrics, and other thin materials with its blade module. It also supports inkjet printing and laser cutting for more versatile crafting.

xTool M1 Ultra

Multi-functional Vinyl Cutter

It features blade cutting specialized for vinyl cutting, and laser cutting, painting and drawing for various craft needs.

Learn More

Weeding Tool

After cutting the vinyl, you’ll need a weeding tool to remove the excess vinyl and extract the main design from the sheet.

Heat Press

A dedicated heat press is needed to transfer the vinyl and sublimation design onto the fabric. The xTool heat press is ideal for this purpose. Its wireless controls and handheld structure make it a convenient and user-friendly machine.

Parchment Paper

It is used as a protective layer during the pressing process. It prevents the heat press from directly touching the vinyl and fabric, preventing damage to the design.

Step-By-Step Guide to Sublimate on Dark Colors and Cotton

Now, let’s move to the detailed process of how you can sublimate any dark-colored or cotton shirt.

Step 1: Get a Colorful, Cheerful Design

Sublimation is known for its ability to transfer realistic images and patterns. You can use any photographs or landscape images.

However, if you’re looking for some unique designs but lack design skills, our AI image generation software, AIMake can help. You get to choose any design template and with a few words of prompt, you can generate a bright colorful image in seconds. Unlike other image generation software, the accuracy of our textual designs is over 90%.

Step 2: Print and Cut the Sublimation Paper

Download that design in PNG format, resize it as per your shirt size, and print it via a sublimation printer. Make sure to mirror it before printing.

Next, import the design to XCS, the xTool M1 Ultra control software, and use the offset function to create an outline for cutting.

Load the sublimation paper into the cutter and select the blade-cut module to cut out the printed design.

Step 3: Cut the HTV

Replace the vinyl with its shiny side down. Use the same outline to cut the vinyl. But adjust the cutting parameters by changing the material to vinyl. Weed the vinyl before you move to heat transfer.

Step 4: Prepare the Shirt

Clean the shirt with a lint roller to remove dust or debris. Preheat the shirt using a heat press for about 5 seconds. This helps remove moisture and smooth out wrinkles.

Step 5: Use Heat Press to Carry Out Sublimation

Put the vinyl on the shirt with the glossy side up. Cover it with parchment paper and heat press for 10~20s. Once done, peel off the clear film.

Then place the sublimation paper cutout face down on top of the vinyl, and make sure both a perfectly aligned. You may use tape to keep them in place. Apply heat press again at 370°F ~400°F for 40~50s. Finally, peel off the sublimation paper to reveal your sublimated design.

FAQs of Sublimation on Dark Colors

How to sublimate on dark polyester shirts?

Dark polyester fabrics require a white base to make sublimation colors vibrant and visible. So, start with a white HTV base to make your designs stand out.

How to sublimate on dark cotton shirts?

For darker cotton fabrics, the solution is the same as with polyester. Since cotton doesn’t absorb sublimation dyes directly, you need HTV, and that too in white color. It adheres to cotton and creates a printable surface that retains the sublimation design’s vibrancy.

How to sublimate on dark shirts without vinyl?

If you prefer not to use vinyl, white sublimation sprays are an alternative. These sprays coat the fabric to create a sublimation-ready base, similar to HTV. Once dried, the treated surface can accept sublimation dyes and deliver sharp, colorful designs.

Related Reading:

How to sublimate a shirt?