Custom-printed marketing flags are amazing marketing tools. They’re cost-efficient, durable, and easy to manufacture. Small businesses use these flags to promote their brands in specific locations. However, these businesses have very small marketing budgets. They can’t afford to print and manufacture multiple marketing flags every year.
Every custom flag they create should last for at least five years for them to be considered cost-effective. One way of ensuring that your marketing flags last for long periods is by picking flags made of synthetic-based fabrics. These fabrics don’t lose their quality or structural integrity, even after experiencing years of wind, sun, and water damage.
But, what about the printed designs, logos, etc., on these flags. How can the design elements of your flags pass the test of time? That’s where dye sublimation printing can be helpful.
Understanding Dye Sublimation Printing
Dye-sublimation printing is the preferred method for printing colorful designs on synthetic-based fabrics like polyester. If you’re buying flags made of polyester, nylon, or some other synthetic fabric, opt for this printing technique. That’s because sublimation prints last way longer on these materials than inkjet prints.
- The polyester fabrics and the dye are fused under high temperatures and pressure.
- Water serves as a medium for the dye during the sublimation process.
- Thanks to the water, the heat, and the pressure, the dye converts from a solid into a gas. This conversion is called sublimation.
- The heat causes the synthetic fabric to swell chemically. This swelling opens up the synthetic fiber’s molecular structure.
- The dye enters the fabric’s polymer system via these openings. Dye molecules establish themselves inside the synthetic fiber’s amorphous regions.
- The dye molecules form hydrogen bonds inside the synthetic fiber’s amorphous regions.
- The resulting print is completely fused to the fabric. The fabric and the dye molecules are fused. No external forces or effects can break this bond.
Thanks to the availability of digital sublimation printing tools, more flag designers are using this printing technique. Companies that use custom-printed banners, flags, etc., use sublimation printing.
The Key Advantages of Using Sublimation Printing for your Custom Flags
This printing technique helps them create attractive displays. More importantly, the thermal sublimation process produces finished flags that are considerably more durable than inkjet-printed flags. Here are some other key benefits –
- Availability: Digital sublimation printing tools are now easily accessible. Many flag printing websites allow users to upload their custom artwork to have it printed on their flags.
- Time-Efficiency: Unlike inkjet printing, Digital sublimation printing is faster. Flags can be printed and sent to the users in a few hours. Digital sublimation printing tools also have very low error rates. Digital printing tools are only becoming faster and more efficient.
- Eco-Friendly: No printing technique is perfect. But dye sublimation printing is eco-friendlier than other printing techniques. Firstly, cultivating, processing, and printing just 1.5 pounds of cotton requires over 1,500 gallons of water. Just by using flags made of recyclable synthetic fabrics, you’re taking the eco-friendlier route.
Overall, dye sublimation printing is a more cost-effective option than inkjet printing. It’s the best printing technique for customizing marketing flags and banners made of synthetic fabrics.
