If you are just starting to build up the materials needed for sublimation printing, I would advise you to prioritize getting the best sublimation paper. An essential part of the process is printing on adequate paper, as it will release your sublimation ink onto your chosen substrate. Every set we recommend in this guide works wonders across different substrates, the choice should just come down to your overall preference on thickness and budget.
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For beginners, you are better off buying something affordable that comes from a recommended brand rather than worrying about the nuances ' testing things out and making adjustments is all part of the sublimation journey.
Even though everyone likes a good mystery, it is better to be upfront while listing sublimation papers. Therefore, we shall start with a quick list and what each paper type is best for:
Starting from a competitive price point for the smallish 4' x 9.5' sheets, A-SUB's line of sheets is highly competitive and ' in my mind ' the best sublimation paper set on the market today. With compatibility ranging from top-of-the-line sublimation printers through to Epson's range of convertible printers, this paper is ideal for any situation.
As for the substrate, this paper works really well with blended fabrics, polyester, and polyamide. While the company urges you to try the same on hard substrate, I would recommend sticking to the fabrics for now, especially if you are a newbie. The ink-based compatibility is also extensive, with SawGrass Sublijet UHD, Hiipoo, and Cosmos ink variants working seamlessly with the same.
You can choose from an extensive array of sizes such as 8.5' x 11', 8.5' x 14', and 13' x 19'. Plus, there is an option to opt for the number of sheets you want to get for each size, with the stacks ranging between 110 to even 150 sheets per the preferred size. This makes your life easier in case you always follow highly specified printing instructions with a focus on size.
You can pick anything between 75 GSM to 140 GSM, depending on the substrate you are looking at. However, these paper sheets have a standard drying time of 60 to 120 seconds, which you must keep in mind for perfect design infusion.
All this makes for a fantastic set of sublimation paper options. And whilst your choices to get more expensive at the higher end, A-SUB remains the best sublimation paper manufacturer on the market
For highly detailed and vivid colors that transfer directly to your choice of t-shirt or other substrate, consider HTVRONT's range of sublimation paper. Also known for their ink ranges, this brand delivers great quality with tremendous value for money.
You can own any inkjet printer, and this sublimation paper will work like a charm. I tested it with one of my all-time favorites ' the Sawgrass Virtuoso SG500 ' and everything, right from the print quality to the transfer rate, was impeccable. Do note that the HTVRONT sublimation paper works equally well with printers from HP, Canon, Epson, and more.
Naturally, you can expect the best results with the HTVRONT sublimation ink, especially if you plan on working with light-colored fabrics, including bags, t-shirts, and pillows. If you have any substrate where the cotton content is less than 30%, this paper type is the one to go with. Plus, the uniform 125 GSM basis weight makes the sheets act like heavy paper, making it highly useful for sublimation blanks other than fabric.
One issue I did encounter was that the heavier paper did cause jams more frequently, which was frustrating to encounter. They're still rare, but it was noticeable. I still recommend the HTVRONT sublimation paper, for tremendously vivid colors at a great price per page!
I always recommend Hiipoo sublimation ink to people just starting out in sublimation, as I find it's the best sublimation ink on the market. Whilst I don't rate their range of sublimation paper quite so highly, it's still ideal for common substrates such as polyester.
The variant that I choose comes with 110 sheets, each of 120GSM. Each sheet was 8.5' x 11', making it useful for mugs and medium-sized t-shirts. As it is a 120 GSM paper type, the pressure and temperature requirement would be on the higher side. This would ensure that the ink transfer is optimal. The transfer efficiency of Hiipoo's sublimation paper is close to 98%. This ensures that almost every bit of the ink gets infused with the substrate. The ink dries almost immediately after it gets out of the printer.
Even though the tackiness was more than adequate for me, you might even want to try those heat-resistant tapes to keep the paper aligned with the substrate. I have had the paper go through some significant curling in the past. Still, for getting started in sublimation printing with reliable sublimation paper, you could do a lot worse ' just be sure to have some tape on hand'
With a 98% transfer rate and an affordable price point, the Printers Jack range of sublimation paper is the best budget range on the market. Each sheet costs around 15 cents, which is why I recommend it to those on a budget.
Despite its affordable price, this sublimation paper boasts excellent substrate compatibility. You'll be able to use it on nearly every possible material, from plates to cases. You can choose between 8.3' x 11.7', 8.5' x 11', 13' x 19' paper sizes, among a few other variants depending on your preferences. Printers Jack allows you to get 105 GSM, 120 GSM, and 125 GSM versions of each. The maximum temperature for any use case is 374°F (at 120 GSM).
Any higher than that, however, is where the issues arise. Bleeding is a likelihood at higher temperature ranges, which can be unfortunate for more specialist materials. For most standard applications, however, Printers Jack's range is ideal for sublimation on a budget!
In simple words, the sublimation paper is the link between your creative designs and them being placed on your choice of surface.
Let's imagine diving back into the wonderful realm of sublimation. To create beautiful designs on various sublimation blanks, you would first need a sublimation printer, which in turn would require sublimation paper. The paper isn't any other paper you would see.
But that's an overly simplistic version of how the sublimation paper works. To know more, check out our detailed post on 'How to use Sublimation Paper.' Let us focus on knowing more about what a sublimation paper (the creative canvas) is.
Even if you print the design on cotton, it will appear less vibrant. After a single wash, the colors will fade even more because of the ink's inability to bind with nat
Across the range of different options, the best sublimation paper for one may not be the best for all. I hope my breakdown of my recommendations were insightful, and that you now have the right materials for your next sublimation project. Ultimately you just need to choose from one of our favoured brands above and start testing out which paper thickness works best on your projects.
If you want to ensure the brightest, most true-to-life sublimation transfers, your sublimation paper matters! We put three brands of paper to the test, plus tried using regular copy paper and cardstock in this sublimation paper comparison. We figured out which sublimation paper is best'and which you should avoid!
Today I wanted to do a quick test of several different brands of sublimation paper. This is a part of my newest series on sublimation printing. You can check out all of the posts in the series here:
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So, let's answer the question, 'what is the best sublimation paper?' I ordered three packs of sublimation paper. All three were a medium weight and work with all sublimation printers:
I also had a request to test plain copy paper, so I added that in, along with a smooth white cardstock, because why not?
I tested all five on a piece of polyester fabric (do not use cotton). Remember that sublimation requires polyester or a poly-coating for the sublimation process to work. You'll also need a light-colored material because sublimation ink is transparent.
I've found having a few yards of polyester fabric is SO helpful when doing sublimation crafting, since what you print is not what you transfer. This gives me the ability to do a test transfer on the fabric before using my more expensive blank/substrate. Highly recommend getting a few yards and using it for practice!
A caveat: I only tested this single color wheel image on a single substrate (polyester fabric) printed with my converted Epson printer. You may have different results with a different image, a different substrate (soft substrates like t-shirts and socks vs. hard substrates like tumblers and cases), or different sublimation printer (I just got a Sawgrass printer so I'm interested in seeing if there's a difference!).
Sublimation printing is one of those crafts that can really change depending on these three factors. I suggest you run this same test yourself if you want to figure out which is the best for your particular set-up.
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I printed the same exact color wheel image on all five types of paper. I printed them all at the same time. All five were fast-drying and I didn't have to wait long to press.
Right away, you can see right away that there's a big variance between the printing on these five images. The smooth cardstock fared the worst'it's lightest and the most mottled. The copy paper isn't far behind, though I was kind of surprised it printed a bit better than the cardstock. I think the difference in paper weight between the two might matter here.
Then there are the three high-quality sub papers. I was actually really surprised at the difference between these three. I was honestly expecting them to be the same. But you can definitely see the difference'the TexPrint is much more bright and vivid than the other two. You can really see it when you compare the individual colors, particularly in the reds.
The next brightest is the Hiipoo, and then A-Sub was well behind that. I've had the A-Sub recommended to more than any other paper, so I thought that was a bit interesting. I was definitely interested in seeing how they transferred to the scrap of polyester fabric I had.
Not surprisingly, the transfer of each image mirrored the printed images:
You can see here that the TextPrint, followed by the Hiipoo, were significantly better than the A-Sub and then the non-sublimation papers.
Here are detailed shots of each, from my favorite to least favorite.
The first is the TexPrint paper. It's nice and even and the tiny writing is the most clear of all of the versions. The color is the brightest and the most vivid, with almost no mottling. Going forward, this will be my go-to sublimation paper:
Next is the Hiipoo sublimation paper. It's bright and even and vivid like the TexPrint, but not quite as saturated in some of the colors. The text is just ever so slightly less easy to read (compare the words 'ANALOGOUS' on both). This is definitely a solid option.
Next is the A-Sub. I expected this one to be as good (or better, since it's the one that's often recommended) so I was a little disappointed to see that it didn't turn out nearly as vivid as the other two sublimation papers. The color is more mottled and uneven.
Then there's the copy paper. I was a little surprised that this wasn't more terrible. I mean, compared to the others, it's not great, but it's also not as bad as I expected. There's definitely less saturation and less definition between colors. Some of the colors (like in the bottom right) are lighter. Because the paper is thinner, I think it soaked up the sublimation ink a little more so the definition was lost.
You also need to be aware that because copy paper is so thin, it really bled onto the butcher paper I was using to protect my press. On the left is the paper I used for all four of the other transfers, and on the right is the copy paper transfer. This is something to definitely be aware of'you don't want that ink getting on your press platen!
And finally is the smooth cardstock. This one was not worth it at all'the colors are the most faded and mottled and the text is the hardest to read. There is not a lot of color definition and overall you're not going to be happy with your transfer.
Finally, I washed my piece of fabric with all five transfers just to see if there would be any difference. I didn't think there would be and I was right. The washed transfers were pretty much identical to the pre-washed transfers.
So for me and my set up, I thought the best paper was the TexPrint dye-sublimation paper. I've been using it on many of my projects and it always produces beautiful, vivid results!
Since I originally wrote this post, I have tried two other types of sublimation paper: The Sawgrass TruePix and the PYD Life paper. Both of them did great'I will continue to use both of those as well. There are also other brands like Koala sublimation paper and Printers Jack sublimation paper which I haven't tested. I'd love to know if you've used these and what you think!
Still looking for a printer? Check out my Best Sublimation Printers Comparison!
I hope you found this sublimation paper comparison helpful'let me know if you have any questions in the comments!
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