The Ultimate Guide To Sublimation Printing On Wood: An 8 Step Tutorial for Beginners

Laminated wood slices can be useful for different details and decorations. But the method used in this article is simple to do!

There’s no reason to buy pre-made, just add a personal touch to your wooden decor by following our step-by-step guide!

Key Takeaways

Did you know sublimation popularity has grown by 500% in the past year?

Rather than purchasing already laminated products, why not embark on your own DIY project? As a result, you have a blank canvas and can express your love for design in different ways. 

How To Sublimate On Wood – Step By Step

Before getting into the nitty-gritty, let’s see what is needed on your shopping list before heading to the store.

Some of these items might already be available to you. So your shopping list might be shorter than expected.

Let’s first see what supplies are required to achieve the best results with wood sublimation.

Supply requirements

These are the materials needed for sublimation on wood:

1. Sublimation printer
2. Laminate sheet pouches
3. Wood slices as substrate
4. Heat transfer paper or dye sublimation paper
5. Butcher paper or parchment paper
6. A warmed-up heat press
7. White paint for wood
8. Craft knife
9. Paintbrush
10. Heat-resistant tape
11. Heat-resistant gloves

#1 Printing your designs

Before the sublimation process, you need to create your design and print it out.

For this, use sublimation paper and a sublimation printer of choice.

This way, you can’t mix things up. You will know which side you should be printing on.

Consider having extra laminate sheets for print in case of any mistakes made.

#2 Board cutting

To start the process of sublimation on wood, get your wood slices ready.

If you bought whole wood slices, then this is when you should start cutting.

Depending on what shapes you want, you should cut the slices to size. Just make sure your edges are smooth. Of course, your wood’s thickness must also be appropriate for your heat press.

#3 Smoothing your edges

To ensure smooth edges lightly go over the edges and sides with sandpaper. Then move over to sanding the whole surface of the wood slices (top & bottom).

It’s easy to get carried away. So make sure you’re gentle with your pressure and your touch.

Remember, you can always go in again and do a bit more sanding. But you can’t undo what has already been done.

After sanding, take a white cloth and wipe down all the edges and surfaces. This is to remove any swarf before the sublimation process.

#4 White painted coats

To have your sublimation results vibrant with the true color you imagined. It’s best to paint the sublimation blanks white.

When the surface is white, the sublimation ink colors will look more vibrant and contrast against the background (it will pop). This is otherwise known as priming.

Apply a second coating for optimal results. Ensure the first coat is dry before applying and the surface is dry and free from moisture.

Note: Paint is not only used as a background color. Some woods might have a rough or porous surface. Paint can help produce a smoother surface for the sublimation transfer and therefore enhance the final results of the print.

Keep in mind, these coats should be painted on a flat surface. This ensures the paint dries uniformly and smoothly on the surface. 

Here are the methods for applying paint:

1. Apply paint evenly. We don’t want areas with significantly more paint than others.
2. Let the coat dry for 20 minutes (or more if you want).
3. Add another layer of paint to your wood.
4. Leave it for another 20 minutes or so to dry completely.
5. Lightly sand the surface to ensure a uniform surface for sublimation.

#5 Setting up the heat press

Preheat your heat press with these settings: 385 °F, with the time set to 90 seconds.

That’s the time and temperature for sublimating on wood.

#6 Lamination pouch cutting

Take your laminating sheet pouch and start cutting it in a way that will fit the wood board.

Make sure when you cut the laminating sheet, it’s not the exact measurements of the wood slices. Rather, the pouch should be 1/8th of an inch larger than the wood pieces themselves.

This is because the laminating sheet will shrink once heat is applied.

If you don’t have this additional tolerance, your design can end up blurry or with the edges left unprinted.

#7 Applying pressure

Now, go to your press and take a piece of butcher paper.

Place the paper on the pad of the heat press.

Now take one wood slice and place it on top of that. Make absolutely sure the side you want to print on is facing up; it’s the glossy side. This step is vital!

Now, put the laminate sheet on the wood. Over that, place the butcher. This will prevent the laminate sheets from sticking to the press.

Use medium pressure for this process with the temperature being as mentioned above.

Now, all you need to do is press!

#8 Cooling off period

The final step is to let everything cool down. Once it does, your laminated wood slices will be ready for use.

Watch this video: How To Sublimate On Wood [08 mins 36 secs]

FAQ

Conclusion

You now have a custom-made product using the technique described in this article. Consider experimenting on different wood surfaces and ones that might have protected topcoats such as polycrylic. These factors provide difference characteristics and therefore may require tweaks to your sublimation process.

Furthermore, successful transfer of your image or design is one part of success. For example, the design may look good and colorful, but the question is, will it last? 

To test how colorfast the sublimation ink is on the wood, use a cotton ball and add some water to it. Rub your sample gently, if ink comes off (present on the cotton) it is likely the colors won’t stay on the wood for long.

To increase the durability of the sublimation design, you can apply an Ultra Violet Inhibitor top coat that comes in spray format. This makes the ink more resistant to light and ultimately protects the design colors and details.