What Happens When You Over-Press: The Science of Color Degradation

When pressing a sublimation transfer, your first instinct might be to increase time or pressure to “make sure it fully transfers”. But in sublimation, more isn’t better. Too much heat, time, or pressure can ruin your print, colors become dull, hazy, or unexpectedly washed out, even if the design on your screen was vibrant.

Why do sublimation colors fade, blur, or look smoky when you press too long?
Because sublimation dyes have a thermal limit. Once the ink is exposed to excessive heat or pressure, the dye molecules break down or migrate past the intended transfer surface, causing permanent color degradation.

When sublimation ink heats correctly, it converts to gas and bonds cleanly to polyester fibers. When overheated, the gas becomes unstable. Instead of bonding into the polymer coating, the dye keeps moving, spreading outside the intended transfer area or burning off entirely. The result is softer, faded color and loss of detail.

In this article, you’ll learn what happens at a molecular level when sublimation is over-pressed, how dye instability affects color accuracy, and how to prevent washed-out transfers. You’ll also learn the exact relationship between heat, time, and pressure — and why changing one requires adjusting the others.

💡 For correct time, temperature, and pressure settings, refer to this article: How To Set Heat Press Temperature & Time: A Guide To Successful Printing It explains the optimal ranges and how each variable affects color results.

Key Takeaways