Crio White Toner + Sublimation = The Perfect Pair

Two decoration methods: One Stop Decoration Business

What is Sublimation?

Sublimation is the process of printing with dye-sublimation ink on special paper and using heat to dye polyester fabrics and polyester-coated items. The process turns the ink into a gas which then dyes the polyester fibers, so the transfer is permanent, won’t fade, and does not have any feel on the substrate.

However, due to this process, you must also only use white and very light colors. Another major limitation is that your garments and hard surface items need to be specially purchased with polyester fabric or coating. While you can sublimate on less than 100% polyester, the lower the amount of polyester in the fabric, the more faded and dull the design will be.

Benefits of Sublimation

Low Entry Cost
Sublimation printers (especially desktop printers) are relatively affordable and offer a low entry cost. Therefore, many times it is an ideal option for people with small businesses and side gigs to get started.

Permanent Transfer with Vibrant Colors
Due to the nature of the process, sublimation transfers are permanent and won’t fade. Since the polyester fibers are dyed, the transfer is embedded into the substrate instead of sitting on top of it.

Low-Run to Full Production

Sublimation can be profitable on small, low-run orders as well as in full production. The variety of dye-sublimation printers available from small desktop versions to wide format printers offers different tiers of productivity and profitability.

Variety of Sublimation Blanks
There is a vast variety of suppliers to get sublimation blanks. And while initially, most people tend to think of mugs and t-shirts right off the bat when they think of sublimation, there are so many polyester-coated items for sublimation on the market today. You can create drinkware, cookware, home décor, photo panels, bags, plaques and so much more.

What is White Toner?

Crio white toner printers are laser toner-based CMYW printers that lay a white toner underbase behind the colors. Toner is printed mirrored on a transfer sheet. Then if you were using a one-step paper for light substrates you would press it directly to the shirt, similar to sublimation.

Alternatively, if you were to use a two-step process for dark substrates, you would marry the transfer sheet to an adhesive sheet, then press it onto the substrate.

The processes of white toner transfer and sublimation are relatively similar aside from the additional step of marrying to an adhesive sheet if decorating dark materials with white toner. White toner does have a slight feel to it and there are many ways to minimize that feel with RIP software. While durability is higher with sublimation, due to the dyeing of the fibers, Crio still offers high durability and washability.

White toner is one of the most versatile decoration methods. With a variety of different papers with different intended applications, you can decorate cotton, polyester, mixed blends, nylon, leather, metal, wood, glass, ceramic, paper and cardstock, plastic, and more! All these items do not need to have any sublimation coating either- meaning you can pick up items at your local dollar store and decorate them in under 5 minutes

Benefits of Crio White Toner Transfer

Any Color, Any Material
As previously mentioned, white toner transfers can be applied to virtually any fabric or surface. Decorate any color material. If it can withstand heat and fit in a heat press, you can decorate it! There are even papers that can be applied without heat, like waterslide and temporary tattoo papers.

No Maintenance & Straight Paper Path

Crio white toner printers offer a straight paper path that minimizes paper jam points and extends the variety of papers than can be fed through. Unlike sublimation printers that must be used regularly, or kept on for maintenance cycles, white toner printers require no maintenance other than simply replacing consumables, as needed.

Full-Color, On-Demand Printing

With white toner, you can print one transfer or one hundred on demand. Crio white toner printers offer high resolution up to 1200 x 1200 DPI. You can print anything from simple graphics up to highly details designs or photographs.

No Sublimation Coating Needed
White toner transfer does not require polyester fabric or polymer-coated items for the process to work. This means that typically blanks for this process will be cheaper than sublimation. You could simply go to your local hobby shop and pick something up to decorate on a whim.

Perfect Pairing: Crio & Dye-Sublimation

Do you currently do sublimation? Have you ever been asked to print on a cotton shirt or a dark-colored shirt and had to turn down the order? Think about all that missed revenue. Sure, you still get your business from sublimation projects, but white toner can expand your offerings and avoid missed profit opportunities.

Laser toner printers are often the next step for people already doing sublimation. This is because where some of the limitations with sublimation begin, Crio white toner printers start to pick up the slack. Utilizing both sublimation and laser heat transfer gives any business the ability to produce virtually anything a customer desires.

Expand Your Profit Streams

If you are currently using sublimation in your business and are wanting to be able to do more and expand, look into Crio white toner printers. The 8432WDT is a great model for small businesses and side gigs to pair with desktop sublimation. The 9541WDT is ideal for higher production businesses.