Sublimating On Colored Substrates

Sublimation substrats come in a vairety of colors. White is the most popular because it is a "clean slate". Subimating on white gives you bright and bold colors when you press your transfer. They look amazing, right?

Sometimes substrates come in different colors than white. Colored tee shirts, bags, tumblers, etc. They are pretty and fun to press on but they also present a unique problem when sublimating on them. They alter the color of your transfer. 

Think about when you were a kid and you are coloring with markers. You go from white paper to a bright orange piece of construction paper and suddenly, you yellows are a strange shade of orange, your greens are a bit muddy, and your purples just don't look right. 

The reason for this is that the marker is being place over a color that is already there. Just like when you mix blue and red paint it makes purple, pressing a transfer that is blue and pressing it onto something yellow, the blue will not look green. Even blacks can take on a hue of the color underneath but it is usually the most subtle

Here is a chart for you to reference when doing subllimation on a substrate that is not white. 

Keep the graphic for your records. Understanding how color changes can turn a "oh no! my yellow is green now!" to "I found the perfect design to press on my blue shirt!". 

Happy Sublimating!