For starters, let’s establish that Cricut Infusible Ink is a process similar to the Dye Sublimation process. Let me rephrase this. Cricut Infusible Ink is Dye Sublimation. 12”x12” thick sheets (more like cardstock) of Dye Sublimation paper are printed with a design or a solid color. This printed sheet is placed on a carrier sheet. I don’t know the specific process however I can only assume this to be the just of things. To use the Cricut Infusible Ink my design has to be cut out of the transfer sheet.
– I mirror my image and cut it out on the ink side of the sheet leaving the carrier sheet not cut.
– Next, I weed my design.
– I remove the surrounding pieces of ink sheet and left the desired image, just like I do HTV.
– I place my design is ink side down and carrier sheet up on the blank and press according to instructions.
– Once the press is done, I remove the carrier sheet and the design which leaves my project complete.
I believe it is a bit easier to use Dye Sublimation. I have two dye sublimation printers and any time I want to sublimate something I simply make a design in Adobe Illustrator (or any other program even word or paint) remembering to mirror my image and print it on A-Sub paper.
– Then I press it according to the instructions provided with the paper, ink down.
– Once heat press lets me know the time is done, I carefully take off my butcher paper and remove the A-Sub paper which still has my image on it, just a little lighter because most of my ink became a gas and has bonded to the blank I used.
– And just like that my project is complete.
I am sure you are very familiar with vinyl, and although it has its limitations it is quite versatile. Black lettering on white shirts, white lettering on black shirts, black lettering on black shirts, right? Yes, of course. That is because the vinyl is opaque and it sits on top of the material you use.
When you take a dark-colored polyester blank and add any color Infusible Ink to it the pressed image will not be visible because the Infusible Ink is transparent. Also, the ink binds to polyester leaving the surface smooth.
I’m sure at this point you are wondering whether this process will work on any other color blank other than white, right? Starting with a white color surface is preferred. White blanks will give you the most vibrant result. Also, Infusible Ink does not have white as a color. In order to get a white color, it is simply lack of color. This is why we must start with a white surface.Can you use any other colors of blanks? The short answer is yes, however, there are some things you must watch out for. If you must or want to use a color blank, you may want to consider getting it in a pastel or light color. Of course, then your Infusible Ink color should be darker in order to show up on your project.
Also, something I did not consider when I started dealing with sublimation is that if you use a color blank, your ink color may change due to the mix of colors between the blank color and the Infusible Ink colors. Who knew?
Cricut Infusible Inks come in a variety of fun patterns with more designs coming out. However, when you need to make a dark or black shirt your choices are limited to vinyl therefore you should plan your project accordingly. As always, if you have any questions or project ideas please email me directly. Also, don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel for fun project ideas. Happy Crafting 🙂Craft Vinci may feature affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase using these links, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting my blog. It will be at no cost to you. I also want you to know that I only ever recommend products or services that I truly believe in and used or use myself.