Dye sublimation printing is a popular method for creating lanyards with colourful and high-quality designs. The process of making dye sublimation printed lanyards involves the following steps:
Design Preparation: The desired artwork or design is created using graphic design software. The design can include logos, text, patterns, or any other visual elements.
Printing onto Transfer Paper: The design is then printed onto special dye sublimation transfer paper using a specialised dye sublimation printer. This printer uses heat-sensitive dye inks that turn into gas when heated.
Positioning the Transfer Paper: The printed transfer paper is carefully positioned and aligned on the lanyard material, typically polyester.
Heat Transfer: The lanyard material with the transfer paper on top is fed into a heat press machine. The heat press applies heat and pressure to the lanyard, causing the dye inks on the transfer paper to sublimate. Sublimation is when a solid turns into a gas without going through a liquid phase.
Ink Vapor Infusion: As the inks' sublimate, they penetrate the polyester fibres of the lanyard material, permanently bonding with them. This infusion of ink creates vibrant, durable, and long-lasting prints.
Cooling and Finishing: The lanyards can cool down after the heat transfer, ensuring the ink is fully set. The lanyards are inspected for quality, and any necessary finishing touches, such as attaching hardware (such as clips or hooks), are applied.
The result is a lanyard with a full-colour, high-resolution, and durable print that is resistant to fading, peeling, or cracking. Dye sublimation printing allows for intricate and detailed designs, making it a popular choice for creating customised lanyards for promotional events, conferences, trade shows, and other occasions.