Sublimation is a specialized process that uses special heat activated inks. The image is then transferred to the tin surface via heat press. When heat and pressure are applied, the special inks turn into a gas dye, which then sublimates or penetrates into the surface. Once the image is transferred, it is permanent and protected by the original coating on the tin surface.

When the ink explodes into gas, it produces a 100% to 400% dot gain. This dot gain significantly impacts reversed or knocked out art. When some elements, such as text, are too small, the dot gain has a tendency to fill in the reversed or light colored area...sometimes eliminating it altogether. For this reason, we recommend all reversed type be set to bold. Serif fonts such as Times should be set at 16 point or greater and sans-serif fonts like Helvetica should be set at 10 point or greater. All reversed lines should be 1.5 points or greater.

All photographic images and images including halftones will require some adjustment in order to work well with the sublimation process. Please be aware that changes to photographic files can be dramatic. Image resolution should be 300 dpi. During the sublimation printing process, a color target is used as a reference only to give us an idea of what the finished tin should look like. Keep in mind, the sublimation process is intended to produce an eye pleasing representation of the image and not an exact match of the original. Some color variation from a color target is normal and expected. Anytime color is critical, we recommend a production sample.