Sublimation printing has come a long way since the mid 70’s. If you are not already plunged into it, you at least have an interest in how it works, and the reason is fairly obvious. The prints are of high quality, durable, and have versatile uses. Like any other technology, sublimation printing also has a learning curve, with new users often running into common problems. One of them is knowing how and when to mirror the patterns. Using the guidelines in this article, I hope you will be in a better position to handle your sublimation projects more effectively.
Why mirroring designs during sublimation is important?
Let's start by defining mirroring sublimation; it is flipping the sublimation design horizontally so that the result is in the correct orientation after the transfer. It is important to mirror sublimation designs especially those with text, or directional visuals like logos that need to face a certain direction. It ensures the design’s legibility from the front which is a key role in production, making it an effective way to have high-quality prints and avoid wastage of materials.
If it is not mirrored, it appears reversed (displayed backwards). Although manually mirroring sublimation designs can be daunting, it’s an essential step for a good sublimation transfer process.
If you are working on either of these sublimation processes, however, there is no need for mirroring:
When using pre-printed sublimation templates whose designs are already mirrored.
Working with geometric pattern designs, straight lines, or non-directional patterns.
When doing an all-over sublimation process with no concern for the design’s orientation.
When sublimating on double-sided see-through blanks such as keychains, night lights, and ornaments.
How to Correctly Mirror Sublimation Designs?
It's easy to mirror sublimation prints with the right tools and settings, however, you have to know your way around the tools. Let’s go over the main technical areas when mirroring an image using different applications.
At what stage should you mirror your images
All mirroring should be done during the design stage, before printing, regardless of the tools used. This means that the sublimation designs will appear horizontally reversed after printing, and ready for the transfer.
Method 1: Using graphic design tools to mirror designs
If you’re using design tools like Canva, Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop to tweak the designs, you should mirror the final design before downloading it.
How to Mirror an Image in Canva?
Select Your Design
Navigate to the Canva library and choose the pattern or design you uploaded. Ensure it is highlighted before proceeding.
Access the Flip Option
Go to the top-left corner of the workspace and click on the “Toolbar” .
From the drop-down menu, select the “Flip” button.
Flip the Design
Choose “Flip Horizontally” from the two options (horizontal or vertical) since sublimation prints require a mirrored image.
Modify the Design
Adjust the mirrored image as necessary to ensure the final design is aligned to your expectations.
Set High DPI for Quality
Before saving, set the DPI (dots per inch) to at least 300 for optimal print quality.
Download in the Correct Format
Save and download the file in PNG or PDF format to preserve high resolution for printing.
How to Mirror an Image in Photoshop?
Open Your Design
Launch Photoshop and open the design file.
Select the image and highlight all its layers.
Activate Free Transform
Navigate to the menu bar, click Edit , and then select Free Transform .
A bounding box will appear around your image.
Flip Horizontally
Right-click inside the bounding box to open a context menu.
Choose Flip Horizontally from the menu options.
Alternative Method: Use the Keyboard
Press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard.
Drag one end of the bounding box in the opposite horizontal direction to mirror the image.
Although the design retains its ratio, make any needed adjustments then press “enter” or “return” on Mac to apply the design’s transformation. Similarly to Canva, save in PNG or PDF format with a 300 DPI resolution.
How to Mirror an Image in Adobe Illustrator?
Select the Image or Design
Open the image you want to mirror.
Use the Selection Tool from the toolbar to highlight the image.
Alternatively, long-press V on your keyboard to activate the Selection Tool and choose specific objects to mirror.
Recommendation : It’s better to mirror the entire design rather than separating individual items within it.
Open the Transform Panel
Use the Windows menu to open the Transform Panel.
Click on the Reflect icon.
Choose the Horizontal option.
Apply the Mirrored Effect
Place the cursor at the center of your design on the artboard.
Click and drag vertically towards the desired direction to apply the mirrored effect.
Alternatively, from the original workspace’s toolbar menu, select “reflect tool”, or press down the O key.
Since the flipped design occurs on the opposite side of the original one, drag it back to a centralized position using the “selection tool”. Finish off by saving and downloading it using similar formats and resolutions as those for Photoshop and Canva.
Method 2: Mirroring designs using the printer settings
If you accidentally skip the mirroring steps when using design software, all is not lost. Most, not all, printers allow for mirroring before printing. Ensure you check if your sublimation printer has this option and is compatible with your design software.
The first step is to open the design on the design software, ready to print. Instead of downloading it, click “print” to automatically bring up the printer’s dialogue box.
Select your sublimation printer and then click on “printer properties” to access printer-specific settings.
Depending on the printer, the “Mirror image” may be located under different drop-down menus. Once you find it, select “flip horizontal”, press “okay” then “print”.
Always ensure that all the other settings like paper size, print quality, and the sublimation paper are all correct before proceeding to print.
Method 3: Mirroring in dsign software
Log in to a design software from your computer or phone. To start a fresh design on a new canvas, click on the hamburger icon or the “new project” button. Alternatively, you can directly upload or drag and drop a design from your computer in JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, SVG, or DXF formats.
Once you’re done editing and are ready to print, select the design to mirror and ensure it is all within the bounding box. Toggle on the “mirror” button to horizontally flip it.
There’s a “make it” button on the workspace that opens up a preview page. Make sure that the design appears mirrored on this page because that’s exactly how the sublimation print will look like.
Lastly, select all the materials to be used in the printing process, load them into the Vinyl Cutter, and press “go” to print.
Common mistakes made during sublimation printing
Sublimation printing isn’t as easy as just pressing the “print” button and waiting for perfect results. Even experienced sublimation artists are bound to trip up sometimes. If you’re still working your way through this art, learning the common mistakes made in the process and how to avert them will help make your sublimation projects more successful.
Not mirroring the images and double mirroring
Most sublimation designs have to be flipped horizontally before printing so that the transfer is oriented in the right way and legible. The only time that designs shouldn’t be mirrored is when it is meant to be applied at the back of a transparent blank. Forgetting this simple but sensitive step will lead to printing images in reverse. That’s a surefire way to waste printing products and your time. Before you start printing, double-check that you haven’t skipped this step.
If the design is flipped twice, it is called double mirroring and has similar effects as one that has not been mirrored at all. If you mirror the design on the designing software, don’t mirror it again on the printer. Also, understand all the software and printer settings, and preview the design before printing to ensure it's oriented the right way.
Using the wrong heat press settings
A slight deviation in heat, temperature or pressure when pressing could easily ruin the transfer quality. The final design could be blurry, faded, smudged, or have ghosting effects. While there are generalized heat press settings for different substrates that work okay, keep referring to the manufacturer’s ideal guidelines for the best results.
Using the wrong materials
The quality of a design and its ability to sublimate depends on the substrate’s ability to absorb and bond with sublimation inks. Substrates that work best in this procedure are polyester and polyester-coated ones. When you use other substrates, the ink does not bond properly leading to smudged images that wash off easily.
Low-quality sublimation paper also directly impacts the quality of the sublimation prints. Different sublimation papers are designed differently. You should use one that is made for your specific substrate. Using the wrong sublimation paper leads to all sorts of problems like bleeding, ghosting, and bad ink transfer.
Using the wrong ink or printer
Regular printers that aren’t designed for sublimation like regular inkjet or laser printers produce bad-quality prints. In fact, using them for sublimation printing damages the equipment. Equally, using non-sublimation inks on a sublimation printer clogs the printer heads leading to spillage or complete malfunctions needing part replacements. For all your sublimation projects, ensure to use a sublimation printer with compatible sublimation inks.
Moving the sublimation paper when transferring
A ghosting effect happens when a blurred outline of the original image is printed alongside it, almost like a shadow. It happens due to different reasons such as the paper shifting while being pressed, using incorrect pressure, or removing the transfer paper before the ink is fully set.
Secure the transfer paper using heat-resistant tape and place a protective layer next to the heat press plates to absorb any ink that is outside the bonds of the substrate.
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