Sublimation time and temperature chart
Press settings for shirts, mugs, tumblers, slate, coasters and more, each one taken from the company that makes the blank or the ink. Search a blank, switch to Celsius, and print the rows you use. Free, no signup.
| Blank | Temperature | Time | Pressure | Press |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400°F | 45 s | Medium (40 psi) | Flat press | |
| 375–390°F | 55–65 s | Light to medium | Flat press + foam | |
| 370°F | 28–40 s | Light | Flat press + foam | |
| 375°F | 28–40 s | Very light | Flat press + foam | |
| 356°F | 50 s | Not stated | Cap press | |
| 370–380°F | 50–60 s | Light to moderate | Flat press + foam | |
| 390–400°F | 45–50 s | Light, pad inside | Flat press + pillow | |
| 385°F | 75 s | Medium | Flat press | |
| 390–400°F | 45–50 s | Light, pad inside | Flat press + pillow | |
| 380–390°F | 50–60 s | Medium | Flat press | |
| 400°F | 45 s | Medium (40 psi) | Flat press | |
| 400°F | 45 s | Medium | Flat press | |
| 360–390°F | 45–60 s | Medium | Flat press | |
| 385°F | 60–70 s | Strong | Flat press | |
| 360–370°F | 4:00–4:10 min | Medium to heavy | Flat press + felt pad | |
| 370–380°F | 2:00–3:00 min | Medium | Flat press + sponge pad | |
| 385°F | 75–80 s | 60 psi (chart basis) | Flat press | |
| 385°F | 90–100 s | 60 psi (chart basis) | Flat press | |
| 400°F | 4:00 min | Medium | Flat press + felt pad | |
| 385°F | 80–90 s | 60 psi (chart basis) | Flat press | |
| 385°F | 80–100 s | Strong | Flat press | |
| 390–400°F | 4:30–5:00 min | Light to medium | Flat press + felt pad | |
| 350–400°F | 2:30–5:00 min | Medium | Mug press | |
| 370–400°F | 4:30 min | Medium | Mug press | |
| 360–370°F | 45–50 s | Medium | Tumbler press | |
| 320–330°F | 6:00–7:00 min | Shrink sleeve | Convection oven | |
| 360–370°F | 50–60 s | Medium | Mug press | |
| 385°F | 40–50 s | 60 psi (chart basis) | Flat press | |
| 385°F | 35–45 s | 60 psi (chart basis) | Flat press | |
| 390–400°F | 2:30–2:50 min | Light | Flat press + felt pad | |
| 385°F | 40–50 s | 60 psi (chart basis) | Flat press | |
| 356°F | 45 s | Moderate | Flat press | |
| 356°F | 60 s | Medium | Flat press | |
| 375°F | 3:20 min | Light | Flat press | |
| 385–390°F | 6:00–9:30 min | Medium | Flat press + felt pad | |
| 385°F | 90–95 s | Strong | Flat press |
Tap a row for pre-press, the common mistake and the source. 36 blanks, each from a published maker or seller chart.
A source on every row
Each setting links to the blank maker or ink maker that published it, so you can check the number against the page it came from.
Disagreements left visible
When two makers publish different settings for the same blank, both are shown. Nothing is averaged into a figure no one tested.
Fahrenheit, Celsius, printed
Switch units in one tap, filter to the blanks you actually press, and print a clean table to pin next to the press.
How to use these numbers
Every setting here is a starting point that a maker published for its own blank, pressed on its own equipment. Sawgrass says the same of its chart: a calibrated press, the blank maker's guidelines and a test come first. So when the instructions that came with your blanks give a different number, follow them, and use the chart for blanks that arrived with nothing.
Times are for the stated temperature, counted from when the press closes. Pre-press is a separate short press on the blank alone, before the transfer goes on, to drive out moisture and flatten wrinkles.
What light, medium and firm pressure mean
Pressure is the setting charts explain least. Most home presses have no gauge, so the words matter more than the numbers. These definitions come from Condé, a sublimation supplier, with Sawgrass's 40 psi for medium alongside.
| Pressure | Roughly | How it feels |
|---|---|---|
| Light | About 20 psi | The press resists as you close it with one arm |
| Medium | 40 to 60 psi (Sawgrass uses 40) | It resists when you close it with both arms |
| Heavy / firm | About 80 psi | Closing it takes your shoulders as well as your arms |
Set the pressure with the blank and any pad already in the press. A thick slate on a felt pad needs a different setting from a thin shirt, and adjusting on an empty press gets both wrong.
Why two sources give different settings
A 20 oz tumbler shows it best: one maker presses at 355°F, another at 375°F for twice as long. Neither is wrong. Coatings, wall thickness and presses differ, and Unisub built its whole chart on a single press model at 60 psi. The display on a heat press is not always the temperature at the platen either, which Johnson Plastics Plus points out in its slate instructions. That is why each row keeps the other published values underneath rather than blending them.
If your press runs hot or cool against the chart, you will see it in a test print. Change one thing at a time and write down what worked for that blank.
Before the blank goes in
- Polyester or a polymer coating. Sublimation ink bonds to nothing else, so plain cotton, an ordinary mug and bare steel will not take it.
- White or light surfaces. The ink is transparent and printers carry no white, so dark blanks swallow the design.
- Peel the protective film off metal, MDF and photo panels, and clean the face.
- Protective paper above and below catches ink that would otherwise stain the platen or the next blank.
- Keep heat tape off the printed face. Unisub notes it can lighten the image and leave dents in the coating.
Fixes, by what went wrong
| What you see | What to change |
|---|---|
| Pale or faded print | Add time, temperature or pressure, one at a time. Johnson Plastics Plus lists all three as the cure. |
| Paper stuck or scorched brown | Too much heat or time. Step one of them down. |
| Ghosting, a doubled or shadowed image | The paper moved. Tape it, or tack it with spray adhesive, open the press smoothly and lift the paper straight away. |
| Blotchy patches on fabric | Moisture turning to steam. Pre-press the blank for a few seconds, and let it cool before placing the transfer. |
| Coloured specks | Loose fibres that took the ink. Lint-roll fabric blanks before pressing. |
| Weak edges on a large blank | The edge of the platen runs cooler. Unisub warns against using the full platen size. |
| Faint rectangle around a shirt print | Press lines. Put a foam pad or pressing pillow under the print area. |
| Cracked ceramic, glass or slate | Too much pressure or a cold-water dunk. Use light pressure and let these air cool. |
About Cricut Infusible Ink
Cricut publishes heat settings for Infusible Ink sheets and pens, which work on the same principle but are a different product from printer sublimation ink. Their numbers are not in this chart. For printer sublimation, Cricut itself tells you to follow your ink's instructions.
If you are pressing to sell
Getting the transfer right is the part of the job you control on the day. Choosing blanks that sell comes first: our sublimation ideas guide ranks 14 projects from easiest to hardest, with what goes wrong on each, and the sublimation printing guide covers when print on demand beats pressing it yourself. To size artwork for a mug wrap or a coaster, the print size calculator turns inches into pixels.
The harder question is which design. We built Trendlytic to answer it: one search looks across Etsy, Redbubble, TeePublic and Amazon Merch, and each niche comes back with how much demand it has and how many sellers already fill it. After the trial it runs from $9 a month.
Settings sorted. What goes on the blank?
A clean transfer on a design nobody wants is still a blank that sits on the shelf. Trendlytic reads Etsy, Redbubble, TeePublic and Amazon Merch in one search and scores each niche for demand against how crowded it already is.
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Frequently asked questions
What temperature do you sublimate at?
Most published settings sit between 350 and 400°F (about 177 to 204°C). Fabric and hard blanks usually run from 385 to 400°F, tumblers in a press a little lower, and a convection oven lower again for several minutes. The row for your blank is a better guide than any single number, and the instructions that came with the blank beat both.
How long do you press a sublimation shirt?
Sawgrass, the ink maker, lists 400°F for 45 seconds at medium pressure for a 100% polyester shirt, after a 3 to 5 second pre-press to drive out moisture. Other makers publish anywhere from 35 to 60 seconds. Thin performance fabric runs cooler and lighter: Vapor Apparel gives 375°F for 28 to 40 seconds with very light pressure.
What pressure should I use for sublimation?
Medium for most blanks. Sawgrass defines medium as 40 psi, and Condé describes it as a press that resists when you close it with both arms, against one arm for light pressure. Ceramic and glass want light pressure so they do not crack, while aluminum photo panels want strong pressure. Most home presses show no psi reading, so go by that feel and adjust after a test.
What are the settings for a sublimation tumbler?
In a tumbler press, Johnson Plastics Plus gives 360 to 370°F for 45 to 50 seconds, then a 180 degree turn and 30 to 40 seconds more. MakerFlo presses at 355°F for 60 seconds on each side. In a convection oven with a shrink sleeve, JPPlus gives 320 to 330°F for 6 to 7 minutes and MakerFlo 375°F for 5 to 6. Follow the maker of your tumbler, since coatings and wall thickness differ.
Why do sublimation charts disagree?
Every maker tests its own blanks on its own presses. Unisub built its chart on one press model at 60 psi, coatings and thickness vary between brands, and the number on a heat press display is not always the temperature at the platen. That is why this chart shows the other published values under each row instead of averaging them into a number nobody tested.
Can you sublimate on cotton?
Not properly. Sublimation ink bonds with polyester or a polymer coating, so on a blend only the polyester share takes the colour and the print looks faded. Makers put the minimum anywhere from 50% polyester to 100%. For cotton, use DTG or DTF printing instead.
Can I print this chart?
Yes. Filter to the blanks you use, pick Fahrenheit or Celsius, and press Print chart. You get a clean one-page table with the source for each row, free and without an account.
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