You can’t imagine life without sublimation ink when you have an inkjet printer at home or need to work with that machine almost every day. Because sublimation ink is the primary component of using an inkjet printer and printing on paper. Furthermore, this ink is too strong since it is used to make permanent prints on paper, and stains cannot easily be removed.
While accidents don’t come by telling you, and a few amounts of sublimation ink fall suddenly on your shirt, you may feel very much tensed after thinking about how to remove sublimation ink from the shirt. However, we’ve researched various applications and arranged some techniques that can help you remove sublimation ink from your shirt.
Process of Removing the Sublimation Ink From Shirt
You already know that the stains or spills of the sublimation ink can be removed from clothing using some specific agents. So, when we talk about the shirt, there is also nothing to worry about. All you have to do is to follow a procedure for removing the sublimation ink.
1. Prepare Everything
In the beginning, you should prepare for your work area. To do such, select a flat surface and use a sheet of aluminum foil to cover it. Besides, you need to ensure that the area has a good ventilation system.
Not to mention, you can keep a fan nearby to help you dry with more speed. Plus, collect necessary elements such as iron, paper towels, distilled water, methyl or denatured alcohol, and some polymer crystals.
2. Work With The Shirt
After arranging the necessary things, pour denatured alcohol in a bucket and start submerging your shirt in that bucket. Specifically, you need at least 15 minutes of submerging process to break down the dye or sublimation ink. And, the denatured alcohol can do that well without damaging any cloth.
After soaking your shirt for 15 minutes, take it out. Now, take two clean paper towels and keep the shirt between them. Pressing the shirt between these towels will allow them to soak up the liquid. Usually, the towels will soak most of the liquid, and you can now rinse off the shirt properly. If you want, you can also put the shirt back into the denatured alcohol solution for another 15 minutes to break the ink better.
3. Dry The Shirt
At this stage, you need to dry your shirt using an iron. Put the shirt on a flat surface, including both paper towels. After that, iron them and make sure you continuously move your iron to keep the shirt safe and avoid burning. Plus, avoid pressing the iron too hard and touch the clothing only after being cool.
So, when you need to move or touch the hot shirt, wear hand gloves for safe handling. Don’t forget this task even if you don’t want to burn your hands. Thus, dry the shirt carefully using an iron.
4. Make Use Of Iron
If your shirt is dry enough now, place aluminum foil on the top and iron it again. Ironing for 5 minutes is enough to make your fabric stiffer here. Not to mention, you shouldn’t skip that step since it will help to restore your shirt’s fabric properly. Besides, making the fabric stiffer can make the next step easier.
5. Create a Polymer Solution
At this stage, you should create a mixture of denatured alcohol and polymer crystals. To do this, take a jar and put two tablespoons of crystals into it. Then, you need to add some alcohol until they dissolve completely. The solution should look like a syrupy mixture, and stirring it up will create a cloudy look.
Then, use some distilled water to moisten a clean paper towel. After that, wring it out to make sure the towel is not dripping. Instead, get the damp paper towel and dip it into the previously made polymer solution. Now, take out the paper towel for the final process.
6. Wash The Shirt
Finally, you can use the polymer-mixed paper towel to clean the inked area of the shirt. Gently, rub the polymer solution-based paper towel on the place of the stain. Mostly, the stains go away very easily. When there is still any stain left, dip the paper towel again in the polymer solution and repeat the rubbing until the shirt is fully clean.
Effects Of Sublimation Ink
Sublimation ink is one of the unique types when it comes to different color styles and categories. It is because the sublimation ink uses a totally different mechanism and is only suitable for inkjet printers. In this mechanism, the sublimation printing system mixes the fabric and ink together so that they cannot be separated.
When ink is used in digital printers, the effect of this dye is totally different. Because, in the sublimation process, the excess heat opens up the pores of the fabric or paper, and the ink gets inside these pores when released. After completing these processes, the fabric returns to a normal state, and the color remains permanent on the fabric. This way, the sublimation ink creates a permanent effect on the papers.
Considering the direct effect of this ink, it is not so different from other inks. If the sublimation ink is spilled on the skin, washing immediately can clean most of it. On the other hand, spilling on clothes is occasionally permanent, but using suitable chemicals or agents can remove it without any hassle.
Conclusion
Now, you know how to remove ink from a shirt that has been sublimated. Although there are many ways, we’ve shown only the most common and useful ones here. In these step-by-step processes of sublimation ink removal, you will be reducing the chance of remaining stained by following the process from start to finish. If all of your tries fail because of a prolonged and permanent sublimation ink stain, bleach the shirt for the last try, despite having high chance of damaging the fabric.
Leave a Reply