Dye-sublimation versus UV printing on tumblers - the consensus has it backwards

I keep reading on here that UV printing is the only way to go for full-color tumblers, but I think people are overlooking dye-sublimation for small runs. Last month I did a batch of 12 tumblers for a church fundraiser. I used a $200 used Sawgrass printer with dye-sub paper and a basic heat press attachment. The colors came out vibrant and they held up after three dishwasher cycles. Meanwhile my buddy who swore by UV had his clear coat peel on the fourth wash. Has anyone else done a side-by-side test on plain stainless steel tumblers with both methods?

2 comments

2 Comments

irisross3d ago

Oh yeah, sublimation on stainless with a good coating holds up way better than UV in my experience too.

felix3854d ago

Used to be in the UV camp all the way, but seeing how well your sublimation held up after those washes definitely has me rethinking my setup.