Shake off the winter blues by creating new hot gifts with sublimation!

Combining the power of sublimation with the richness of glass creates personalized gift items that are stunning. Colors illuminate under the glass, turning an ordinary household item into a “one of a kind” product for the personalized gift market.

With only a few exceptions, most glass sublimation is created on the back of the substrate; therefore, the viewer looks “through” the glass to view the sublimated image. The glass could be textured or smooth, but either way, the glass offers a shimmery, iridescent quality to the finished product.

Favorite vacation spots, family photos, art work, logos and clip art can be enjoyed throughout the year when an image is sublimated onto merchandise that will enhance any home or office.

Sublimation brings to life a photo of a sailboat and beach scene. In our example, a digital photo was taken at a Florida Gulf beach. The tranquil day on the beach was captured with beautiful blue water, white sandy beaches, and a blue sky—a peaceful moment in time caught amid an otherwise hectic schedule of juggling day-to-day activities.

The added dimension of the glass draws the viewer into a day at the beach. Sublimatable glassware improves the tranquility of the photo by creating an illusion of being drawn in through a looking glass.

Two items were created using this photo: a cutting board and a wall clock. The cutting board created with the photo uses tempered glass with a brushed texture that is recessed into an oak-finished wood accent that is perfect for any kitchen. This cutting board is offered in cherry or maple stain finish. A similar cutting board can be found in a circular shape with a handle. Both styles have a hole that makes the finished product suitable for wall hanging.

The 12-inch diameter wall clock is bold and modern. A frame is not necessary to complete this fabulous product. This clock can be hung on the wall or displayed in a wire holder. This clock features a smooth glass finish; a red second hand is the perfect accent to the red boat sail. Sublimatable wall clocks are also available in a smaller size and in a textured glass finish.

Frameless cutting boards are also available for sublimation. They come in a variety of sizes, including 16” x 12”and 12” x 8” rectangles, and 8” and 12”round. The one pictured with this article is an 8” x 12” rectangle with radiused corners. The image is a simple group shot of a vacation getaway with family friends. The cutting board was created as a gift for each family upon return from the vacation. Personalization adds flair to any gift; sharing a favorite memory in a unique way makes it even more fun!

A wine bottle-shaped cutting board is already unique in its shape, but adding personalization makes it even better. Imprint with a photo of a home, or artwork that resembles a wine bottle label and a surname—the perfect way to personalize this product. Other ideas are family crests, city or state emblems, or individual monograms. We created our wine bottle-shaped cutting board for a local country club women’s golf group for year-end gifts. The board features the club photo and logo. Sublimation offers limitless possibilities for the personalized gift market. This glass bottle design is available for sublimation as a coated or a frosted product.

Do not underestimate the usability of the finished product. In addition to decorating your kitchen, the cutting boards work great to protect your countertops from knife scrapes and scars. Knives glide right over the surface, and the surface easily wipes clean.

Protect your den or office furniture with handsome coasters that are created on sublimatable glass. Photos of seashells, starfish, and sea horses adorn these coasters. The imagery is improved, combining beautiful sublimation inks with glass. The luster of the glass adds a sophisticated quality to the finished product.

Glass coasters for sublimation are available in 4” circles or squares. Stylish black wire coaster caddies in square or circle shapes can be purchased to display the finished product. Other coaster caddies are offered in wood in a variety of shapes and stain colors.

Personalizing trivets for the home can be fun, especially when embellished with a black wire frame. Pretty to look at and fun to use, a trivet can accent any kitchen perfectly.

What better way to enjoy a cool beverage than in a frosted glass stein? Ours has a simple clipart sun with welcoming text added for additional personalization. The flexibility of sublimation allows you to create personalized products for you and your customers.

A sublimatable glass tabletop housed in a black steel open design is fashionable. Perfect for a patio room or casual den area, this sublimatable occasional table can accent any room with distinction. Sublimating with artwork featuring a sunflower to reflect yellow walls, and a sunny appeal of a home, this table is ideal. The table is available in nearly a 14” square or circle and stands 22.5 inches. The table ships flat, and is very easy to assemble.

Take notice that your sublimation printer can print large transfers prior to ordering this piece. Also, your heat press will need to be able to handle larger pieces.

Sublimatable glass offers unique qualities. The richness and elegant appearance of the glass is contemporary and sophisticated. There is a wide choice of products available for glass sublimation through your sublimation distributor. This product will certainly delight you and your customers.

GLASS SUBLIMATION PROCESS

Most sublimatable glass products are coated on the back with a white imprintable coating. The sublimation inks are imprinted on the back of the product with intended viewing from the front of the product. The back coating is generally white, and does not allow for the passage of light. Sublimation hues therefore appear bright and vivid. Frosted sublimatable glass allows for the passage of light. This product would generally be considered to be somewhat see-through. The sublimated imprint does not appear as bold as white-coated products. Frosted sublimatable glass products are unique in that they have a different effect from white coated products; colors may not appear as bold, but the product is distinctive.

Sublimating on glass is much like any other sublimatable product. Start by creating your transfer. For our example, we will use the photo of a sailboat at the beach. The photo was sent via email as an attachment. The photo was received and brought over to PhotoShop for color correction and editing. For the cutting board, the original photo was cropped at the top and bottom to fit the slender shape of the rectangle. Conversely, the large circle shape required some additional work; using PhotoShop, the sky was cloned and replicated to fit the upper top of the circle. The bottom of the photo was stretched to fit the lower portion of the circle.

With editing and color correcting complete, print your transfer slightly oversized for your product. Do not mirror your transfer like you have for other sublimatable products, because with glass, the sublimation is from the back of the raw material with viewing from the front; therefore, it is not necessary to reverse the transfer. The only exception is with the glass mug; the transfer for the mug is to be reversed as you would for any other mug for sublimation.

Begin by covering the heat press with protective paper or a Teflon sheet. Secure the transfer with heat-resistant tape or light adhesive spray. Place the product on the heat press with the coating side up; transfer down on the glass product, and cover the product with a silicon rubber pad. Failure to use the rubber pad will cause the transfer paper to stick to the product, destroying the raw material. Close the press. Press at 400 degrees for the specified time for each product. A coaster will take five minutes, and the time will increase as the size of the sublimatable product increases; a large cutting board will take nine minutes. Follow manufacturer’s recommendations for pressing specifications or directions.

Use care to not scratch off the back coating. Cool the product and apply rubber feet to the finished product if necessary.

There are many new and exciting glass products for sublimation. Call your sublimation distributor to discuss gifts that would appeal to your customer base or open up new markets that will increase sales and your bottom line.