Sublimation Print Your Own Designs

by Tim Prentiss

To sublimation print something at the library all you need is a photo (in .jpg form). Virtually any picture on your phone can be uploaded to Sawgrass (the platform we use for our printing--you can get a free account here) and printed on whatever sublimation blank we have available.  

But, if you would like to do some advance preparation, you can create your own designs, easily getting some unexpected and striking results using tools that are free (online editing and filtering sites like Canva and PhotoMania) or you already have on your computer (Microsoft Paint or Apple Photo). Just be sure your image fits the dimensions of the item you want to print on (listed below), and bring a flash drive with your .jpg to one of our Quad sublimation printing days. 

I hope these recent projects of mine give you some ideas:

Mug

This started out as a fairly boring picture I'd taken of the south side of the Downtown Reno Library. I put the picture in an online filter and played with the settings until it sort of looked like a Kandinsky. Then I threw on a library logo and a border in Canva. 

Mug full wrap size maximum dimensions: 3.5 X 8 inches*

Coasters

In another attempt to mimic a famous artist, I decided to try to create something that looked like if Andy Warhol made a portrait of one of my daughter's stuffed animals. Again I took a photo and put it through some filters. Though in this case I first removed the background using Microsoft Paint. Then, in Canva, I added the word “elephant” (because that’s what it is) and an exclamation point (because elephant sightings can be alarming).

The second coaster uses original art made by my daughter. I took a picture of the drawing with my cell phone and added the background color in Microsoft Paint.  

Coaster dimension: 3 X 3 inches*

Bookmark

I've seen many bookmarks featuring inspiring quotes about reading, and I decided to create my own. First I found a quote by someone I admire, then I paired it with a relevant stock image in Canva.  

Bookmark dimension: 5 x 1.25 inches*

*All dimensions are subject to change based on the availability of supplies. 

Check our calendar of events for sublimation printing events, or contact Brent Collamer (bcollamer@washoecounty.us) to arrange a one-on-one training.