Hello There Padawan!
Welcome to part two of my blog series on starting up your own sublimation business.
If you haven’t already, have a read of Part 1 or ‘Sublimation or Vinyl? Which is Best for Me?’ And ‘What on earth is sublimation and why is it awesome?’ or we can go ahead and dive straight into it.
It has been a couple of months since my last blog post. However, July was a hectic month with getting ready for my son starting Primary school (how is he 4 already?). Additionally, his birthday and 2 weeks away in Canada kept me busy; therefore, I just didn’t have the time to share my latest insights/ramblings.
I am still, however, accepting Guylian or Lindt chocolates as thank you gifts. 😛 😉
*Please note: I haven’t been asked to promote or sell items that I mention on this page. These have been purchased based on personal research. Please do the research to find the right software for you*
Do I Really Need Software?
Well…yes. You will need to be able to print your designs from your sublimation printer. In fact, this is pretty simple software; therefore, all you need to check is that the image is reversed when printed.
On the other hand, to resize your design so it fits onto your product correctly, or to make minor edits to your design or to scan your drawing so it can be printed, you will need a form of design or photo editing software.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular sublimation software’s out there.
Canva
I think everyone has heard of Canva. It’s an easy to use software that can produce some decent results, and many have been using it to design.
I haven’t used it myself; however, from what I have seen in videos online, it’s a nice bit of software and, consequently, will do pretty much everything you need it to do. There is even a free version of it which is great if starting out plus you can use it to help create social media content and use templates. Plus online tutorials to get you up to speed quickly. Bonus!
Canva Pro does offer extra features including background removal, file translation, being able to schedule social media content and more.
The downside I see to this, however, is that creating a vector design from scratch (like you would in Adobe Illustrator) is not easy. Furthermore, this feature is very simple, and consequently, you won’t get the quality or precision like you would in other software. Nonetheless, if all you are looking for is a software to transfer your designs from paper to digital to printer, then, indeed, this is perfect for you.
Pro: Free version available. Easy to use; therefore, it won’t take long to train up on it. Can be used to create social media templates. Free online tutorials. Phone app version available.
Con: Enhanced features only available in the paid version. Tools not highly advanced like you would find in other software. No vector art.
GIMP
GIMP has come a very long way since I used it in its early life. In fact, it is very much like Adobe Photoshop; however, it is free. Moreover, it does everything you will need it to do and more.
It could require some tutorial training to get up to speed with the software but once you are well versed in it you are off.
Pro: Free. Customisable, you have it set up the way you like it. Easy image manipulation tools. Create social media posts.
Con: Can take time to learn. As it is open source, developers work on this in their free time so it can be buggy and could take some time for updates. No phone or app version
Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
The heavy weights of the graphic design/photography world. Adobe has always been the industry leader and you can mostly rely on their products. I was trained using Adobe so I am comfortable with their products and know them very well, so it is very much my go to software. It has everything I need to do my digital designs and image manipulation. Illustrator is great for creating icons and more intricate designs. And Express has thousands of social media templates for you to use.
However, it is a bit of a monster. And is very intimidating to anyone not well versed in it. There are plenty of tutorials out there. So if you ever get stuck, a quick google will lead you to a tutorial somewhere on the internet. It is also expensive, and a free version hasn’t been available in years. They do have a 30 day trial so you can download it and give it a go. Just remember to cancel before the 30 days is up.
Pro: Create scalable vector designs. Cloud Library to keep your brand on hand in all areas of the software. Simplified phone versions of the software. Produces good results.
Con: Intimidating to use for some. Can take time to learn. Expensive. Additional costs in certain areas.
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Other Softwares are Available
This is just a small example of the software available. Budget is of course an important factor in this so take that into account when looking for software. Take a good look at what tools are available and if it has everything you need.
I would definitely recommend trialling the software. Just so you can to have an idea of what kind of workflow use and if it is the right software for you before committing to any subscription package (if you choose to do so)
*Please note: I haven’t been asked to promote or sell items that I mention on this page. These have been purchased based on personal research. Please do the research to find the right software for you*
I hope this was of help to you and I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog.
If you have any questions please use the comment section below or use one of my social media channels. If you have a recommendation on software you would like to share, please share in the comments below, let’s all help each other to succeed.
Until Next Time…
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