Avoid These Common Sublimation Mistakes

Perfection is Overrated

If you've ever watched a sublimation reveal and thought, "That looked far too easy," let me reassure you—it isn't always!

After four years of running my UK handmade business, I've learned that even experienced sublimation printers make mistakes. Some are tiny, some are frustrating, and a few make you wonder whether the heat press is plotting against you.

If you'd like to see what products I create using sublimation, have a look at my New Sublimation Products for Summer 2026 blog.

The good news? Every mistake teaches you something.

Here are five sublimation mistakes I've made (some more than once!) and what I've learned from them.

---

5. Not Using the Right Heat Tape

This mistake cost me one perfectly good blank—and taught me not to trust every product description online!

I bought some tape off Amazon that said it was heat tape. Only to find it wasn't as advertised after sublimating. 

Heat tape is used to keep the paper in place while it's being heated in the press. Heat tape won't melt in the heat like normal plastic.

It's normally a yellow/orange colour to help make it easier to identify compared to regular tape and isn't supposed to leave a mark.

Sadly, this tape wasn't as advertised and left horrible marks on white products. 

I have bought the tape I normally use (it was out of stock, hence why I bought a different tape) and now labelled it to make sure I don't get the 2 mixed up in the future.

4. Forgetting to Mirror the Design

This is quite a common thing to do with sublimation printers. It's important to check that the image will be reversed for printing. Luckily, my Epson F100 has this as default when you install the program.

Though I didn't know this when I did my first print 🤣

It's also common to accidentally put your printout upside down when attaching it to products. Luckily, I catch them before I start pressing, but so it's still important to double-check before it goes to the heat press.

3. Forgetting to Use the Lint Roller

I use a lint roller for my textile products (Tote bags, tea towels, and aprons); it cleans the surface before pressing. Otherwise, you could end up pressing in some dirt, etc., and it becomes part of the product.

Some products I roll again after pressing to help fluff up the material a bit more (the press can squish the surface).

I don't use my textile products much, so I forgot this step, but luckily remembered before committing the design to the heat press.

2. Faded Designs

This happens when the pressure is uneven, the temperature or to short of a press timing. 

Mug presses tend to have a gap at the top, so often that area is the problem. I make sure I rotate the item (carefully) to make sure all areas are in the heat and the design transfers over.

1. Too Eager to See the Design

This is the most common mistake I make. Every time I test a brand-new design, I convince myself that if I peel the paper off one second earlier, I'll somehow see the magic happen faster.

This happens because the product is still in its gas form. The product is also still hot, so any movement could cause the design to smear.  

Sometimes I just leave the product to cool down before removing the sublimation paper. However, that can cause issues, as things can shrink as they cool

Unfortunately, sublimation doesn't reward impatience!

---

Learning From My Mistakes

Looking back, none of these mistakes was disasters.

They were simply part of learning.

Every ruined blank, wonky transfer or faded design has helped me improve my products, refine my process and become more confident in my business.

Even now, after four years, I'm still learning—and honestly, I hope I always will.

Creativity isn't about getting everything perfect the first time. It's about trying, improving and occasionally laughing at yourself when things don't quite go to plan.

If you're new to sublimation, you might also enjoy my post explaining why sublimation gifts last so long, where I explain how the printing process works.