When choosing a lanyard printing option, you will have three choices: woven, screen-printing and dye sublimation. These are all incredibly effective ways to create a branded lanyard, but the process for creating each one is very different. The final result is also very different, so it’s important to choose the right one for your needs.
In this guide, we will look at one popular type of lanyard printing method. It is called dye sublimation and it can be used on a variety of polyester and PET lanyards. The result is a smooth and satin finish lanyard with almost photo-quality printing. If you’re dedicated to your brand and want to make a big impact with your lanyards, dye sublimation is a great choice.
WHAT ARE DYE SUBLIMATION LANYARDS?
Dye sublimation lanyards are made from polyester satin. They are printed in full colour on both sides, so you can choose the overall look and feel of the entire lanyard. With other printing methods, you might be limited to around three colours, but dye sublimation can produce near photo quality finishes with Pantone matched colours.
They’re incredibly comfortable to wear thanks to the satin finish and are also waterproof, making them suitable for outdoor events. Dye sublimation lanyards offer an incredibly professional finish that will be perfect for branding your event.
HOW DOES DYE SUBLIMATION WORK?
Dye sublimation works by pressing the design onto the polyester satin fabric using a sublimation process. The design is printed onto transfer paper and then stamped onto the polyester fabric. The sublimation process uses heat to move the image from the transfer paper to the fabric and bond it to the material. The result is a perfect-picture image of your design on both sides of the lanyard. This process is only suitable for printing onto polyester as this produces the brightest and most vivid results.
WHICH DESIGNS ARE BEST SUITED TO DYE SUBLIMATION?
If you have a full-colour design that you would like to print on a lanyard, this type of full-colour printing works the best. If you want a single colour logo, woven lanyards or printed lanyards might be more effective. Dye sublimation can produce incredible detail and vivid colours, so it’s perfect for full-colour, photographs, patterned backgrounds, intricate text and highly detailed designs. The result is a satin-smooth lanyard that will not peel or fade away.
WHAT IS THE ORDERING PROCESS?
If you’re interested in dye sublimation lanyards for your company or event, head to our order form to find out more. You can choose the width of your lanyard, and all lanyards will be created to the standard length of 33-34 inches. You can then select your design files and we will help you to turn this into a lanyard design.
If you only have a rough idea of how it should look, we can help you to finalise the design before it is sent to print. The lanyards will then be finished with a safety break away clasp at the top and a lobster clasp on the bottom. We offer express delivery on some items, which means you could get your dye sublimation lanyards in 3-5 days.
