Color Correction Software: Three of the four main dye sublimation inks on the market now come with some type of color correction software at least for the PC. Some people successfully do color correction through their graphics programs or by setting up their own profiles in their printer drivers.Paper Cutter:Scanner:Additional graphics packages:
Digital camera: These definitely come in handy if you are doing photos for websites of your products or photographs of your customers to put onto items too.Heat tape:
Metal Cutter: If you’re planning on doing a lot of awards this is a must-have. You can get your metal pre-cut and custom cut from some of the distributors but if you stay in the business you’re going to want to have one.
So that is about it in the way of what you will need. There are some miscellaneous things like a circle cutter, cutting mat, glue, Teflon sheet, Teflon pillows, spray tack, UV protective spray, etc. that you may find helpful in producing products but these things may or may not be necessary depending on what items you will be pressing.
All of the products, except for the graphics software, scanner, digital camera and several of the miscellaneous items, mentioned in this article can be found on the www.orcacoatings.com page on this site.
Thank you to the people who were nice enough to read the article even though you are already sublimating and suggesting a few items I left off that you (and I in some cases) use on a regular basis.
Personally, I can’t live without heat tape but someone out there might be. This is used to tape transfers to everything, shirts, mugs, plaques, tiles, etc. to keep the transfer from shifting when you press. A tape dispenser for these large 3″ rolls is a very nice thing to have too. If you will be accepting graphic files from your customers you will most likely need more than one graphics package. This is really close to being a must, but there are people that may not need one. This is one of those things that are worth spending more than a few dollars on. An inexpensive one will do at first but as you start doing more and more you will want one of the professional types. Many people recommend professional photo cutters.