Sublimation Tie-Dye, No Dry, with Artesprix Ink Pads

March 18, 2025 Artesprix Design Team
Headband, Stamp Pads

Hello and welcome! My name is Linh from LVHandcrafted and I’ve got a groovy project for you today! Did you know you can tie-dye with sublimation ink? The best part about this type of tie-dying is, no mess, no blue fingers, no drying, just transfer and enjoy. Artesprix offers their Sublimation Ink Pads in a set of nine so you can see how easy this technique is for yourself!

**This post may contain affiliate links. That means that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher, but I may get compensated.**

What are Sublimation Arts & Crafts Supplies?

The word "sublimation" is a chemistry term that describes the process of a substance (like Iron-on-Ink) going from a solid state to a gaseous phase and skipping over the liquid phase. In the world of designing custom goods, sublimation offers a permanent way to transfer a design to a polyester surface. The result is a vibrant, custom designed product that is long-lasting and durable. If you’ve always wanted to try sublimation but thought you needed an expensive, specialty printer, you’re in luck because Artesprix makes it possible to sublimate without a sublimation printer!

Supplies:

Headband Blank

Protective Project Mat

Heat Resistant Gloves

Heat Source

Copy Paper/Cardstock

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Draw a spiral using pencil on a sheet of copy paper / printer paper. We’re going to use the entire 8.5” x 11” paper.

sublimation ink pad spiral design on plain paper

Step 2: I like bright rainbow colors, so I made my tie-dye design in rainbow color order: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue. Using just the edge of your ink pad, swipe lines following your spiral pattern.

sublimation ink pad spiral design in orange and yellow

Step 3: Move on to the next color being sure to overlap the previous color while extending outward.

sublimation tie-dye design on plain paper

Step 4: Cut the paper in half along the 8.5” edge so you have two pieces that are 4.25” x 11”.

Step 5: Tape your design to your blank.

sublimation headband secured to ink pad design

Pro Tip: I wrapped the design around to the back of the blank so it’ll have a more seamless look. I would not recommend this would a double sided blank, by doing it this way with headband fabric blank, it ensures less white shows on the edges.

Step 6: Place protective paper on top of the blank & design to create a "Sublimation Sandwich".

sublimation project with protective paper

Step 7: Press at 400°F for 45 seconds.

Step 8: Without moving any tape out of place, take a sneaky peek by lifting a corner of your design. If you feel like you got a good color transfer, let your blank continue to cool. If your transfer looks light, try re-pressing again perhaps with more pressure.

sublimation tie-dye design on headband after transfer

Step 9: Repeat steps 4-7 with the other half of the design on the back of the blank.

sublimation headband with sublimation ink pads

Step 10: Enjoy your groovy new headband!

artesprix headband with sublimation ink pads

I hope you’ve enjoyed my project on the Artesprix Blog! Share your next sublimation project in the Artesprix Iron-on-Ink Inspirational Group on Facebook, we would love to see your creations. Be sure to use the tags #Artesprix and #IrononInk so we don't miss it. If you want to learn more about me and see more projects click here: @LVHandcrafted.

Thanks so much for checking out my project. Have a fabulous day!

Linh Van