Can You Do Sublimation On Wood? 5 Methods That Work!

Instructions

STEP 1: GET OR PREPARE A SUBLIMATION DESIGN

You can use any of my Sublimation on Wood design files from my resource library, Design #455. You can also make your own design.

Download the files and pick your design. There are five options:

The Four Seasons of Gnomes

The Winter Gnome

The Spring Gnome

The Summer Gnome

The Fall Gnome

All these designs have a blank version for personalization. I'll show you how to customize that version of the gnome group.

Measure your wooden sign blank. Mine is 10" at the widest and tallest points, so we'll use that dimension to resize the design if needed.

Open Google Docs in the Google Chrome web browser on your computer. You can also download and open the Google Docs app, but be aware that you won’t be able to install or access any printer profiles from a mobile device, and you’re also limited in features, so I do not recommend it on a mobile device. (Note: You will need a free Google account to use the free Google Docs software.)

With Google Docs open, click on "Blank" in the upper left corner to open a new document.

Go to the "File" menu and select "Page Setup". Change your margins to “0” and change your Paper Size to match your sublimation paper size. Mine is 8.5" x 11".

Go to the "Insert" menu, select "Image", and select "Upload from Computer". Locate the sublimation design you want to use (hint: it’s probably in your Downloads folder), and click "Open". The image will appear and fill your page — it will not necessarily come in at the size originally designed.

Resize your image to fit your blank. To resize right-click the image, select "Image Options," make sure the "Lock aspect ratio" box is checked, and change the Width or Height field. For the four gnomes image, I set my image size to 8.5" x 4.83" so there's still room for some text. If you are using one of the single gnome designs, I suggest 4.24" x 9.05". This will cause the gnome to bleed off the edge, but it's a great effect for the sign and fills the space nicely with text to the side.

Adjust the image on your page by selecting it, then click on the second icon from the left in the menu below it, which means “Wrap Text”.

Now, you can click and drag the image anywhere on your page. I recommend putting your design in the center of your page, as that ensures it won’t get cut off at the edges and you have plenty of space for cutting/tearing edges.

If you want to personalize your design with text, go to the "Insert" menu, select "Drawing," and "New."

In the Drawing dialog box that appears, click the Text box icon near the top, the square with a T in it.

Click, drag, and release in the drawing area to create a text box.

Type your text, choose your font and size, and click Save & Close. I chose "Luckiest Guy" and 50 for the size.

Now just click on your new text and choose the fifth icon from the left, “Wrap Text (in front of text)” from the menu that appears below it.

You can now reposition your text anywhere on your page. If you need to change anything about your text, click Edit from the menu below it. I centered mine by eye.

Print the design following my earlier Sublimation Design Printing tutorial.

STEP 2: PREPARE THE WOOD BLANK

I tested out several materials to help sublimate on wooden signs: lamination pouches, Clear Dye Sublimatable HTV, and polycrylic coating. I also transfered the design onto a specially-made sublimation blank of the same shape and size to compare the results. Here's how to try each approach.

For the wood signs, the most important step is making sure the wood blank does not have any moisture in it by preheating. Even if it doesn't feel like it, there is moisture in the wood! And I have found that this excess moisture will cause the sublimation transfer to ghost or smudge.

To preheat your blank, turn on your heat press (I'm using a Cricut Autopress) and set the temperature to 380° and time to 50 seconds.

Once the temperature has been reached, place a clean piece of white cardstock on the pressing area and put the wood blank on top of it. Place a clean sheet of white butcher paper on top and press.

If you notice "smoke" coming out of your press, don't worry! Nothing is burning, that's actually steam!

Now that the wood blank has been dried out, we can prepare the surface for sublimation. Each of the methods works on the plain wood sign, but painting it white will help the design's colors be more true to the original and limits warping in thinner rounds. I'll show you comparisons.

Pour a small amount of white latex paint into your paint tray.

TIP: For easy clean up, place a large piece of Press and Seal food wrap on the bottom of your paint tray. Start by pressing the wrap onto the bottom and then adhere it to the sides of the tray. When you are done painting, peel off the wrap and throw it away.

Protect your work surface with butcher paper. Using a foam roller, spread the paint evenly on the wood blank - you only need to paint one side. Let it dry completely before continuing, I'd give it a good hour. The paint should be dry to the touch and you fingers should not have any paint on them. I found that one coat of paint does the trick, feel free to add another coat just make sure that it is dried before you continue.

TIP: To help dry your paint place your wooden blank on a piece of butcher paper on your heat press and turn it on. The temperature can be set around 300°.

STEP 3: SUBLIMATE YOUR DESIGNS

Today, I’m going to sublimate the Four Seasons of Gnomes design on a 10" wooden blank, but you can use these steps for any of the design options in the collection.

Be sure to open a window or set up a fan to improve your ventilation. 

Lamination Pouches

The 11" x 17" lamination pouches are great for covering a large area like the wooden blanks.

Set your heat press to 375° and the time to 15 seconds.

Separate the laminate pouch and cut one side of the pouch large enough to cover the entire circle.

Place a clean piece of white cardstock on the pressing area. Put your dry painted wood blank on top, face up.

Lint roll the wood blank to remove any debris that will interfere with the process, then place the laminate sheet dull side down. The laminate can go over the edges of the sign, but make sure it doesn't exceed the size of the cardstock!

Cover everything with a clean sheet of butcher paper. Press for 15 seconds.

When the time is up, remove the cardstock then carefully remove the blank. The laminate might stick to the cardstock, just gently peel away the paper.

Next, place the wood blank face down on a self-healing cutting mat and trim away any excess laminate with a craft knife.

Now, we're ready to sublimate! First, feather the edges of the design by gently ripping around the edges of the paper. This will help smooth the transition, because the cut edge of the sublimation paper can indent the laminated surface.

To help with alignment, note the center of the design on the back with a little pencil mark. Place your print face down on the prepared blank, then use a ruler to find the center of the sign and line up the pencil mark.

Secure the print with heat resistant tape.

Press at 375° for 90 seconds.

When the time is up, you can remove the butcher paper. To prevent ghosting, leave the print to cool for a couple of minutes to let the sublimation process complete. After it has cooled, remove the tape and paper.

Clear Dye Sublimatable HTV

Use Clear Dye Sublimatable HTV for a less shiny, matte look.

Set your press to 320° and time to 20 seconds.

Cut a piece of the HTV a little larger than the wood circle.

Lint roll the wood blank.

Place a clean piece of white cardstock on the pressing area. Put your dry, painted wood blank on top face up followed by the Clear Dye Sublimatable HTV, dull side down, shiny side up. Make sure that the HTV doesn't exceed the size of the cardstock! Again, it's ok if it goes over the edges of the sign.

Cover everything with a clean sheet of butcher paper. Press for 20 seconds.

When the time is done, carefully remove the butcher paper and blank. The vinyl might stick to the cardstock, just gently peel away the paper.

Make sure the wood blank is completely cooled off before proceeding, usually about 5-10 minutes.

Next, place the wood blank face down on a self-healing cutting mat and trim away any excess vinyl with a craft knife.

Now we need to peel the carrier backing away from the HTV. This can be a bit tricky. Using a fingernail, gently pry the backing away from the edge of the wood blank. The HTV might peel a little bit off of the wood, if this happens, just hold it down with your thumb and carefully remove the backing from the rest of the vinyl on the wood blank.

Set your heat press to 380° and the time to 50 seconds.

Place a clean sheet of white cardstock on your press and put the wood blank on top, face up.

For the Clear Dye Sublimatable HTV, I recommend not trimming your print and letting the edges of the paper hang over.

Place your print face down on the prepared blank. To help with alignment, note the center of the design on the back with a little pencil mark. Place your print face down on the prepared blank, then use a ruler to find the center of the sign and line up the pencil mark.

Secure your print with heat resistant tape. Try to tape your print to the protective cardstock on the bottom. I found that the heat resistant tape tends to really stick to the HTV and started to pull the HTV off of the wood.

Press at 380° for 50 seconds.

When the time is up, you can remove the butcher paper. To prevent ghosting, leave the print to cool for a couple of minutes to let the sublimation process complete. After it has cooled, remove the tape and paper.

Polycrylic Coating

To apply the polycrylic coating to the painted wood blank, use a paint brush instead of a roller. Using a roller made the surface very bumpy. Make sure to use a lint roller to remove any dust or debris before starting, too.

Let this coat dry completely before continuing - about an hour. The surface should be dry to the touch and not sticky. I found that one coat of polycrylic was good for the transfer.

Set your press to 375° and the time to 90 seconds.

Place a clean piece of white cardstock on the pressing area. Put your dry painted wood blank on top of that, face up.

Lint roll the wood blank to remove any dust.

Place your print on the wood blank and secure with heat resistant tape, face down. To help with alignment, note the center of the design on the back with a little pencil mark. Place your print face down on the prepared blank, then use a ruler to find the center of the sign and line up the pencil mark.

Try to tape your untrimmed print to the protective cardstock on the bottom. I found that some of the paint peeled off when the tape was being removed.

When the time is up, let it cool to avoid ghosting and remove from the press.

Paper tends to stick to the polycrylic but if you use a damp sponge you can remove the paper easily. Most of the paper came up easily using the soft side of the sponge. If you have some paper that is really stubborn, it's ok to use the scrubber side of the sponge.

Sublimation Blank

If you want to skip all the preparation steps, you can purchase sublimation blanks just like the signs.

Set your press to 365° and time to 10 seconds.

Make sure to peel the protective plastic off the blank before you put it in the press. Preheat at 365° for 10 seconds.

Place a clean piece of white cardstock on the press then the sublimation blank, face up. To help with alignment, note the center of the design on the back with a little pencil mark. Place your print face down on the prepared blank, then use a ruler to find the center of the sign and line up the pencil mark. Secure your print with heat resistant tape and cover it with clean white butcher paper.

Press at 365° for 90 seconds.

When the time is up, you can remove the butcher paper. To prevent ghosting, leave the print to cool for a couple of minutes to let the sublimation process complete. After it has cooled, remove the tape and paper

Results

I got varying results with each method. The clear winner is the sublimation blank! The colors were crisp and it's the fastest way to make a cute sign.

For the wood blanks, you can sublimate on the natural unpainted surface, but you lose a lot of detail and the color is muted and they can warp. Painting them white first helps with both challenges. If your heart is set on an unpainted look, try using a thicker wood blank.

If your wood blank warps, use a sponge and water to dampen the unfinished side. Set the sign on a couple sheets of butcher paper and place heavy books on top. Leave this over night and the sign should straighten a bit, but it's really worth using a thicker blank instead!

The best of the wood signs is the lamination pouch. It's easy to prepare and the colors are vivid.

Next is the clear dye sub HTV, I like this method because of the matte finish, it's not as shiny as the other two.

The polycrylic works well enough, but there is a lot of extra work trying to get the paper off the wood.

I also tried a spray subli glaze. This method had a few extra steps like curing the blank in a non-food oven. The smell was really bad and the end result was low on the success rate compared to the methods I just showed you. I do not recommend this method.

STEP 4: SHOW IT OFF

Add the included rope hanger to the sublimation blank by threading one end of the rope through one of the holes from the back. Tie a small knot at the end and pull tight. Repeat for the second hole.

For the wood rounds I added a picture hanger to the back. Looking at the front, note the top center by placing a piece of tape and wrapping it over the edge to the backside. This will not only help you determine the center, but also make sure you don't put the hanger on lopsided.

Measure 3 " down from the top of the circle and mark with a pencil.

Peel off the backer from the adhesive and place the bottom of the hanger on the 3" mark. Make sure it has stuck to the wood and gently bend the top tab back just a little bit.