Sublimation has taken the crafting world by storm and each year, there are new blanks, hacks, and processes to make this printer craft even more fun! Here are my top 10 sublimation trends that I think we’ll see in 2024!
If you’ve been into sublimation crafting for a while, you’ll know just how far the industry has come in a few short years! Sublimation is a printer craft that allows you to transfer full-color images to a huge range of blank garments, drinkware, home decor products, and more. A lot of people come from the Cricut/Silhouette world, since there’s some overlap between the two types of crafting.
New to sublimation? You can learn all about sublimation in my book The Ultimate Guide to Sublimation Crafting! Also join us for Sublimation Camp, which we hold each May!
In just the last few years, sublimation hobbyists have gone from primarily making t-shirts and mugs to making all sorts of tumblers, tote bags, ornaments, earrings, sequined pillow cases, socks, glass drinkware, notebook covers, and more. There are hacks to sublimate on non-polyester or non-poly-coated blanks. It’s been fun to watch the progression of this industry!
In today’s post, I’m going to share some of the sublimation trends I think we’ll see in 2024. These include new types of blanks, sublimation hacks, and other industry trends. Of course, there will be amazing things that will be launched that I can’t foresee, but I do feel like the following 10 sublimation trends will be big in 2024!
Check out my Amazon shop featuring the blanks and printers featured in this post!
Watch the Video
Want to see this whole post in video form? Check out my video by just hitting play below! Then read on for a full overview of what I think will be trending in sublimation next year.
Unique Sublimation Blanks
Of course, new blanks are coming out all the time! I think this trend will continue as manufacturers try and find new and innovative blanks for crafters. Toward the end of 2023, I’m seeing new products that I think would be a lot of fun:
- Sublimation lanterns
- Winged sublimation ornaments
- Sublimation post-it note holders
- MDF sublimation benches
- Sublimation sippy cups
- Rhinestone sublimation jewelry
- Sublimation wireless charging pads
- Sublimation pong rackets
I expect that we’ll be seeing even more unique blanks throughout the new year!
Of course I do think that we’ll still see a lot of the staples that were popular in 2023: 20oz tumblers, glass cans, t-shirts, ceramic ornaments, wind spinners, and slates, in particular.
Acrylic Blanks
I also think that we’re going to see two specific types of blank materials take off this year. The first is acrylic. I started playing around with sublimatable acrylic in 2023, cut on my Glowforge Pro. I have a tutorial for this soon!
But now I’m seeing more manufacturer’s offering pre-cut sublimatable acrylic blanks. These are so much fun to sublimate (just make sure to stack a pile of heavy books once you’re done pressing so they don’t warp!). I’ve only seen a few so far, but I think we’re going to see more, including different shapes:
Laser + Sublimation Blanks
The second blank material is actually a combo material—blanks that can be both sublimated and laser cut. With more craft lasers coming on the market (see my reviews of the xTool M1 and the Glowforge Aura), the crossover between sublimation and laser crafting is increasing. So expect to see more dual-purpose blanks. A few I’ve seen include:
- Wood and sublimation coasters
- Sublimation cheese boards (video—I just used this blank for sublimation, but you can easily engrave the wood part of the board as well!)
Note that the sublimation acrylic that I talked about earlier cannot be cut on a craft (diode) laser. You need a stronger CO2 laser, like a Glowforge Pro or xTool P2.
Hydro Sublimation Transfers
A lot of people move from Cricut or Silhouette crafting to sublimation. But maybe you’re not ready to get a printer yet! There are lots of ways to do sublimation without a printer using a heat press you may already have for your cutting machine crafting, like a tumbler press.
My favorite has been these hydro sublimation transfers. My Youtube video for hydro sublimation transfers was one of my best videos all year. These transfers sublimate beautifully and the bottom and top edges of drinkware are particularly good.
People were really excited about this new product and I have a feeling we’ll see more hydro sublimation pattern options in 2024, as well as people using these on other blanks, like t-shirts.
Accessible Sublimation
As the market grows for sublimation, it means more and more competition. Overall, I think this means we are trending toward much more accessible sublimation for a wider variety of crafters.
First, we’re seeing sublimation printer prices come down as new companies enter the market. The new Brother SP-1, for example, gets you a sublimation-specific printer for under $400, which was unheard of just a year ago. You can read my review of the Brother SP-1—I really like it! I wouldn’t be surprised if more printer companies enter the sublimation market in the next year or two, forcing printer prices down even more.
Additionally, you can also walk into most craft stores and find a sublimation section. So instead of having to wait for a shipment from an online retailer, you can head to your local JOANN or Michaels and find sublimation blanks, paper, and even printers. For folks who want to make something quick, it’s amazing to have that access at their local stores.
Overall, with more manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, sublimation is becoming more accessible to a larger number of crafters. Which I think is really amazing. The more people that can see the magic of sublimation, the better!
AI Artwork
2023 was sort of the genesis of AI artwork in the sublimation space and I don’t think it’s going anywhere. In fact, I think AI will play a huge roll in sublimation designs for the foreseeable future.
Two big AI art trends in 2023 were 3D designs and stained glass designs. I think both of these will still be popular for a while (since we haven’t had a full year of these designs and I think both are so good for holidays like Valentine’s Day and Easter). I also think that we’ll see more trends like this that sort of explode out of nowhere, since AI basically gives anyone the capabilities to make whatever art they’d like, even if they don’t have the skillset to do it from scratch.
There are a lot of ethical concerns around AI that I would definitely look into, but I can tell you this much—AI art isn’t going away any time soon. We’ll be seeing even more companies coming out with their own generators and this market will absolutely grow in the next year. If you want to learn more about making AI art ethically, I highly recommend Jennifer Maker’s AI Art and Design course.
Hair Spray Hack
One hack I’ve seen more recently is using hair spray as a sublimation medium. From what I can tell, it started with the fun toilet paper sublimation projects people were making. Roll out a few sheets of your roll, spray a little hair spray, and then sublimate the roll. I’ve also seen people sublimating paper gift bags and paper pennants with the same hack.
Hair spray is made from polymers, which is what sublimation ink bonds to, so it’s actually a decent medium. Not sure if there are safety concerns with heating hair spray, so that might be something you want to consider.
This one is a fun hack to sublimate paper products (and maybe other blanks?) that’s easy and inexpensive. I bet we’ll see more people using this hack throughout the year.
Double Printing Hack
Just recently, I saw someone talking about double printing their sublimation prints. They’d print once, put it back in the printer, and print the same exact image right on top.
This means there’s a double layer of sublimation ink. I was curious if this one worked, so I tried it for myself on a glass mason jar cup. I was surprised at how much brighter the double printed sublimation print was, even though my overall image was pretty pale.
I don’t think this hack is necessary on all blanks, but on glass in particular, it was a great idea. Definitely going to see more people using this double printing hack, I think.
DTF Hack
Another trend I think we’ll see continue to grow in 2024 is the sublimation DTF (direct-to-film) hack. This is where you print with your sublimation printer on DTF film and then use a heat press to cure an adhesive powder to the back.
This hack is *everywhere* and for good reason. It allows you to put sublimation on a cotton shirt, which is not normally possible.
I’ve been reviewing a real DTF printer recently, and I have some reservations about this DTF hack. I don’t love curing the adhesive in a heat press. I think there are safety issues and most folks won’t take the time to outfit themselves properly to keep their lungs safe.
Plus you still can’t use it on dark fabrics because sublimation ink is transparent and there’s no white ink tank or cartridge in most printers.
That being said, there’s still a possibility that I’ll give this one a shot at some point! It’s definitely one that so many people are interested in and it’s here to stay for a while.
DTF Printer or White Toner Printer Upgrade
Finally I think we’re going to see more people starting to upgrade from their sublimation printer to a DTF printer or a white toner printer. Because sublimation needs that polyester or poly coating to work, there are some limitations. Both DTF printing and white toner printing work on dark and cotton fabrics, making them more versatile, especially for small businesses.
Of course, both of these methods are much more expensive than a sublimation printer, usually by thousands of dollars. So while I think the majority of crafters will stick with their sublimation printers, we’ll see some folks starting to upgrade or add on to their current sublimation set up.
So those are my predictions for next year—what do you think will be trending in 2024?
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