AI continues its commitment to be on the cutting edge of sublimation technology and invests time and energy into product research and development. Our in-house Material Scientist is vested solely in the development of new applications for sublimation technology. We are also dedicated to educating our employees so they will be knowledgeable on all the technological advancements made at AI. Our Account Representatives, Technical Support Staff and Customer Service Representatives must complete a corporate certification program in order to assist customers. We guarantee that each AI employee has an unsurpassed knowledge of the sublimation process and its advances, setting AI apart from others in the industry.

G7 Master
AI is proud to announce that we are the first and only G7 Master Printers for Press Offset Dye Sublimation in the world. This is a major accomplishment that allows us to print at the highest standards in the industry. Print buyers, agencies and marketers want to be able to make things “look the same,” regardless of where or how they’re printed. G7 is an improved method for matching color across multiple devices. It’s all about calibrating printing presses and proofing systems with the goal of repeatable, consistent color and images from proof to press, press to press and even facility to facility. The G7 specification is managed by IDEAlliance, and the biggest breakthrough is its emphasis on gray balance “target values” to monitor and control color.

Equipment
Our 109,000 square foot manufacturing facility is located in Corona, California, close to the heart of the Los Angeles fashion industry. From state of the art offset sublimation print production, large-scale printing equipment with CTP (Computer to Plate) pre-press technology, digital sublimation print capabilities, to our high volume transferring center (25 transferring machines), we can produce a wide range of runs from small to extremely large volumes.

Materials Testing/Science

Synthetic Composition
Sublimation inks transfer well onto synthetic surfaces such as polyester and rayon. This is because synthetic materials have pores that capture the sublimation ink when heated during the transfer process. Natural surfaces do not have pores and therefore cannot absorb the sublimation ink as synthetics do. We recommend that fabrics contain at least 40% synthetic to guarantee vibrant color from the sublimation process. The more synthetic material in the fabric’s composition, the more “pop” the color will have.

Fabric Coloration
From our experience, we have found that sublimation inks appear more vibrant on fabrics that are lighter than the color of the ink. Therefore, sublimation inks will not show up on a solid black fabric.

Fabric Testing
AI will test any fabric at various temperatures to determine how it will take to the sublimation heat transfer process. Fabric tests are conducted free of charge and can be coordinated through your Sales Representative or our Technical Support Staff.

Product Research & Development
AI has made a commitment to be on the cutting edge. AI’s renowned Material Scientist conducts research to develop and expand the implementations of AI’s sublimation technology. We are constantly seeking out applications of the sublimation process and expanding the array of fabrics suitable for sublimation.