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Dye-Sublimation & UV Printing

Pixel 2 Editions offers both dye-sublimation and UV printing to meet a variety of creative and professional needs. These advanced techniques ensure your artwork and products are printed with precision, vivid colors, and lasting quality.

Dye-sublimation printing

A printing involves transferring dye onto a material through heat. The heat transforms the dye into a gas, allowing it to bond with the material on a molecular level, which results in a smooth, durable, and vibrant print. Dye-sublimation creates high-quality prints with rich colors that resist fading, peeling, or cracking. The result is smooth, full-color images.

Used for soft surfaces like fabrics, apparel, and home décor or products like mugs and photo panels where vibrant colors and long-lasting prints are essential. It’s great for high-quality image reproduction on textiles or coated items.

Order

  • Surfaces

    Ideal on surfaces that have a polyester coating or are made of synthetic materials:

    • Metal
    • Ceramic tiles
    • Glass
    • Plastics
    • Wood

  • Best Uses

    • Photography Prints: Metal photo panels with high-definition images.
    • Ceramic tiles: Coasters

  • Advantages

    • Colors won’t peel, crack, or fade over time.
    • Produces crisp details, vibrant colors, and long-lasting prints.

Dye-Sublimination

Metal Prints

  • Clear Gloss

    • Finish: Clear gloss metal has a translucent surface that allows the metal’s natural sheen to show through. This creates a metallic effect that interacts with the printed image, adding depth and a reflective quality.
    • Color & Detail: Since there is no white base, colors appear slightly muted, and highlights may adopt a metallic sheen. Lighter areas in the image will reveal more of the metal’s natural color.
    • Best Use: Ideal for artwork or photography where an industrial, metallic look is desired, and where the texture of the metal adds to the visual appeal. It works well with images that have strong contrasts and darker tones.

    $36 per sq ft

    Maximum size print is 40"x30"

  • White Gloss

    • Finish: White gloss metal has a bright, opaque base layer, ensuring that colors remain vivid and true to the original image. The gloss finish adds a polished look with high color vibrancy.
    • Color & Detail: The white base allows for accurate color reproduction, providing high contrast and preserving the full tonal range of the image. Whites appear crisp, and colors are more intense and accurate.
    • Best Use: Suitable for any artwork or photograph where color fidelity and detail are essential. It’s ideal for portraits, landscapes, or any piece where you want the colors to appear as they would on a traditional print.

    $36 per sq ft

    Maximum size print is 40"x30"

  • Metal Print Framing

    Metal prints can be framed with float frames and wood moulding or hung using a metal backing, available in both Light and Heavy Duty options for the same price.

    Framing is $15 per square foot.

UV Direct Printing

UV printing uses ultraviolet light to cure or dry ink as it is applied directly onto the surface of a material. The ink sits on top of the material, and the UV light instantly hardens the ink, creating a durable print. This technique prints directly surfaces up to 2 inches thick. It is ideal for producing vibrant, durable prints with sharp detail and high color accuracy. Our UV printing services ensure professional quality with lasting impact.

Used for hard surfaces and products like signage, glass, wood, metal, and acrylic where durability and vibrant colors are key. It’s perfect for indoor/outdoor applications, custom products, and displays.

Order

  • Surfaces & Pricing

    Applied to a wide variety of hard surfaces up to 2" thick including:

    • Acrylic/Plastic: $30/sq ft
    • Glass
    • Metal: $35/sq ft
    • Birch wood: $30/sq ft (0.5" thick)
    • Bamboo wood: $38/sq ft (0.5" thick), $48/sq ft (over 0.5" thick)
    • Ceramic tiles
    • Vinyl
    • Your own material: $15/sq ft ($75 minimum order)

  • Best Uses

    • Hard Surfaces: Ideal for materials like glass, metal, or wood where you want vivid colors and a blended look.
    • Custom Products: Items like plaques, or acrylic displays.
    • Signage: Durable indoor and outdoor signage.

  • Advantages

    • Can print on almost any hard surface.
    • Highly durable and fade-resistant for outdoor or heavy-use applications.
    • Provides smooth, even color on hard surfaces.

Dye-sublimation vs UV Printing

Comparison of Title Prints

  • Dye-Sublimation Printing

    • Color: The colors in the UV print appear more vivid with stronger contrasts.
    • Detail: The print maintains sharper details, especially around edges, enhancing the image’s clarity.
    • Surface finish: The tile has a slight gloss, enhancing the depth and dimension of the colors. The surface may also have a slight reflective quality, which can add visual interest, especially in well-lit environments.

  • UV Direct Printing

    • Color: The colors appear softer and less vibrant compared to the dye-sublimation tile.
    • Detail: The texture seems more blended, giving the image a softer overall appearance.
    • Surface finish: The finish has a more even, uniform appearance, without much gloss or shine, making it suitable for a matte or non-reflective effect.

Overall Results

  • Dye-Sublimation: Delivers richer colors, sharper details, and a glossier finish, making it ideal for artwork that benefits from a bold, high-contrast look.
  • UV Printing: Provides a softer, more matte finish with less vibrant colors, suitable for applications where subtlety is preferred.

The choice between these methods depends on the desired aesthetic; dye-sublimation is best for vivid, detailed presentations, while UV printing offers a softer, more integrated appearance.

Client Testimonials

  • Ali K., San Diego, CA

    Astounding quality & service! The owner Mark has gone out of his way to provide multiple color proofs & work with me to get an exact color match for my paintings. The prices are also very affordable & the staff is incredibly friendly! I would highly recommend getting your art printed here!

  • Nicole W., San Diego, CA

    Quality, affordable canvas stretching! Very impressed! Pixel 2 was by far the best price! The folks are knowledgeable and responsive, so I was able to coordinate pick up and drop off easily since I love and work a ways away. Highly recommend!

  • M T K., Sabre Springs, San Diego, CA

    I was referred to this company by my photography teacher, Theresa Jackson. She spoke highly of Mark O'Donnell's company and the professional service he provides. I took work to him while he was in the process of moving. Despite the unsettling atmosphere of moving he worked endlessly to get my projects completed. His work is "beautiful, amazing, and gracious."

    When I initial went to Mark I had questions regarding placing my images onto metal and three others onto fabric. I believe because of his longevity in this field he put me at ease regarding my questions to put my photography on fabric, and metal for my mixed media photography class. My mixed medium photography came out beautiful.

    I would like to extend a long overdue THANK YOU to Mark and company for his unrelenting professionalism.

  • Donna H., San Diego, CA

    I am so impressed with Pixel 2 Editions! The quality of their work, customer service, turnaround time, is outstanding! And their prices are more than competitive. I would not go anywhere else to have giclee scans made of my paintings. I have had canvas, metal and watercolor paper prints produced by them. All gorgeous. The framing they offer is top notch and extremely reasonable. They ship original paintings as well as the prints. Their willingness to spend time with you to make sure you are satisfied with every step of the process is so important, when you have put so much time into your work! They value your work as much as you do.

  • Erin B., Gilbert, AZ

    We have been coming here for a few years. We have a lot of art prints and reproductions that they help us with but they are literally able to take any image and transfer it onto almost anything with amazing quality. The staff here is amazing to work with. Donna is the best and so efficient and Mark is a master at making our art look amazing. We love them so much that we continue to come to them all the way from Arizona to get our work done for us.