Sublimation Adventure:
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Lewis Carroll
‘No, no! The adventures first,’ said the Gryphon in an impatient tone: ‘explanations take
such a dreadful time.’
By David Gross
Photo 1
nd so it is with the world of sublimation. One of my favorite
applications for sublimation
has always been tile murals. These come
in many forms, including kitchen backsplashes, bathroom murals, glass floor
murals, bar murals, and many more.
I installed my first mural about 14 years
ago after walking into the front door of our
local Lowe’s and asking if I could install a
custom back splash in one of their demo
kitchens. (I can only guess what they
thought.) They accepted, and with their
help on how to grout—mission accomplished! (See Photo 1)
Ever since, I’ve been preaching about
murals and how the market has exploded
with works of art that are nothing short
of amazing. The rest is history.
Reprinted from THE SUBLIMATION ALMANAC 2008 Q&A
Looking Up
As Captain Kirk explores the final frontier, we look to the ceiling as the great untapped
resource to point our digital decorating resources. Applications range from home theatres,
game rooms, sports bars, day cares, examining rooms, waiting rooms, and retail stores—the
list is endless. Just think of the serenity of looking up at a relaxing scene the next time you
visit the dentist!
After much
research, we recently
began offering our
DyeTrans ceiling
tiles—a poly fiber
material that has
excellent sublimation
characteristics, superior acoustic properties, and is easily cut.
Since ceiling tiles are
usually either 2’ x 4’
or 2’ x 2’, you might
not have the equipment needed to print
and transfer at this
Photo 2
size. That’s where our
Print Services Department can help out by printing and/or pressing the job for you. After
several successful jobs, you might decide that it makes sense to invest in a large-format
sublimation system like the DyeTrans 9880 and a large flat press like the Geo Knight
MAXI•PRESS and produce them yourself.
The Project: A Floor And Ceiling Tile Mural
Always trying to push the limits, we chose a unique project to highlight sublimation
at our annual open house this past August. At the entrance to our foyer, we installed a
combination floor and ceiling tile mural.
Step One: Site Survey
Our foyer at Condé Systems was perfect for this project. (See Photo 2) The mural area
for our ceiling is about 12’ x 14’ and the floor area is about 8’ x 11’. Ceiling tiles were 24”
x 24” (except at the outer edges of the mural where each was cut to size) and the floor
tiles were 12” x 12” Bison tempered glass tiles. Since it was a temporary installation, we
used our interlocking base grids for the floor tiles instead of grouting them. Planning at
this step is always critical—you must map the exact overall dimensions of each mural and
determine tile overlap/separation.
Reprinted from THE SUBLIMATION ALMANAC 2008 Q&A
Photo 3
Resolution
The most important step in turning
an image into a mural is resolution. An
image is just a block of dots. There are
so many dots horizontal and so many
dots vertical. When you decide on a
print size then you have resolution
which is number of dots (Horizontal
or vertical) divided by the number of
inches for the print size.
For example, let’s say an 8MB digital camera captures a block of dots
at 3264x2448 dots. If we, say, want
to print this at a print size of 20” x
15” then that puts us at a resolution
of 163.2 dots per inch (3264/20 or
2248/15) We almost always maintain
proportionality. So you can see, we
need lots of dots to build big murals.
So, also get the highest resolution you
can. If you still need more resolution,
then we turn to software for image
enhancement (see the Resolution
Enhancement Software sidebar).
Step Two: Image Selection
Ceiling Mural
The ceiling mural image was purchased
from iStockphoto.com at the largest size
available, which was approximately 10” x
12” at 300dpi. (See Photo 3) Once we had
the image, we carefully measured the ceiling
area and the gap between the tiles where the
image would not be visible. These are the
key elements in determining your image
size and placement. We then used Genuine
Fractals 5 to enlarge the image to just a bit
bigger than the needed size and adjusted
the resolution to 150dpi.
We have found that 150dpi is an acceptable resolution for soft, fibrous substrates.
Doing this also results in a smaller file size—
one that doesn’t bog our computer down
more than it has to. Had we kept the file
at 300dpi, the image would’ve taken twice
as long for the computer to edit, tile, and
even print.
Photo 4
Floor Mural
This image was also purchased from
iStockphoto. We wanted a floor image that
complemented the ceiling image, and we
felt the waterfall really tied it together. We
enlarged the image to 8’ x 11’ and adjusted
the resolution to 150dpi. We usually consider 200dpi to be the minimum standard
for most hard substrates, but 150dpi was
determined to be sharp and acceptable, since
this image was going to be viewed through
textured glass.
Photo 5
Tiling Software
To tile an image, there are two ways to go: software tiling or manual
tiling. For this project, we used Wasatch SoftRip for both tiling and printing.
Other software solutions include Mural 8. It is also popular to manually
tile using Photoshop or CorelDRAW.We have instructions and templates
on our website www.conde.com in the support area.
Reprinted from THE SUBLIMATION ALMANAC 2008 Q&A
Step Three:
Image Prep And Tiling
Ceiling Mural
Our ceiling was unique since the tiles
on the outside border were not full size.
That means that cutting would have to be
involved. To properly tile the image, our
method involves sizing the image and image
canvas in Photoshop, then using the tiling
program for nothing but tiling. (See Photo
4) In other words, we already have the image
and canvas at proper size. Then when we
tile it, we get properly sized tiles and only
partial images on the outside tiles with the
rest left blank. Once the tiling was correct,
we reversed the image.
Tile overlap is a feature used when tiles
are installed right up against each other with
no grout line. The outsides of each tile repeat
themselves, so that when transferred, the
image lines up perfectly from the end of one
tile to the beginning of the next with no gap.
For our ceiling application, this was not necessary. There was a 1/4” gap between each tile
where no image was visible (similar to a grout
line) so that means that the bleed areas not
transferred to the tile are simply discarded,
as they wouldn’t be visible anyway.
Floor Mural
For sizing, the same principles applied,
with much more tolerance and freeform. The
floor mural was installed using interlocking
base grids—so, unlike the ceiling, we could
make it whatever size we wanted. All we did
was multiply our dimensions to find a good
size that was proportionate and consumed
a lot of the floor area.
The interlocking base grids leave a 1/8”
gap between tiles. This means the same
method used for the ceiling mural would also
work here. The missing 1/8” could simply
be discarded, and it would line the image up
properly. So we simply sized and tiled the
image with 12 1/4” square tiles. Perfect! (See
Photo 5) Remember that when you print
images for glass tiles, you do not mirror the
image—even the experienced sublimator
can make this mistake.
Step Four: Printing
Once the image is tiled, we did some
test printing to confirm size and color. I
recommend that you do a test tile for color
and then print all tiles and confirm size and
layout before pressing. This advice will save
you countless hours and money. I also recommend archiving the exact print job by
turning on the save print job feature. See my
Photo 6
top 50 tips and tricks on my web site (from
The Sublimation Almanac 2008).
When printing the images for both
murals, we made sure to annotate the prints
with their row and column (1A, 2B, etc.)
so that they would stay in order during the
transfer process. This is a feature in Wasatch,
but could even be done manually if your
program doesn’t have it.
Ceiling Mural
We produced our prints in 360dpi (droplets per inch) print mode on the Mutoh
RJ-900 large-format inkjet printer. This
print mode lays less ink down than 720dpi
mode (the default mode that most printers
print in) and prints significantly faster. The
lesser amount of ink is acceptable since we
were printing on TexPrint high-release paper
and transferring onto the ceiling tiles, which
are a “thirsty” substrate (one that accepts lots
of sublimation ink). Condé’s Print Services
Department recommends printing transfers
for fabrics, soft items, and fibrous substrates
in this print mode.
Photo 7
Reprinted from THE SUBLIMATION ALMANAC 2008 Q&A
Floor Mural
We also used the Mutoh RJ-900 with
TexPrint paper, this time in the 720dpi
print mode. This lays more ink down and
provides sharper resolution on the paper
and on the substrate. Condé’s Print Services
Department factors these things in greatly
when we sublimate to hard substrates.
Step Five: Pressing
Ceiling Mural
Now that the prints were out of the
printer, the transfer process was easy. The
ceiling tiles are very easy to image, since
they’re basically felt material compressed
into a rigid board (Temp: 400 degrees;
Time: 1:30; Pressure: Medium). They come
out of the press soft and flexible, but harden
as they cool. They cool off quickly, so be
sure to lay them down flat or else they’ll
reconstitute into a warped shape. Utilizing
the 40” x 64” air-powered MAXI•PRESS,
we were able to comfortably press two 24”
x 24” ceiling tiles at a time.
For pieces that required cutting, we
either pre-cut the tile using the original
ceiling tile as a template (See Photo 6) or
we ganged several small prints onto a full
piece of material, then cut them to shape
during installation.
Floor Mural
Large presses like the MAXI•PRESS are
excellent for producing large murals. The
large platen can comfortably fit six 12” x 12”
tiles per pressing—dramatically reducing
production time. The pneumatic air pressure also assured us that pressure would be
consistent once the press was set. The tiles
were pressed with the transfer face up and
the ceiling tile face down. This method of
pressing (the substrate on top of the transfer)
is only applicable to items that transmit lots
of heat such as ceramic tile, metal, and FRP.
Fabric, for example, absorbs far too much
heat and can’t be done this way.
We pressed only four tiles at a time for
quality control and inspection reasons. We
closely inspected each tile and ensured that
Photo 8
Reprinted from THE SUBLIMATION ALMANAC 2008 Q&A
our process was consistent before and after
each press.
Step Six: Installation
Ceiling Mural
As we installed the tiles, we laid the
original ceiling tiles on top so as to weigh
the new tiles down and keep them nice and
flat. This is also useful if you don’t plan on
the mural being a permanent fixture. (See
Photo 7)
The most difficult part of installation was
cutting around the light fixtures. *A qualified technician carefully removed the light
fixture and separated it from the original tile.
Then using the original tile as a template,
we cut the hole for the light fixture by hand
with a razor knife.
This was difficult to do because of the
circular shape, and because the ceiling tiles
are actually very rigid and take several passes
to cut completely through. Once this was
done, the new tiles were installed and the
light fixtures fit into them. This time the
Photo 9
original tiles had to be stowed elsewhere
since the box of the light fixture didn’t allow
us to stack them.
Floor Mural
For the floor tile mural, we used the interlocking base grid and glued the tiles in place
with E6000 self-leveling glue. Available at
Condé, this clear glue did an excellent job
of securing the tile to the base, since not
all the tiles are exactly the same size. Once
glued in, tiles must be left to sit for 24 hours
so that the glue can dry and cure.
Once the glue cures and the tiles are
securely in their holders, the tiles are connected together. We have used this kind of
installation for many years at trade shows
with excellent results.
Measure and tape off the corners of
your intended placement area. This is very
important, since as the mural is assembled,
it will become heavy and very difficult to
move—especially over carpet. Assemble
from one side to the other, preferably from
top to bottom.
One excellent tool to have on hand is a
rubber hammer. We laid out one entire row
at a time face down, pounding the joining
snaps together with the hammer. This is
much less painless than snapping them in
with your fingers. (See Photo 8)
Once an entire row was adjoined, we
flipped it over and joined the upper snaps
to the row above it simply by stepping on
them with our feet. Using this method,
installation took about an hour.
Conclusion
Ceiling Mural
Once installation was finished, we had a
full-coverage image over the entire ceiling
area. With some pleasant floor lighting and
additional plant décor, the mural came to
life and provided the exciting and enveloping effect of being underneath a thick
forest canopy. (See Photo 9)
David Gross
is president
of Condé
Systems Inc.,
of Mobile,
Ala. He can
be reached
by email
at dgross@
conde.com.
Reprinted from The Sublimation Almanac Q&A 2008
©2008 National Business Media, Inc. all rights reserved
Please visit the Sublimation Almanac web site.
Photo 10
Photo 11
Floor Mural
The floor was installed after the ceiling.
Once the decorative plants and lighting
were added, we were treated to an awesome
visual experience of an outdoor environment both above our heads and below our
sa
feet. (See Photos 10 & 11)
Resolution
Enhancement
Software
Once you have done all you can to get a highresolution image, then you turn to programs like
Genuine Fractals (www.ononesoftware.com) to
help achieve a respectable resolution.We recommend 150dpi for soft substrates and 200dpi for
hard substrates. This add-on, for Photoshop and
Photoshop Elements, intelligently re-samples the
image to bring out more apparent resolution. It
is only a band-aid and not a substitute for getting
the best image possible going in.
Reprinted from THE SUBLIMATION ALMANAC 2008 Q&A