10 Cool Laser Engraving Projects for Students

Larry Girty on November 1, 2024

Laser engravers have gained traction in educational settings for their ability to transform digital designs into physical creations. It marries technology with hands-on learning across a variety of subjects, including art, design, engineering, and even history. These machines let students explore their creativity through technology, helping them build skills that are both fun and useful in the real world.

These machines use laser beams to create permanent, precise designs on various materials, including wood, glass, metal, and plastic. They’re incredibly precise, allowing you to create beautifully intricate designs for various uses.

Whether you’re a teacher looking for engaging classroom projects or a school administrator looking into laser engraving for various school-related projects, a laser engraver can be a fantastic addition to your collection. There’s no end to the creative potential, whether you want to revamp the school with new signs or create branded merch to sell at school events.

Here are a few cool laser engraving projects students may enjoy:

1. Personalized Name Tag

While personalized name tags aren’t the most exciting option on this list, they make a great starter project. It’s simple and relatively quick but gives your students the chance to tinker with the machine and familiarize themselves with how everything works.

Now, that said, the name tag doesn’t have to be boring. Let your students get creative with different fonts, graphics, and layouts, using vector-based design software to develop their tags. Once they’re done, use the tags for school events, science fairs, or even to just label items and belongings in the classroom. It’s the perfect starter project that is both approachable and practical.

2. Customized Key Chains

Custom keychains are similar to name tags in that they’re 100% beginner-friendly while leaving plenty of room for creativity. Let your students craft keychains with their favorite quotes, initials, or logos. Let them tinker with different materials, such as leather, wood, or acrylic, if you have the materials.

This project is both fun and easy, making it a great first project, especially for younger students new to laser engraving. Since the finished product is fairly small, they don’t take too long to produce.

If you want to take things to the next level, let your students create a custom keychain as a gift for a family or friend (this project is an excellent choice around the holidays).

3. Engraved Wooden Coasters

As your students become more familiar with the laser engraver and vector design software, work up to wooden coasters. These can be a bit challenging for newbies, especially if you go with more intricate patterns, but it’s a good fit for students with a bit more experience.

Since wooden coasters are bigger than name tags and keychains, there’s more room for more intricate patterns, logos, or even custom artwork. This project encourages your students to think about the balance between aesthetics and functionality. Plus, since the coasters will need sanding and sealing to become fully functional and durable, this is a great time to integrate a lesson about woodworking.

You could even tie this project into a lesson about material science or entrepreneurship, especially since the engraved coasters can be sold at school fundraisers.

4. Classroom Signage

While creating keychains, coasters, and other custom projects your students can take home is both fun and rewarding, you can also go a more functional and school-centric route. Have your students engrave classroom signs, or, if you’re feeling motivated, revamp the signs for the entire school.

Engrave the signs on wood, acrylic, or plastic sheets, allowing your students to experiment with different fonts and graphics to ensure the signs are visually appealing. Challenge them to stick to the same theme to keep things cohesive across the entire school, tying elements of problem-solving and teamwork into the lesson.

Or, let them get creative and pick different themes for different parts of the classroom or school. You could stick to the same general theme, letting students choose the specifics. For example, the umbrella theme might be Disney- or Western-based, with each area of the school or classroom featuring different characters or cowpoke-themed elements.

5. Laser-Cut Puzzle Sets

Puzzle sets are a bit more challenging, making these projects a great fit for older students who are ready to take on more complex design tasks. Precision is a must to ensure the pieces fit together perfectly, so this project is no easy feat. Using a laser engraver, your students can create customized puzzles by engraving and cutting interlocking pieces from wood, cardboard, or acrylic.

The puzzles could feature educational tools, such as geography maps, or purely for entertainment, complete with custom artwork. If you go the educational route, you could incorporate the finished puzzles into lessons on geometry, design, or even psychology since the puzzles require critical thinking and spatial awareness.

6. Engraved Jewelry

If you teach a fashion, sewing, or accessory design class, incorporate the engraver into a lesson on engraved jewelry. Use the machine to create custom pendants, earrings, or bracelets from materials like leather, acrylic, or even thin sheets of wood.

Once engraved, have your students assemble the pieces into wearable jewelry. You won’t need much for this—simple jewelry-making supplies will do.

This project is great for encouraging attention to detail while introducing product design. It’s hands-on, with a tactile element that demands focus and precision to ensure a beautiful result.

If you want to incorporate additional concepts, like branding, consumer products, market trends, and other entrepreneurship topics, this project is a great time to do it!

7. 3D Model Engravings

Engravers aren’t only capable of creating pretty jewelry, keychains, and coasters—they can also be handy tools in creating 3D model engravings. Laser engravers can help communicate lessons in architecture or engineering, encouraging students to use critical thinking skills while cutting parts for models of buildings, bridges, or even vehicles.

Once all pieces are cut and engraved, the sheets can be assembled into a 3D structure. Since each piece must be cut to precise measurements to ensure a snug fit, this project is excellent for emphasizing the importance of precise measurements and technical drawing. It can also better explain lessons on prototyping and scale modeling.

8. Engraved Phone Stands

Laser-engraved phone stands are another intriguing project that combines functionality with style. Let your students craft custom stands from acrylic or wood, designing each piece to match specific aesthetic preferences.

Incorporate a math and engineering aspect by having your students craft the stands to match their phones’ specific measurements. Encourage them to think about ergonomics and product design, ensuring the final product not only looks good but serves a practical purpose.

9. Personalized School Supplies

If you’re searching for free laser engraving projects, this one might be a great fit. If your budget doesn’t allow for elaborate projects with fancy materials, have your students practice engraving on their own school supplies. This is a great way to teach them how to use engravers (and the many lessons that can go with them) without having to purchase substantial amounts of material. Plus, it allows them to personalize their own stuff, which can be an appealing factor.

Have your students craft designs to engrave on their pencil cases, rulers, notebooks, and similar items, allowing them to incorporate different themes, names, or motivational quotes. Tie the project into discussions about personalization in product design or the importance of branding.

10. School Merchandise

Many of the projects on this list can be tweaked to create school merchandise that can be sold at fundraisers and events, such as plays or sports games. Have your students create themed designs for various products you can sell at those events.

You might engrave the school mascot onto keychains, wooden coasters, school supplies, or even phone stands. Or, stick to simple, classy designs that can still be sold at those events (but aren’t school-themed), such as jewelry, holiday-themed coasters, or personalized keychains.

These projects can be an excellent way to teach lessons about entrepreneurship, design, engineering, and much more while making sellable items that benefit the school!

Create Beautiful Laser-Engraved Products With AGC Education

Laser engraving opens up a world of creative possibilities for students. It combines the best of technical skills with artistic expression while also leaving room for all sorts of lessons on everything from entrepreneurship to fashion design to engineering. Whether you choose to have your students make personalized keychains, design intricate puzzles, or build model structures, these projects provide hands-on learning opportunities that are both fun and educational.
If you’re ready to incorporate laser engraving projects into your classroom or school, AGC Education has the equipment and materials you’ll need. Our Laser Lab Desktop Laser Engraver and Cutter is designed specifically for schools, and our wide range of laser engraving supplies is ready to help you get started. Contact us today to get a quote.

Hot vs. Cold Lamination: What’s the Difference?

Larry Girty on November 1, 2024

Lamination is a helpful process that protects all sorts of items, including important documents, posters, and educational materials. It can extend their lifespan, ensuring the delicate and very rippable paper inside doesn’t fall prey to the hands of students. While small, personal-sized laminators (or even clear tape as a last resort) can handle small projects, they’re not the most practical choice for educational settings where larger volumes and projects are the norm.

So, you might find yourself looking into educational laminators. As you search, you’ll come across two options: hot and cold. So, what’s the difference between hot lamination vs. cold lamination? Which one is better for your school’s needs? Let’s find out.

What is Hot Lamination?

Hot lamination is the more traditional method of lamination. It uses heat to seal a layer of clear plastic film over your document. It works by heating the adhesive on the film and using pressure to press the film tightly around the document, creating a strong bond that keeps the contents inside safe.

Many schools and offices use hot laminators because they tend to be faster and more cost-effective for high-volume lamination jobs. Plus, they offer a durable and professional finish, so they’re the go-to solution for many educational purposes.

Pros and Cons of Hot Lamination

Like any equipment, hot laminators have a couple of benefits and drawbacks. The most notable perks include:

Strength: Hot lamination creates a durable, long-lasting seal that can withstand regular use, making it great for items that will be regularly handled by students, like flashcards or classroom signs.
Variety: Hot lamination offers a range of thickness options, each suited to different purposes. Thicker laminates provide extra protection, while thinner laminates are flexible and easier to fold and cut.
Readily available: Supplies for hot lamination are easy to find and often readily available, especially in craft stores.
Professional finish: Hot lamination produces a smooth, glossy finish that enhances the colors and overall appearance of the document or material.

On the flip side, there are a couple of potential drawbacks to keep in mind, including:

Heat sensitivity: The use of heat means that hot lamination isn’t suitable for everything. High temperatures could damage heat-sensitive materials like photos, certain fabrics, or inkjet prints.
Warm-up time: Hot laminators need a few minutes to heat up, which can cause delays, which isn’t ideal if you’re in a rush.
Risk of burns: Since these machines operate at high temperatures, there’s a small risk of burns if users aren’t careful.

What is Cold Lamination?

Cold lamination, as the name suggests, doesn’t require heat. Instead, it uses pressure to activate the adhesive on the lamination film. With a cold laminator, you place your document between two adhesive-backed plastic sheets and slowly feed it through the machine. As it passes through, the machine applies pressure that bonds the laminate and document together.

Cold lamination is a top choice for materials that are sensitive to heat, such as photographs, thermal prints, or delicate papers. While this type of laminator is a bit slower, it’s a great alternative for special projects that require a different type of lamination.

Pros and Cons of Cold Lamination

Like hot laminators, cold lamination comes with its own set of unique benefits and drawbacks. Key advantages include:

Safe for heat-sensitive materials: Since cold lamination doesn’t require heat to create a bond, it’s safe for delicate materials that could warp or discolor under heat.
No warm-up time: The lack of heat also means that you won’t have to wait for the machine to heat up, making this type of laminator perfect for small or quick jobs.
Safe for all users: Cold laminators present no risk of burns or damage from heat, so they’re a great choice for use in classrooms or offices where students or untrained staff might handle the equipment.
Flexible finish: Cold-laminated items tend to be more flexible, which is great for when you need materials that can bend easily without cracking or peeling.

Of course, there are a couple of drawbacks to keep in mind, including:

Less durable: While cold lamination provides protection, it may not be as durable as hot lamination. The adhesive in cold lamination isn’t activated by heat, so it may not be as suitable for high-use situations.
Limited thickness options: The thickness options are limited, especially compared to hot lamination, which can limit the finished product’s durability or rigidity.
Matte finish: Cold lamination usually produces a matte or slightly textured finish, unlike the sleek, glossy finish of hot lamination.

Which One is Right for Your Classroom?

Now that we know the differences between cold lamination vs. hot lamination, which one is right for your classroom? Ultimately, the best laminator for your classroom depends on what you’re laminating and how you plan to use the laminated items.

For example, let’s say you need to create laminated classroom materials that will be frequently used or handled by many students. This could include flashcards, study aids, or reusable worksheets designed for use with dry-erase markers. In this case, hot lamination is an excellent fit since it creates a strong, durable seal that will protect your materials from damage.

On the flip side, let’s say you teach a photography class and plan to have your students laminate the photos for use in a class project. Or, maybe you’re an art teacher who wants to have your students laminate projects with different textures or delicate materials. Or, maybe you plan to use the laminator for a few small projects at a time. If that sounds like you, a cold laminator might be the best fit.

It all depends on your specific needs and what you plan to use the laminator for. Each option has merits, so neither one is inherently better than the other.

Elevate Your Classroom Projects With a Laminator From AGC Education

Whether you choose a hot or cold laminator, these machines can greatly contribute to your classroom. With these machines, you can create more durable classroom materials, protect important documents, and much more! If you’re ready to up your laminating game with a hot or cold laminator, AGC Education has what you need.

We offer hot laminators, which are great for projects that demand extra durability, and cold laminators, which are ideal for sensitive and delicate projects. We also offer different lamination film options to help get the ball rolling.
Contact us to learn more about our laminators and get a quote today.

How to Make Sublimation Tumblers: A Step-by-Step Guide

Larry Girty on September 30, 2024

In December 2023, Stanley™ cups went viral. The luxury mug brand rocketed into the spotlight when a video showed its iconic insulated tumbler was keeping a TikToker’s drink ice cold—right after she pulled it from her burning car!

The brand’s time in the spotlight may have passed, but tumblers are as popular as ever. To get in on the fun, we’re exploring how to use sublimation to make a unique tumbler of your own.

Discover how students can use sublimation to transform unique designs into fun, useful accessories!

Gear and Materials

To start sublimation printing on containers, you’ll need a sublimation printer, a heat pressing machine, and a few supplies.

We recommend our Sublimation Printer: All-In-One Printing Machine. It’s built with classrooms in mind, designed to empower students at different skill-levels.

We also recommend choosing from a wide range of heat press options, to best meet your class’s needs. Just make sure your heat press machine comes with a tumbler-compatible attachment or add-on.

Additional Materials:

Heat tape
Heat-resistant gloves
Scissors
Measuring tape
Scraper
Rubbing alcohol
Cloth
Sublimation paper
Sublimation ink
Design software
Scanner (optional)

Select Blank Sublimation Tumblers

Choose blank cups with surfaces coated with a sublimation-compatible material (like polymer). The coating is necessary to meld sublimation ink into the object’s surface.

One popular tumbler material is stainless steel, as it’s durable and dishwasher-safe. For example, this lidded, 22 oz travel cup is strong, lightweight, and 100% compatible with sublimation.

Choose a white, light-hue, or translucent blank.

Translucent elements, like the frosted blue gradient on this glass tumbler blank, adds a bit of pizzazz to the piece without affecting your printed design.

Step #1. Discover How To Make Sublimation Designs For Tumblers (With Creative Apps!)

Measure the height and circumference of your tumbler’s print-ready surface.

Make a design for your tumbler on an app, or download a free design from crafters on Pinterest.

You’ll likely have to crop your design, so the design’s most important elements should be in the vertical center of the image.

Make sure to save your completed design as a PNG file, with a resolution of 300 dpi or greater.

Before printing, resize your image so its height and width match the cup’ height and circumference (respectively).

Step #2. Print Your Design Onto Sublimation Paper

Use the tumbler’s measurements to select appropriately-sized sublimation paper for this project.

Load your sublimation paper into your printer, then send the file and print. If you get stuck, call the printer manufacturer’s customer support line.
Step #3. Preheat Your Heat Press To the Ideal Temperature

The optimal temperature (°F), duration (s), and degree of pressure (psi) will vary by material.

Check the printed instructions included with your sublimation blanks (i.e. the blank tumblers) to find the right presets.

If you can’t find the information in the included technical paperwork, look for it on the tumbler manufacturer’s website, or call the customer service line.

As a last resort, use a trial-and-error method to determine the right settings. Run a few test prints, starting with these settings:

Stainless steel: 365 °F / 90-120 s / 40 psi (med.)
Frosted glass: 370-380 °F / 90-120 s / 35 psi (light or med)
Acrylic: 385-400 °F / 50-75 s / 40 psi (med)

Start with the lowest recommended settings. If the print is too light or blurry, increase the temperature, pressure, and time in small increments, then try again.

Repeat until the image on the test tumbler is sharp and saturated.

Step #4. Prepare Your Print and Blank Tumbler For Heat Transfer

As the press preheats, prepare your tumbler.

Peel any protective coatings from your blank tumblers, then clean the cup’s surface. Rub off the adhesive, dust, and any other debris with your cleaning alcohol and cloth.

Use your measurements to crop or trim your sublimation print, then gently wrap it around your tumbler. Make sure the inked side of the print touches the cup’s surface.

Use your hands to flatten the paper, removing any wrinkles or bubbles. Then, after the print is smoothly aligned to the cup, use heat tape to hold it in place.
Step #5. Press Your Sublimation Print and Tumbler

Put on your heat-resistant gloves. The heat press machine will be hot.

Then, put your print-wrapped cup into the tumbler attachment on the heat press and secure it in place.

Adjust the pressure settings to the recommended psi. This can involve manually adjusting tension in the tumbler attachment, to make sure the pressure is evenly distributed.

Then, press your tumbler for the recommended amount of time.

Note:

If your machine doesn’t heat your tumbler evenly, open the attachment after you press it, rotate the tumbler, then press it again.

Step #6. Let Your Tumbler Cool, Then Peel

While wearing heat gloves, move the tumbler to a cooling rack. Once it’s cooled, peel off the heat tape and sublimation paper.
Unique Ways To Use Sublimation Printed Tumblers In Your Classroom
What’s the best way to use sublimation printed tumblers in your classroom? We’ve got some ideas!

Students can keep their personal cups with them all day. This lets them stay hydrated without risking the spread of germs.

Students could also give them away as gifts. As the Stanley™ cup craze showed, tumblers are pretty popular!

Teaching budding entrepreneurs? Students could design tumblers to sell at a craft fair, or sell their accessory-printing services to local businesses.

Get Your Print Lab Kids Ready To Create, Sublimate, Educate and Go!

At AGC Education, we believe technology and art have the power to teach students lifelong skills. That’s why we offer guides like this: to teach each and every kid (and kid at heart) to make real what they’ve dreamed up.

Whether you need sublimation printers, heat presses, or accessories, our team has something to offer.

Call us today at 1 (800) 535-7553 to learn more about bringing our creative technology to your classroom. Or, fill out our online contact form, and one of our experts will get right back to you.

Classroom Sublimation Projects: Create Your Own Christmas Ornaments

Larry Girty on September 20, 2024

Why sublimation print on blank ornaments as a class project? It’s a great way to connect your students to a centuries-old holiday tradition—with a creative, high-tech twist!

Did you know the earliest Christmas ornaments were created by German glassworks craftsmen in 1597? Most of the original decorations were glass fruit and nuts, warm reminders of summer to bring the evergreen tree through winter.

Yet, tree ornaments only became truly popular 250 years later. 1857 was the year Hans Greiner, the great-grandson of those craftsmen, began selling “baubles”: colorful, spherical “bubbles” made of hand-blown glass. These round Christmas ornaments became a smash hit!

Today, Christmas decor is an $8B industry, and ornaments come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and materials. Glassworking skills might be a little out of reach for most kids, but sublimation printing is a fun way to create something new at a wide range of skill levels.

Discover how to run a DIY ornament project that works for everyone, tailored to your particular classroom’s unique needs.

How Kids Can Make Christmas Ornaments With Sublimation—In 5 Easy Steps!

There are many ways to engage students in a creative sublimation project. For this project, start by reflecting on a few questions, and use what you know about your classroom to weigh different options.

What Are the Best Types of Blank Ornaments To Personalize?

Consider how the ornaments’ colors, materials, and shapes affect the project. There are a range of options that will work on a technical level. Just make sure whatever ornaments you choose are compatible with the sublimation process.

Quick Review: How Does Sublimation Printing Work?

Sublimation printing uses a unique chemical process to transfer designs onto diverse objects. A design printed on sublimation paper, with sublimation ink, becomes gaseous when heated and pressed against an object’s surface.

In gas form, the printed design integrates into the surface of a sublimation-compatible object. In essence, the vaporous ink dyes the object’s vinyl, polyester, or polymer-coated surface. The vapor dye transforms the colors of the particles or threads composing the object’s surface to reflect the design.

The result is a smooth, single-layer surface, wholly embedded with the design.

Process Differences Guide Material Choices

Sublimation differs from other methods of transferring prints.

For example, heat transfer vinyl methods actually add a thin layer over top of the surface of the object receiving the transfer. The surface of the object itself is unchanged. This layer can chip or peel off over time, so heat transfer vinyl designs have a much shorter lifespan than sublimation printed designs.

In contrast, sublimation actually dyes the material composing the object’s surface, the sublimation ink mixes with the threads’ or particulates’ pre-existing color.

Ornament Color

When sublimation dye ink mixes with colored particulates, the resulting color differs from the one in the original design. Thus, you should only sublimate designs on white, transparent, or light-colored objects. Sublimating directly onto dark reds or greens just won’t work.

That said, there sublimation ornament blanks that incorporate festive colors. The key is making sure those festive elements are outside the sublimation area. As long as the sublimation surface element of the blank ornament is white, the design will work.

Ornament Materials

Likewise, the vaporous sublimation ink needs to connect with a compatible surface in order to dye it. Compatible surfaces are typically polyester or have a polymeric coating. Polymer readily absorbs the vapor. In contrast, glass, ceramic, and most natural fabrics repel the gaseous ink.

There’s good news, though: you can find a wide range of blank Christmas ornaments designed specifically for sublimation.

Some, like cast acrylic or vinyl blanks, are naturally compatible with the sublimation process. Others, like blank glass, wood, and metal ornaments, are also still viable options, as long as they have a sublimation powder coating. Fortunately, these options are available in an array of shapes and sizes.

Ornament Shape

That brings us to shape. For most students, sublimation is easiest when they can press their design onto a flat surface. So, while attachments to sublimate onto spheres and cylinders exist, they aren’t the best choice for a class project. Instead, choose a flat, festive shape, like a snowflake, star, or tree.

Age Group Considerations

When running projects for a diverse group of students, it’s important to adapt or personalize them based on the students’ ages and levels of skill. Consider each student’s:

Dexterity
Technological skill
Attention span
Personal preferences

Some kids may be old enough and skilled enough to design, print, and press their ornament with minimal supervision. Others may require more one-on-one direction, or they may benefit from lighter-weight tools. [this mini heat press] requires less strength and dexterity to use than the conventional, large heat press.

Once you’ve thought through your options, it’s time to start the project!

Step #1. Get Your Materials Ready

Any sublimation project requires a sublimation printer and a heat press.

You might already have both set up in your classroom or maker lab. If so, that’s excellent! If not, why not explore our guide to choosing the best sublimation printer and the right heat press machines for your space?

In addition to your gear, this project requires a few more materials.

Materials

Sublimation inks
Sublimation paper
Sublimation blanks (i.e. blank ornaments with polymeric coating)
Rubbing alcohol or a similar cleaning agent
Cleaning cloths
Heat-resistant gloves
Cutting tool (optional)
Heat tape (optional)
Photo- or image-editing software
Scanner (optional)

Heat Press Prep Steps

While you won’t use the heat press until Step 4, it’s good to look up the appropriate settings ahead of time. Your sublimation blanks (the blank Christmas ornaments), should come with printed information that explains the following:

Temperature. What temperature should you set your heat press to in order to sublimate onto the ornament?
Duration. During the heat press phase, how long should you press the design to the ornament?
Detailed Instructions. Is there a QR code or link to a video demo or more detailed instructions?

In some cases, there is no printed information. Instead, you have to go straight to the ornament manufacturer’s website.

Missing Info? Learn Through Trial-And-Error

If you can’t find the information there either, then you’ll have to do a few trial-and-error tests.

Try sublimating a basic, printed design onto a test ornament by heating your press to 360℉, then pressing for 60 seconds. If the design doesn’t transfer, increase the heat and duration in small increments and try again.

Step #2. Create Art For Blank Ornaments

Once you’ve gotten the supplies together, it’s time for students to create their designs.

If they’re going to create the artwork for the ornaments digitally, using a program like Pixlr or Canva, skip ahead to Step #3. If, instead, they’re creating art with physical materials, and they’ll digitize them later, read on.

Encourage kids to draw, paint, or collage photos from magazines to create the design for their ornament. They can use holiday imagery like snowmen or reindeer. Or, they can simply create images that depict something meaningful to them personally.

Younger students might benefit from a life-size “template,” printed on regular paper, outlining their ornament’s borders. That offers a sense of the parameters their design has to stay within, to make sure it fits on their decor.

Step #3. Scan, Upload & Edit (Design Phase)

Digitize Physical Works of Art

Once the students have completed their designs in physical materials, upload their pieces into an image-editing app. To do this, photograph or scan their pieces with a scanner. Make sure the resulting digital images have a resolution of 300 dpi sRGB (or greater).

Save each student’s piece under their individual name, as a PNG file. Then, open the piece in an image editing app.

Editing For Print

At this stage, both students who created digital designs on creative apps, and students who made art with physical media and had it digitized, are ready to edit their image for print.

Make sure the image is saved at a high resolution, so the design is sharp when printed on sublimation paper. Teach students how to:

Improve their design’s contrast
Crop or resize the image to fit the ornament
“Mirror” the design as a final step

Note that their design will be re-reversed, or oriented correctly, in the heat press phase. So, if they don’t mirror it before printing, it will be backward on the ornament.

Save and Send

Save the final image as a PNG file. Then, send the image to the sublimation printer.

Step #4 Print Unique Designs On Blank Christmas Ornaments

Send the student’s PNG file to the sublimation printer. Make sure the printer is loaded with sublimation paper and sublimation dye ink. Regular ink and paper will not work!

Once the sublimation printer has inked the design on the sublimation paper, you can go straight to Step #5. That said, some students appreciate an additional step, to make the next step easier.

Optional: Cutting and Taping

Cutting and weeding aren’t necessary for sublimation. But, some students do prefer to cut out their printed design, so it has no borders. This lets them secure the printed design to the ornament with heat tape, keeping it stable and aligned more easily.

If you go this route, make sure the inked side of the cut-out, printed design is the side facing the ornament’s surface. You can secure the design by taping the exterior edge of the ornament and design alike.

Only use a few strips of tape; too much tape will make it harder to peel later.

Step #5. Heat, Press, Peel, and Cool

Ornament Prep

Set the blank ornament on the flat tray of the heat press. Make sure the side you want to sublimate the design onto is facing up.

Lay the sublimation paper on top of the ornament, so the inked design is touching the ornament’s surface. While wearing heat-resistant gloves, press the paper flat against the ornament, preventing any wrinkles or bubbles.

Pre-heat the press to the optimal temperature, determined in Step #1.

Press and Peel

Once the ornament is placed, close and press the ornament and printed design together. Maintain pressure for the recommended duration.

After pressing is complete, let the heat press cool.

Once it’s begun to cool down, gently release the pressure from the ornament. Don’t let the release jostle the paper. As it becomes cooler, move quickly yet steadily, and peel the sublimation paper from the ornament.

Note: “Cool Peel” Paper

Some sublimation papers are labeled “cool peel.” If you use cool peel paper, then wait until the ornament is 100% cool before removing the paper.

If necessary, you can gently transfer the ornament to a separate cooling tray, to free up the heat press. To transfer, hold both the top and bottom of the ornament, to keep the paper in place until it’s ready to peel.

This Christmas, Let All Makers Make Merry! Find Festive Projects For Your Maker Space And Beyond.

Sublimation printing is an excellent method to make beautiful, long-lasting Christmas ornaments. Whether you use them as gifts or outlets for self-expression, these DIY projects make an impact.

At AGC Education, we believe in supporting and cultivating students’ creativity in every phase of life. That’s why we offer the technology to bring kids’ creative visions to life, and the support you need to make the tech work in your classroom.
Call us at 1 (800) 535-7553 to learn more about our sublimation printing equipment, tools, and accessories. Or, use our online contact form to book a free, personalized consultation.