Starting a sublimation business can be exciting, but one of the most important questions every new business owner needs to answer is:

How much should I charge for my sublimation products?

The answer is not simply based on what you paid for the blank.

To build a profitable sublimation business, you need to calculate the cost of your blanks, sublimation ink, transfer paper, packaging, equipment, labor, overhead—and then make sure there is enough room left for profit.

Here is a simple way to get started.

Start With the Cost of Your Sublimation Blank

The first step is knowing exactly what you paid for the product you are decorating.

DyeCraft Direct carries a large selection of sublimation blanks for creating personalized products for resale, gifts, schools, businesses, events, fundraisers, and more.

Depending on your business, you may be decorating products such as:

Each blank has a different starting cost, so that cost should always be the beginning of your pricing calculation. Dyecraft Direct

Add the Cost of Your Sublimation Supplies

Your blank is only one part of the cost of producing a finished product.

Every time you create an item, you may also use:

You may only use a small amount of ink or one sheet of paper for a single item, but those expenses add up when you are producing dozens or hundreds of products.

Choosing dependable supplies is important, too. A lower-priced material does not necessarily save money if poor results cause you to waste ink, paper, blanks, and production time.

DyeCraft Direct offers both sublimation inks and sublimation transfer papers for professional sublimation production. Dyecraft Direct

Include Your Equipment in Your Pricing

Your printer and heat press are investments in your business.

You should not charge one customer for the entire cost of your equipment, but a portion of your selling price should help cover equipment use, maintenance, and eventual replacement.

For example, DyeCraft Direct carries sublimation printers for different levels of production.

A smaller business or home-based sublimation business may use the Sawgrass SG500 Sublimation Printer, while a growing business that needs larger-format printing may choose the Sawgrass SG1000 Dye Sublimation Printer.

Businesses needing wider-format printing can also consider the Epson SureColor F570 Pro 24-Inch Dye-Sublimation Printer. Dyecraft Direct

You will also need the correct heat press for the products you plan to make.

The equipment used to create a shirt or photo panel may be different from the equipment needed for mugs and drinkware, so always choose your equipment around the products you plan to sell. Dyecraft Direct

Don't Forget to Pay Yourself for Your Time

This is where many new sublimation business owners underprice their products.

Your time has value.

Think about everything that happens before a finished product reaches your customer.

You may need to prepare or create the artwork, resize the design, print the transfer, prepare the blank, position and tape the transfer, press the product, allow it to cool, inspect it, package it, and communicate with the customer.

If the order is personalized, you may also spend time adding names, photographs, dates, logos, or other custom information.

That time needs to be included in your selling price.

If you spend 30 minutes creating a personalized item but only calculate the cost of the blank, ink, and paper, you are essentially giving away your labor.

Example: How Much Does It Really Cost to Make a Sublimation Mug?

Let's use one of the most popular sublimation products—a mug.

DyeCraft Direct carries white sublimation mug blanks, including popular 11 oz and 15 oz sizes. Dyecraft Direct

For this example, imagine your estimated cost is:

Blank mug: $2.00
Sublimation ink and paper: $0.75
Packaging: $0.75
Labor: $4.00
Equipment and business overhead: $1.50

Your actual cost is already approximately $9.00.

If you sell that finished mug for $10.00, you only have about $1.00 left—and that is before considering other expenses you may have overlooked.

That is why it is dangerous to look at a $2.00 blank and think:

“If I sell this for $6.00, I'm tripling my money.”

You are not.

The blank is only one part of your true production cost.

Different Products Can Have Different Profit Potential

One reason sublimation is such an attractive business is the number of different products you can personalize.

You don't have to rely only on mugs.

For example, you can offer tumblers with names, photographs, company logos, school designs, team graphics, wedding designs, and custom artwork.

You can create photo panels for weddings, memorials, family photographs, awards, signs, and personalized home décor.

Smaller products such as sublimation keychains can be offered as personalized gifts, promotional items, wedding favors, fundraiser products, and add-on purchases.

Seasonal sublimation ornaments can be personalized for families, businesses, schools, memorials, holidays, and special events. Dyecraft Direct

Offering several types of products gives you more opportunities to sell throughout the year.

Price Custom Work Differently

Not every order requires the same amount of work, so not every finished product necessarily needs the same selling price.

Consider charging appropriately for services such as:

  • Custom design work
  • Individual names
  • Personalized photographs
  • Different names on every item
  • Multiple design revisions
  • Rush production
  • Gift packaging
  • Small-quantity custom orders

For example, a mug using a design you already have ready to print may require very little preparation.

A memorial mug requiring photographs, custom wording, dates, photo editing, and customer approval may take considerably more time.

Those two products should not automatically be priced the same simply because they use the same blank mug.

Consider Quantity Pricing for Larger Orders

Sublimation businesses can also attract larger orders from schools, churches, businesses, sports teams, weddings, family reunions, fundraisers, car shows, clubs, nonprofits, and community organizations.

You may decide to establish quantity breaks such as:

  • 1–5 pieces
  • 6–11 pieces
  • 12–23 pieces
  • 24–47 pieces
  • 48 pieces or more

These are only examples. Your quantity levels should make sense for your products and your business.

The important part is this:

Never give a quantity discount until you know your actual cost.

A larger order can allow you to reduce the price per piece because production may become more efficient, but the order still needs to make money.

Don't Forget Apparel

Apparel can also be an important part of a sublimation business.

DyeCraft Direct carries sublimation fabric blanks as well as sublimation shirts.

For businesses looking to offer colorful shirts, DyeCraft Direct also carries Lightweight Performance Polyester T-Shirts in multiple colors and sizes. Dyecraft Direct

When pricing apparel, remember to include the garment, ink, paper or transfer material, pressing time, artwork, packaging, and labor.

Don't Compete Only by Being the Cheapest

It can be tempting to search online, find someone selling the same type of product, and simply charge less.

That can hurt your business.

Another seller may purchase thousands of blanks at a time. They may use different equipment. They may have different labor costs. They may even be pricing incorrectly themselves.

You don't know their numbers.

Know your numbers.

Customers also consider quality, service, turnaround time, personalization, reliability, and the finished appearance of the product.

Build a business around value—not simply around having the lowest price.

A Simple Pricing Checklist

Before you decide what to charge for a product, ask yourself:

What did my blank cost?

How much ink and paper did I use?

How much did my packaging cost?

How much time did I spend making it?

Did I include part of my equipment and overhead expenses?

Am I charging appropriately for customization?

After all of those expenses, how much profit is actually left?

If you cannot answer the last question, you don't really know whether the product is profitable yet.

Build Your Sublimation Business With the Right Products and Supplies

You don't need to purchase every sublimation product when you first start.

Begin with products you enjoy making and can produce consistently. Learn your equipment, understand your costs, create quality samples, and expand your product selection as your customer base grows.

At DyeCraft Direct, you can shop sublimation blanks, mugs and drinkware, tumblers, photo panels, keychains, ornaments, printers, heat presses, sublimation inks, sublimation paper and more.

Whether you're starting your first sublimation business or expanding an established operation, understanding your costs is one of the most important steps toward turning your creativity into a profitable business.

Ready to Create?

SHOP SUBLIMATION BLANKS & SUPPLIES AT DYECRAFT DIRECT