Disorient It Yourself

DIY design and printing by members of Disorient

D25

Sublimation assets by itsjohnfoster

Sublimation assets by The Eye

Full DIY Sublimation Process

by itsjohnfoster

A field-tested method for embedding Disorient’s signal into fabric—no middlemen, no dilution.

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🧭 Overview

Full DIY Sublimation is a direct-to-fabric printing technique optimized for Disorient’s decentralized, build-based infrastructure. It allows us to create sharp, durable, high-contrast graphics on polyester surfaces using heat, pressure, and pigment vapor—no screenprinting, no outsourcing, no lag time.

This is not merch. This is operational signage, identity gear, and visual noise for the field.

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⚙️ Core Use Cases

   •    Construction vests, crew uniforms, tactical identifiers
   •    Informational flags, modular signage, symbol arrays
   •    Textiles for camps, rigs, or roaming ops
   •    Visual programming assets for events and decomps

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🛠️ Hardware & Materials

Minimum viable kit:

   •    Heat press (clamshell or swing-arm, 15”+ recommended)
   •    Sublimation printer (e.g. Epson EcoTank hacked w/ dye-sub ink)
   •    Sublimation paper
   •    100% or high-polyester fabric (white/light colors only)
   •    Heat tape
   •    Heat gloves (don’t melt your hand off)

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🖨️ File Prep

All files should be:

   •    Mirrored before printing
   •    Vector or 300dpi raster
   •    Set in pure black (RGB 0,0,0) for maximum contrast
   •    but also it does color really well as long as it’s on a polyester substrate. Ribbons / ratchet straps, be creative 
   •    Flattened (no transparency)
   •    Sized exactly to press area

Assets can be built in Illustrator, Photoshop, or Affinity—whatever you move fastest in. Avoid overdesign. Text. Symbols. Repeat patterns. Functional info.

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🔥 Press Protocol

   •    Preheat press to 400°F
   •    Apply Teflon sheet to base plate, then apply the polyester substrate on top of Teflon sheet,
   •    Align printed image face-down
   •    Tape to prevent drift
   •    Apply teflon sheet on top of polyester substrate and press this like a panini for 15 seconds with firm pressure
   •    Remove paper immediately—hot peel
   •    Done. Ready to deploy