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How to specify a Sublimation Paper

What to put on an RFQ for Sublimation Paper: the ratings, documents, and constraints that change the quote.

25 Oct 2026 · 3 min read · Tradinor Desk

Specification points for Sublimation PaperTRADINOR · FIGUREWhat to lock for Sublimation PaperFinishingProofProcessSubstrate
Put these on the RFQ for Sublimation Paper before you compare prices.

A buyer searching for Sublimation Paper is usually trying to stop a bad substitute. A press or a print job is specified by the process, the substrate, the color control, and the finishing. The notes below are selection criteria for a Sublimation Paper. They are not a catalog promise. Confirm every rating on the current datasheet, drawing, or test report for the revision you will receive.

What has to be true of Sublimation Paper

A press or a print job is specified by the process, the substrate, the color control, and the finishing. For a Sublimation Paper, start from the duty, then the interface to the rest of the machine or the room, then the document that proves the claim. A lower price that leaves one of those blank is a different product.

Sublimation Paper is easy to confuse with Screen Printing Machine. If the quote could be read as either, add the line that separates them: the rating, the fitment, or the standard named below. Link the drawing number to that line so receiving inspection can reject the wrong one.

Numbers that change the quote

Line What to write for Sublimation Paper
Finishing Coat, die-cut, or bindery.
Proof What will be signed before the run.
Process Offset, digital, flexo, screen, or another named process.
Substrate Paper, film, or board, with thickness.
Color The color standard and the tolerance.
Size and speed Sheet or web, and the throughput you need.

How to compare two offers

Lay both quotes for Sublimation Paper on one sheet and line up finishing, proof, and process. If a cell is empty, the offer is not finished. Ask for the missing line in writing. When those match, the honest difference is lead time, the test evidence, and who carries the warranty. Do not average a fully specified Sublimation Paper with a cheaper line that omitted finishing.

Documents worth having before the deposit

Ask for a signed proof standard and the substrate specification. The file should name Sublimation Paper and the revision, not only the supplier’s homepage. A factory quality certificate such as ISO 9001 can sit beside that file. It does not replace it.

Failures that show up after delivery

  • Buying a press speed that the drying cannot support.
  • Leaving finishing off the quote.
  • Changing substrate after the color has been approved.

On a Sublimation Paper, the expensive version of the first mistake is discovering it after the goods are in the crate. Put the rejection condition in the purchase order while the supplier can still restate the offer.

A worked RFQ line

Use this shape, then replace the brackets with your duty: “Sublimation Paper — State process, substrate, color tolerance, size, and finishing.” That sentence is a template, not a rating of any brand. If a supplier’s datasheet uses different units, convert them onto this sheet so the next offer can be compared.

Where words like RoHS / CE belong

Searches often add a constraint to Sublimation Paper: RoHS / CE, or waterproof / IP65. Keep those on this page. RoHS is a material limit. CE is a declaration that lists the rules relied on. Ask for the document that names this part number and revision. IP65 in IEC 60529 means dust-tight and protected against water jets. Write that code if hoses are the real exposure. The word waterproof alone does not name a test. If you need a third constraint, add it as another line on the same drawing. A second URL that only swaps the adjective does not give a buyer a second fact.

Related in this section: how to specify Screen Printing Machine.

Questions buyers actually ask

What should an RFQ for Sublimation Paper include?

State process, substrate, color tolerance, size, and finishing.

Is a cheaper Sublimation Paper the same part?

Only if finishing, proof, and the documents match. A missing line is a different offer.

Do waterproof, OEM, or IP words need their own page?

No. For Sublimation Paper they are extra lines on this specification. Ask for the test or the drawing that gives the word a value.