You may have stayed away from the memorial market in the past because it seemed intimidating to you or out of your wheelhouse. If you take a quick look around your shop, though, you’ll more than likely see many items you already offer your customers that are perfect for helping create a memorial to a loved one.
Sublimation is a wonderful process for creating memorials because there are so many substrates available for indoor and outdoor use, and there is something for every budget. Gardens are a popular way to memorialize both loved ones and pets.
Let’s go step-by-step through creating a full-color garden marker as a memorial to a much-loved pet.
Supplies needed for the garden marker (Fig. 1):
- Sublimatable aluminum sign
- Sublimation transfer
- Teflon or scratch paper
- Heat tape
- Soft paper towel (optional but recommended)
Step 1: Place the metal face down onto the transfer, which is face up. Tape two ends of the yard sign to the transfer using the heat tape.
Step 2: Place the transfer and yard sign in the press onto the paper towel (transfer face up, yard sign on top of transfer face down). Place the Teflon sheet or scratch paper over the transfer and metal (Fig. 2, 3).
Step 3: Press the items using 400 F at 55 seconds, then immediately remove the items from the press. Use heat-resistant gloves if necessary—the items will be hot.
Step 4: Tear the transfer in half opposite of the taped ends and remove. Your finished product is a beautiful, long-lasting memorial.
