Dye Sublimation
The love for sublimation
HISTORY:
The company was founded in 1993 by Claude Latendresse. The first sales were concluded on the international markets (France, Japan, USA) while Claude ended his career of gymnast at the international level. Soon, the Company carved out its place by proposing "colorful" sports models; that is to say, at the image of its owner with a rebel look ! In 1996, the company discovered the process of dye sublimation and integrated it into its models. Faced with success and during that same year, the Company converted the first "electrostatic" digital printer (a Xerox) into sublimation, which consternated the department of R & D in Xerox offices in New York.
Perfecting the new technology and combining it with its silkscreen printing, CL Sportswear thus offers its customers new possibilities (and better prices, without visual limits, etc.) but is quickly unable to meet the rapid demand. Its growth is dazzling and the Company exports its products to 7 countries. With the ever-increasing volume, the Company innovates again by converting a giant format "OFFSET" printer (this monster weighed 54,000 pounds!) that it dedicates to the printing of sublimation papers, increasing its ability to print 500 sheets a day at 5000 sheets per hour! This is how the Company works alongside the biggest players in the North American market by offering its "Private Brands" program.
TODAY:
With the opening of markets and a fierce competition coming from Asia, the Company is adapting by perfecting a deep expertise of "just in time", successfully achieving the profitability of mini-production, that is to say as small as 6 units per order. In the market, it's unheard! Since then, other manufacturers have also tried to produce at such low volumes, but all have quickly returned to a minimum of 24 units. One of the strengths of CL Sportswear is its ability to serve a multitude of "small customers" all at the same time and always respecting tight delivery deadlines. For these high-volume customers, the Company has entered into a strategic partnership with a local printer (offset printing) with which it carries out a technology transfer that also allows to be able to produce volumes as high as 10k, 25k or 100k units.
With its unparalleled knowledge of sublimation printing, CL Sportswear customers know they can rely on its expertise to meet their sublimation needs. It is not uncommon for our customers to admit that CL Sportswear is the best kept secret in the industry - which is very flattering! From time to time, some competitors use our expertise to fulfill some of their more "sophisticated" orders.
For those who are not familiar with the sublimation process, this is the transition from the solid state (the inks printed on the paper are in the solid state) to the gaseous state (the solid ink with the heat and a pressure goes to the gaseous state). It is this vapor (gas) that permanently dyes the fiber of the fabric. The beauty of this process is that printed garments keeps breathing and remain flexible, for comfort and an unparalleled look!
Perfecting the new technology and combining it with its silkscreen printing, CL Sportswear thus offers its customers new possibilities (and better prices, without visual limits, etc.) but is quickly unable to meet the rapid demand. Its growth is dazzling and the Company exports its products to 7 countries. With the ever-increasing volume, the Company innovates again by converting a giant format "OFFSET" printer (this monster weighed 54,000 pounds!) that it dedicates to the printing of sublimation papers, increasing its ability to print 500 sheets a day at 5000 sheets per hour! This is how the Company works alongside the biggest players in the North American market by offering its "Private Brands" program.
TODAY:
With the opening of markets and a fierce competition coming from Asia, the Company is adapting by perfecting a deep expertise of "just in time", successfully achieving the profitability of mini-production, that is to say as small as 6 units per order. In the market, it's unheard! Since then, other manufacturers have also tried to produce at such low volumes, but all have quickly returned to a minimum of 24 units. One of the strengths of CL Sportswear is its ability to serve a multitude of "small customers" all at the same time and always respecting tight delivery deadlines. For these high-volume customers, the Company has entered into a strategic partnership with a local printer (offset printing) with which it carries out a technology transfer that also allows to be able to produce volumes as high as 10k, 25k or 100k units.
With its unparalleled knowledge of sublimation printing, CL Sportswear customers know they can rely on its expertise to meet their sublimation needs. It is not uncommon for our customers to admit that CL Sportswear is the best kept secret in the industry - which is very flattering! From time to time, some competitors use our expertise to fulfill some of their more "sophisticated" orders.
For those who are not familiar with the sublimation process, this is the transition from the solid state (the inks printed on the paper are in the solid state) to the gaseous state (the solid ink with the heat and a pressure goes to the gaseous state). It is this vapor (gas) that permanently dyes the fiber of the fabric. The beauty of this process is that printed garments keeps breathing and remain flexible, for comfort and an unparalleled look!