March 2026

Sublimation vs Screen Printing vs Sleeve vs Ink Jet on Glass

Choosing a decoration method for glass packaging is a technical decision with commercial consequences. Each method has a different cost structure, different design constraints and different sustainability implications. This comparison covers the four most common methods used on perfume bottles, flacons, spirits bottles and premium packaging.

The four methods

Screen printing

Ink is pushed through a mesh screen onto the glass surface. One screen per colour. Registration between colours requires precision mechanical alignment. Well-suited for spot-colour designs with crisp edges. Limited to cylindrical or gently curved surfaces. Typical resolution: 60-80 lpi.

Sleeve labelling

A pre-printed plastic film (typically PET or PVC) is shrunk onto the container using heat. Full-colour printing is done on the film, not on the glass. The sleeve conforms to the bottle shape during shrinking. Adds a material layer. Creates a recycling complication — the sleeve must be removed before glass enters cullet streams.

Direct ink jet

UV-curable ink is jetted directly onto the glass surface from print heads. Digital process — no screens required. Works well on flat and cylindrical surfaces. Complex geometries challenge the fixed-distance requirement between print head and substrate. Typical resolution: 300-600 dpi.

Digital sublimation

CMYK artwork is printed onto a transfer medium, then heat-transferred onto a primed glass surface. The ink converts from solid to gas and penetrates the primer layer. Resolution up to 1200 dpi. 360° coverage. Conforms to complex shapes. No screens, no clichés, no colour-count pricing.

Comparison table

When to use which

Screen printing remains the right choice for simple spot-colour designs — a logo, a wordmark, a single-colour pattern — on cylindrical bottles at high volumes. It is a mature, cost-effective process for what it does well.

Sleeve labelling suits products where the decoration must wrap the entire surface and the brand accepts the use of a plastic film. Beverage and food products with regulatory information requirements often use sleeves for practical reasons.

Direct ink jet is effective for variable data printing — serialisation, batch codes, personalised editions — on flat or cylindrical substrates. It excels where every unit carries different content.

Digital sublimation is the method of choice when the brief calls for photographic quality, complex geometries, full-colour 360° coverage, tactile finishes or any combination of these. It eliminates screen costs and colour-count pricing. It produces mono-material packaging with no recycling complications.

ATIU's position

ATIU specialises in digital sublimation. The company operates two production plants in Verona, Italy, decorating glass, aluminium, zamac and ceramic components for groups including Pernod Ricard, PUIG and LVMH. Glass is sourced from suppliers including Saverglass, Heinz-Glas, Verescence, Bormioli Luigi and Stoelzle.

The choice of decoration method should be driven by the design brief, not by supplier capability. When sublimation is the right answer, ATIU delivers it at industrial scale. ISO 9001 certified. EcoVadis Committed. Zero-net CO2 since 2023.