Sublimation (putting the printing element aside for a second) is a process where a substance changes directly from a solid to a gas without passing through the liquid phase. It might sound scientific, but this clever bit of chemistry is what powers one of the most popular modern printing techniques.

Sublimation printing is the secret behind those vivid, long-lasting photo gifts and custom products you’ve probably seen everywhere - from mugs and t-shirts to phone cases and coasters. It’s becoming increasingly popular as a professional printing method that’s surprisingly accessible once you know the basics. Take a look at our sublimation blanks range for an idea of the sorts of products sublimation is used for.

Whether you're just getting started or simply curious about how it works, we’re going to break down everything you need to know - from how sublimation printing works, to what kit you need, to how it compares with other printing methods like inkjet. 

What Does Sublimation Printing

Whether you run a gift shop, photo studio, or online store, stocking the right picture frame sizes is key to keeping customers happy and maximising sales. The most popular frame sizes cater correctly to standard photo prints while suiting familiar spaces like desks and walls, as well as common gifting occasions.

In this guide, we’ll break down the most popular photo frame sizes in the UK, the difference between similar-sounding dimensions, how mounts affect frame sizing, and why it’s still worth keeping a few non-standard options on your shelves.

What Are the Most Common Frame Sizes in the UK?

For everyday photos, gifts, and décor, these are the standard picture frame sizes in the UK:

These are the common picture frame sizes that dominate UK retailers, as they align with standard photo printing dimensions and consumer expectations. Offering frames in these sizes ensures your stock is practical and widely appealing.

Are Most Photos 4x6 or 5x7?

4x6 inches (10x15 cm) is by far the most common

Valentine’s Day is never far off, which means that one of the biggest marketing events is around the corner too. There can be no doubt about it, the day of love has become a great opportunity to market, sell, and attract new customers.

That being said, is it still as big an opportunity as it was five to ten years ago? Should your business take advantage of a Valentine’s marketing opportunity?

In this blog, Adventa examines the amount Brits spend on Valentine’s Day and whether it's worth changing your marketing strategy during this period. We will also examine Valentine's customer activations to determine whether you should buy Valentine-specific products to sell to customers.

How Much Do Consumers Spend on Valentine’s?

Valentine’s Day is a big spending holiday worldwide, focusing on gifts and tactile expressions of love and affection. Flowers, chocolates, soft toys, photo frames, heart-shaped trinkets (check out the Adventa heart-shaped wholesale keyrings), and jewellery put back UK

What Are Jute Bags?

Tote bags have become an absolute staple in most households. With the much-appreciated capacity to hold all your groceries, everything you need on an autumn day, or an entire picnic, these large, sturdy bags had just about cornered the market. Until jute bags stepped in. 

Jute bags, which build on the classic tote, are versatile, durable bags made from natural jute fibres, celebrated for their eco-friendliness and practicality. They also look great, and customisable photo jute bags can be customised into a favourite shopping bag or for packaging and promotional purposes. But what exactly is jute, and why are these bags gaining popularity as sustainable alternatives to a cotton or polyester tote bag?

What Is Jute Fabric?

Jute is a long, shiny, rough fibre found in the skin of the plant (the bast). Raw jute fibres are spun into strong, coarse threads to make jute material. Primarily grown in India and Bangladesh, jute yarn is known as the “golden fibre” for its silky

Mixtiles are designed to peel, stick, remove and restick - so you can freely chop and change your decor. These sticky art and photo solutions have become hugely popular, as they offer a chance for anyone to create beautiful, personalised gallery walls in rented homes and offices due to their adhesive backing, eliminating the need for nails. However, you do need to remove them very carefully, if you want to be sure not to damage your walls. 

At Adventa, we offer an excellent alternative to Mixtiles with our StickY Frames Range and Airframes. These customisable wall art solutions offer the same benefits as Mixtiles - they’re easy to hang, and can be removed and restuck.

Tip: learn how to hang Mixtiles here.

Tips for Removing Mixtiles Safely

Here’s how to remove Mixtiles (or an equivalent) without damaging your walls:

• Peel Slowly and Gently: Start by grabbing a corner of the tile, and slowly peel it away from the wall, keeping it as flat against the surface as possible. This minimises the

Having art on your walls is such an excellent way to personalise a space and make it a home, but getting great pieces on your walls can be expensive, not to mention tricky to mount. This is likely why Mixtiles have become so popular - they’re simple, stylish, and completely customisable.

These lightweight, adhesive-backed photo tiles allow you to create gorgeous gallery walls without the need for nails, making them ideal for renters and anyone who wants to avoid wall damage. But did you know Adventa offers an alternative that’s just as easy to use and customisable? 

Products like Adventa’s Airframe and Sticky Picture Frames provide a practical, high-quality option for those looking to transform their walls effortlessly. Let’s explore how to hang these tiles beautifully, and we’ll answer common questions about their use.

Tip: If you want to know more about what Mixtiles are, read our dedicated blog.

How to Hang Mixtiles Evenly

Gallery walls have quickly become a favourite amongst interior

The History of the Christmas Bauble

The holiday season is a time when we all look forward to adorning our Christmas trees with the most beautiful and unique ornaments. With a fascinating history and an important and established present, Christmas photo ornaments and decorative baubles are worth getting to know.

What better way to understand their significance than by delving into the history and manufacturing process of the Christmas bauble? From the origins of baubles as simple fruit decorations, to their innovative modern-day variations, this blog will explore the evolution of this cherished holiday tradition.

What is the History of the Christmas Bauble?

The history of decorative baubles or ornaments dates back to 16th-century Germany, where it was a tradition to decorate fir trees with apples, nuts, and other fruits during the holiday season. These decorations served as a reminder that spring and warmer weather would come again. 

These traditions soon began to spread across the globe.

Cardboard Canvas Guide

Cardboard canvases are low-cost and versatile, suitable for a range of creative mediums. Find out everything you need to know to create with cardboard canvas, as well as why you should stock them. 

What is cardboard canvas and what are its advantages?

For hundreds of years, canvases have typically been made from fabric stretched over wood panels or bars. This traditional stretched canvas has been challenged recently, with many now making them out of different materials, such as cardboard, which is considerably more environmentally-friendly than chopping down trees.

Surprisingly, some of the biggest advantages of cardboard vs wood are the cardboard’s superior strength and the tension that can be achieved with the canvas medium – if using the correct material and method.  

Another main advantage is the premium quality corners that cardboard canvas produces, where it enables you to ‘tuck’ the medium inside the corners, whereas with a traditional wooden canvas, it is

Top 10 challenges for personalised gift companies

Personalisation has seen significant growth in recent years, with research estimating that the personalised gift market in the UK alone would reach £1 billion in 2022. This has been supported by customer research, which shows that consumers are willing to spend more on products that can be personalised.

While many businesses have started to take advantage of this recent trend, some businesses are still struggling to understand what personalisation is, how the process works and how they can begin to meet personalisation businesses. Here, we answer all these questions.

What is the personalised gift market worth?

Recent research estimated that the personalised gift market in the UK would reach £1 billion in 2022. While this is yet to be confirmed, the personalisation industry has certainly seen a boom in recent years.

Customer research further supports these sentiments, with data indicating that consumers are happy to spend between 7% - 20%

10 Benefits of Using UK Manufacturing Companies

With quality and commitment becoming increasingly important for businesses and consumers, there is a push to use more UK manufacturers. The “Made in the UK” sticker is becoming a major symbol of quality across the country, which is a trend that has our full support.

In this post, Adventa looks at the benefits of using British manufacturers for your products, parts and more. After reading this blog, you should be able to weigh up these benefits against the rationale of why you are using your current supplier.

10 Benefits of Manufacturers in the UK

There are many advantages of using a manufacturer in the country of your operation, and even more so when working with companies that are held to high UK standards. Below are the ten main advantages of using manufacturing companies in the UK:

1. Improved communication

Working with a supplier in another country can quickly become frustrating. With differences in time zones, languages, and domestic