A process for printing and decorating an article by the use of sublimable inks, includes providing preformed images on a substrate, these preformed images are obtained using the sublimable inks; applying the substrate on surfaces of the article; applying a pressure to the preformed images for pressing the preformed images against the surfaces, providing a heat thermoretractable material and heating the heat thermoretractable material at a temperature suitable for causing a thermoretraction of the heat thermoretractable material for generating the pressure; heating the preformed images until the sublimable inks are transferred by sublimation onto the surfaces. The thermoretractable material can be polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyethylene naphthalate (PEN). An apparatus for printing and decorating an article by the use of sublimable inks has compression parts for applying a pressure to images provided on a substrate applied on surfaces of the articles. The images are obtained using the sublimable inks, a heater for heating the images at a temperature suitable for obtaining a transfer of these images on the surfaces by sublimation of the sublimable inks. The compression parts include a heat thermoretractable material, and the thermoretractable material which is PET or PEN.