745:
quickly. However, cooling the elements down, when changing from a darker to a lighter color, is harder and usually involves having a fan/heatsink assembly attached to the print head. The use of multiple heads can also speed up this process since one head can cool down while another is printing. Although print times vary among different dye-sublimation printers, a typical consumer dye-sub printer can print a 4x6 in (10x15cm) photo in 45–90 seconds. More heavy-duty printers can print much faster; for example, a
Sinfonia Colorstream S2 dye-sublimation printer can print a 4x6 in (10x15cm) photo in as little as 6.8 seconds, and a Mitsubishi CP-D707DW is known to have a faster print of under 6 seconds for similar size. In all cases, the finished print is completely dry once it emerges from the printer.
778:
used previously. Due to the single-roll design of most printers, four panels of colored dye must be used for every print, whether or not a panel is needed for the print. Printing in monochrome saves nothing, and the three unused color panels for that page cannot be recycled for a different single-color print. Inkjet printers also suffer from 'dye wastage' as the ink cartridges are prone to drying up with low usage (without 'heavy use', the cartridge nozzles can become clogged with dried ink). Dye-sublimation media packs, which include both ribbon and paper, are rated for an exact number of prints which yields a fixed cost per print. This is in contrast to inkjet printers where inks are purchased by volume.
852:), the prints will not crack, fade or peel from the substrate under normal conditions. The fabric is permanently dyed so it can be washed without damaging the quality of the image. Advantages of dye-sublimation over other methods of textile printing: images are permanent and do not peel or fade, the dye does not build up on the fabric. Colors can be extraordinarily brilliant due to the bonding of the dye to the transparent fibers of the synthetic fabric, truly continuous tones can be achieved that are equivalent to photographs, without the use of special techniques such as half-screen printing, and the image can be printed all over the entire item, with no difficulty in printing all the way to the edges.
758:, but each drop of ink is limited to the colors of the inks installed. Consequently, a dye-sublimation printer produces true continuous tones appearing much like a chemical photograph. An inkjet print is composed of droplets of ink layered and scattered to simulate continuous tones, but under magnification, the individual droplets can be seen. In the early days of inkjet printing, the large droplets and low resolution made inkjet prints significantly inferior to dye-sublimation, but many of today's inkjets produce extremely high-quality prints using microscopic droplets and supplementary ink colors, producing superior color fidelity and sharpness to dye-sublimation.
646:
151:
782:
of dye panels can be unrolled to see everything that has been printed with the printer. For such environments, the waste roll should be shredded or incinerated onsite rather than simply being discarded in the trash. Also, for home users, the waste roll from a photo printer can be similarly recovered from the garbage and used to see everything that has been printed. Since the supply roll is plastic, the lifespan of a used roll can be years or decades long, permitting image recovery long after disposal.
606:
38:
622:, the most common direct process lays down one color at a time, the dye being stored on a polyester ribbon that has each color on a separate panel. Each colored panel is the size of the medium that is being printed on; for example, a 4x6 in (10x15cm) dye-sub printer would have four 4x6 in (10x15cm) panels.
781:
For environments that print confidential or secret documents, a dye-sublimation printer is a potential security risk that must be handled carefully. Due to the mechanism of printing, a perfect color-separated negative image of the printed page remains on the spent ribbon panels, and the "waste roll"
761:
Dye sublimation offers some advantages over inkjet printing. For one, the prints are dry and ready to handle as soon as they exit the printer. Since the thermal head does not have to sweep back and forth over the print media, there are fewer moving parts that can break down. The whole printing cycle
744:
As dye-sublimation page printers utilize heat to transfer the dye onto the print media, the printing speed is limited by the speed at which the elements on the thermal head can change temperature. Heating the elements is easy, as a strong electric current can raise the temperature of an element very
836:
In order to transfer the image from the paper to the substrate, it requires a heat press machine process that is a combination of time, temperature, and pressure. Different settings are used depending on the substrate. This application will transfer the sublimation dyes at the molecular level into
785:
Also, dye-sublimation papers and ribbons are sensitive to skin oils, which interfere with the dye's ability to sublimate from the ribbon to the paper. They must also be free of dust particles, which can lead to small colored blobs appearing on the prints. Most dye-sublimation printers have filters
546:
name was first applied because the dye was thought to make the transition between the solid and gas states without going through a liquid stage. This understanding of the process was later shown to be incorrect, as there is some liquefication of the dye. Since then, the process has become properly
777:
The amount of wasted dye per page is also very high; most of the dye in the four panels may be wasted for a typical print. Once a panel has been used, even to just print a single dot, the remaining dye on that panel cannot be reused for another print without leaving a blank spot where the dye was
629:
After the printer finishes printing the medium in one color, it advances the ribbon to the next color panel and partially ejects the medium from the printer to prepare for the next cycle. The entire process is repeated four or five times in total: the first three lay the colors onto the medium to
625:
During the printing cycle, the printer rollers will move the medium and one of the colored panels together under a thermal printing head, which is usually the same width as the shorter dimension of the print medium. Tiny heating elements on the head change temperature rapidly, laying different
860:
There are two types of dye sublimation inks for piezo inkjet transfer printers available in the market. The most popular one is aqueous dye sublimation ink for use in both desktop and large format printers. The other is solvent dye sublimation ink that can be used in XAAR, Spectra, and some
786:
and/or cleaning rollers to reduce the likelihood of this happening, and a speck of dust can only affect one print as it becomes attached to the print during the printing process. Finally, dye-sublimation printers fall short when producing neutral and toned black-and-white prints with higher
818:. Originally used for printing polyester fabrics, the process is now commonly also used for decorating apparel, signs, and banners, as well as novelty items such as cell phone covers, plaques, coffee mugs, mouse mats, and other items with sublimation-friendly surfaces.
883:
Print speeds for large-format piezo inkjet printers using aqueous dye sublimation ink continue to increase. Speeds range from 18 square meters per hour in a smaller 44 in wide printer to over 3,000 square meters per hour in a high-speed industrial textile printer.
735:
Desktop-size standalone dye-sub photo printers are also used by photographers in event photography. The technology allows photographers to produce and sell lab-quality prints immediately during the event they are attending, with a minimal amount of hardware.
773:
The dyes diffuse a small amount before being absorbed by the media. Consequently, prints are not razor-sharp. For photographs, this produces very natural prints, but for other uses (such as graphic design) this slight blurriness is a disadvantage.
753:
Traditionally, the advantage of dye-sublimation printing has been the fact that it is a continuous-tone technology, where each dot can be any color. In contrast, inkjet printers can vary the location and size of ink droplets, a process called
837:
the substrate. The most common dyes used for sublimation activate at 350 degrees
Fahrenheit / 175 degrees Celsius. However, a range of 380 to 420 degrees Fahrenheit / 195 to 215 degrees Celsius is normally recommended for optimal color.
577:
to deposit sublimation-capable ink onto a transfer sheet. The printed transfer sheet is then pressed with the substrate with heat, transferring the dye to the substrate, such as plastic or fabric, via sublimation. Thus, this process is
832:
using toner, but now are generally large-format inkjet printers using special inks. For small-format printing, inkjet has also become the dominant technology, though special dye-sublimation transfer laser printers are also available.
765:
Dye-sublimation printers have some drawbacks compared to inkjet printers. Each of the colored panels of the ribbons, and the thermal head itself, must match the size of the media that is being printed on. Furthermore, only especially
685:
were, however, not true page printers, since they used a narrow printhead that swept across the page, like most inkjet printers.) Now there are many dye-sublimation printers on the market starting from as low as $ 100, especially
702:
The ability to produce instant photo prints inexpensively from a small printer has led to dye sublimation solutions supplanting traditional instant photos in some applications, such as ID photography with a
630:
form a complete image; there may or may not then be a (wax ink) black thermal transfer process; the last pass lays the laminate over top. This layer protects the dyes from UV light and moisture.
821:
The images are first printed onto coated heat-resistant transfer paper as a mirror-image of the final design, which is then transferred from the transfer sheet onto the substrate using a
633:
For ID card printing, sharp text and bar codes are necessary, and they are printed by means of an additional wax-based black panel on the (YMCKO) ribbon. This extra panel works by
770:
or specific plastics can accept the sublimated ink. This means that dye-sublimation printers cannot match the flexibility of inkjet printers in printing on a wide range of media.
637:
instead of dye diffusion: a whole layer, instead of just some of the dye in the layer, transfers from the ribbon to the substrate at the pixels defined by the thermal head.
681:
produced the first quality dye-sub printers for home consumers in the $ 500–$ 1,000 price range, bringing dye-sublimation technology within the reach of a wider audience. (
840:
The result of the sublimation transfer process is a nearly permanent, high-resolution, full-color print. Because the dyes are infused into the substrate at the
762:
is extremely clean as there are no liquid inks to clean up. These factors make dye-sublimation generally a more reliable technology than inkjet printing.
558:
that use a thermal printhead to transfer dye from a ribbon directly onto the print media via sublimation. While it originally was used in creating
515:
658:
Previously, the use of dye-sub printing was limited to industrial or high-end commercial printing. Dye-sub photo printing has been used in
102:
74:
55:
1036:
896:, an inkjet printer is used to print dye-sublimation inks directly onto the fabric. The fabric is then heated in an oven or on a
17:
81:
670:
Today, it is extremely popular in event photography and photo booths or kiosks that require high-speed, on-demand printing.
1091:
1014:
88:
1101:
508:
121:
70:
649:
Used dye panels retain a viewable image of the printed document, and an example of wasted dye that cannot be reused.
1056:
59:
582:, since the final substrate does not pass through the printer, and the sublimation step occurs separately.
1134:
626:
amounts of dye depending on the amount of heat applied. Some of the dye diffuses into the printing medium.
501:
562:, today this technology survives in ID card printers and dedicated photo printers, often under the name
1129:
849:
95:
954:
634:
619:
462:
593:
using dye-sublimation inks printed directly onto fabric, which must then be heated to set the dyes,
934:
893:
869:
720:
590:
543:
48:
949:
715:
Several corporations market desktop-size units as stand-alone printers and for print kiosk and
187:
992:
829:
307:
277:
919:
815:
719:
applications. Some of these units are based on generic printers. Some manufacturers, offer
327:
8:
939:
924:
367:
142:
791:
167:
645:
1097:
724:
678:
559:
536:
357:
337:
267:
981:
Chemical technology in
Printing and Imaging Systems, ed. J A G Drake, 1993, pp 73-85
803:
482:
437:
397:
150:
1069:
959:
909:
845:
787:
659:
574:
407:
347:
297:
237:
673:
427:
387:
197:
1123:
929:
691:
605:
551:, though this technically correct term has not supplanted the original name.
944:
914:
828:
Early large-format printers used for printing transfer paper were modified
767:
704:
555:
177:
665:
716:
472:
257:
662:, graphic arts proofing, security, and broadcast-related applications.
822:
377:
317:
287:
539:
techniques that involve using heat to transfer dye onto a substrate.
872:, dye sublimation inks are becoming more and more popular in digital
807:
755:
723:
with their printers, suggesting that these companies hope to attract
452:
227:
37:
897:
841:
687:
682:
247:
730:
877:
811:
212:
873:
862:
674:
Affordable Dye-Sublimation: Home
Consumers and Postcard-Sized
844:
level, rather than applied at a topical level (such as with
1093:
Graphic
Designer's Digital Printing and Prepress Handbook
887:
1037:"Texart™ RT-640M Dye-Sublimation Multi-Function Printer"
1015:"The Complete Guide to Fabric Dye-Sublimation Printing"
710:
666:
Rising
Popularity: Dye-Sublimation in Event Photography
653:
806:
technology using full-color artwork that works with
697:
62:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
748:
993:"Mug: What is the sublimation transfer printing?"
855:
535:) is a term that covers several distinct digital
29:Digital printing technology with wide color range
1121:
797:
600:
569:The term was later also applied to the indirect
731:Event Photography: Immediate Lab-Quality Prints
1070:"IColor 350 Dye Sublimation Transfer Printer"
509:
977:
975:
618:Using a mechanism which is a variant of the
554:Historically, "dye sublimation" referred to
516:
502:
149:
972:
122:Learn how and when to remove this message
644:
609:A disassembled dye sublimation cartridge
604:
1096:. Rockport Publishers. pp. 26–27.
14:
1122:
1089:
888:Direct dye-sublimation fabric printing
589:is sometimes applied to a variant of
711:Desktop and Photo booth Applications
60:adding citations to reliable sources
31:
802:Sublimation transfer printing is a
24:
1012:
654:Industrial and Commercial Settings
25:
1146:
1034:
865:printhead-wide format printers.
698:ID Photography and Card Printing
36:
990:
868:Due to the fast development of
749:Comparison with inkjet printing
640:
573:process, which uses a standard
47:needs additional citations for
1083:
1067:
1061:
1050:
1028:
1006:
984:
856:Piezo inkjet transfer printing
739:
564:dye diffusion thermal transfer
13:
1:
1090:Sidles, Constance J. (2001).
991:Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.
965:
900:to diffuse and set the dyes.
798:Sublimation transfer printing
601:Dye-sublimation page printing
597:the use of a transfer sheet.
571:sublimation transfer printing
442:
217:
202:
7:
903:
10:
1151:
850:direct to garment printing
613:
71:"Dye-sublimation printing"
955:Thermal transfer printing
721:software development kits
635:thermal transfer printing
481:
471:
463:Thermal-transfer printing
461:
451:
436:
426:
416:
406:
396:
386:
376:
366:
356:
346:
336:
326:
316:
306:
296:
286:
276:
266:
256:
246:
236:
226:
211:
196:
186:
176:
166:
935:Label printer applicator
894:digital textile printing
870:digital textile printing
790:levels and virtually no
620:thermal-transfer printer
591:digital textile printing
529:Dye-sublimation printing
338:Photostat and rectigraph
1013:Innotech (7 Apr 2022).
727:as a potential market.
137:Part of a series on the
18:Dye-sublimation printer
950:List of art techniques
830:electrostatic plotters
650:
610:
587:direct dye sublimation
188:Intaglio (printmaking)
648:
608:
308:Hot metal typesetting
920:Daisy wheel printing
328:Daisy wheel printing
56:improve this article
1135:Non-impact printing
940:Line matrix printer
925:Dot matrix printing
368:Dot matrix printing
143:History of printing
725:system integrators
651:
611:
453:Solid ink printing
168:Woodblock printing
1130:Computer printers
537:computer printing
526:
525:
491:
490:
358:Spirit duplicator
268:Chromolithography
132:
131:
124:
106:
16:(Redirected from
1142:
1114:
1113:
1111:
1110:
1087:
1081:
1080:
1078:
1076:
1065:
1059:
1054:
1048:
1047:
1045:
1043:
1032:
1026:
1025:
1023:
1021:
1010:
1004:
1003:
1001:
999:
988:
982:
979:
892:In this type of
804:digital printing
533:dye-sub printing
518:
511:
504:
483:Digital printing
447:
444:
438:Thermal printing
398:Phototypesetting
222:
219:
207:
204:
164:
163:
153:
134:
133:
127:
120:
116:
113:
107:
105:
64:
40:
32:
21:
1150:
1149:
1145:
1144:
1143:
1141:
1140:
1139:
1120:
1119:
1118:
1117:
1108:
1106:
1104:
1088:
1084:
1074:
1072:
1066:
1062:
1055:
1051:
1041:
1039:
1033:
1029:
1019:
1017:
1011:
1007:
997:
995:
989:
985:
980:
973:
968:
960:ID card printer
910:Barcode printer
906:
890:
858:
846:screen printing
800:
751:
742:
733:
713:
700:
676:
668:
660:medical imaging
656:
643:
616:
603:
575:ink-jet printer
560:prepress proofs
522:
493:
492:
445:
418:Dye-sublimation
408:Inkjet printing
348:Screen printing
298:Offset printing
238:Relief printing
220:
205:
161:
128:
117:
111:
108:
65:
63:
53:
41:
30:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
1148:
1138:
1137:
1132:
1116:
1115:
1102:
1082:
1060:
1049:
1027:
1005:
983:
970:
969:
967:
964:
963:
962:
957:
952:
947:
942:
937:
932:
927:
922:
917:
912:
905:
902:
889:
886:
857:
854:
799:
796:
750:
747:
741:
738:
732:
729:
712:
709:
699:
696:
692:photo printers
690:-sized mobile
675:
672:
667:
664:
655:
652:
642:
639:
615:
612:
602:
599:
524:
523:
521:
520:
513:
506:
498:
495:
494:
489:
488:
485:
479:
478:
475:
469:
468:
465:
459:
458:
455:
449:
448:
440:
434:
433:
430:
428:Laser printing
424:
423:
420:
414:
413:
410:
404:
403:
400:
394:
393:
390:
388:Spark printing
384:
383:
380:
374:
373:
370:
364:
363:
360:
354:
353:
350:
344:
343:
340:
334:
333:
330:
324:
323:
320:
314:
313:
310:
304:
303:
300:
294:
293:
290:
284:
283:
280:
274:
273:
270:
264:
263:
260:
254:
253:
250:
244:
243:
240:
234:
233:
230:
224:
223:
215:
209:
208:
200:
198:Printing press
194:
193:
190:
184:
183:
180:
174:
173:
170:
162:
159:
158:
155:
154:
146:
145:
139:
138:
130:
129:
44:
42:
35:
28:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1147:
1136:
1133:
1131:
1128:
1127:
1125:
1105:
1103:9781564967749
1099:
1095:
1094:
1086:
1071:
1068:UNINET, Inc.
1064:
1058:
1053:
1038:
1031:
1016:
1009:
994:
987:
978:
976:
971:
961:
958:
956:
953:
951:
948:
946:
943:
941:
938:
936:
933:
931:
930:Label printer
928:
926:
923:
921:
918:
916:
913:
911:
908:
907:
901:
899:
895:
885:
881:
879:
875:
871:
866:
864:
853:
851:
847:
843:
838:
834:
831:
826:
824:
819:
817:
813:
809:
805:
795:
794:or bronzing.
793:
789:
783:
779:
775:
771:
769:
763:
759:
757:
746:
737:
728:
726:
722:
718:
708:
706:
695:
693:
689:
684:
680:
679:Alps Electric
671:
663:
661:
647:
638:
636:
631:
627:
623:
621:
607:
598:
596:
592:
588:
583:
581:
576:
572:
567:
565:
561:
557:
556:page printers
552:
550:
549:dye diffusion
545:
540:
538:
534:
530:
519:
514:
512:
507:
505:
500:
499:
497:
496:
486:
484:
480:
476:
474:
470:
466:
464:
460:
456:
454:
450:
441:
439:
435:
431:
429:
425:
421:
419:
415:
411:
409:
405:
401:
399:
395:
391:
389:
385:
381:
379:
375:
371:
369:
365:
361:
359:
355:
351:
349:
345:
341:
339:
335:
331:
329:
325:
321:
319:
315:
311:
309:
305:
301:
299:
295:
291:
289:
285:
281:
279:
275:
271:
269:
265:
261:
259:
255:
251:
249:
245:
241:
239:
235:
231:
229:
225:
216:
214:
210:
201:
199:
195:
191:
189:
185:
181:
179:
175:
171:
169:
165:
157:
156:
152:
148:
147:
144:
141:
140:
136:
135:
126:
123:
115:
104:
101:
97:
94:
90:
87:
83:
80:
76:
73: –
72:
68:
67:Find sources:
61:
57:
51:
50:
45:This article
43:
39:
34:
33:
27:
19:
1107:. Retrieved
1092:
1085:
1073:. Retrieved
1063:
1052:
1040:. Retrieved
1035:Roland DGA.
1030:
1018:. Retrieved
1008:
996:. Retrieved
986:
945:Line printer
915:Card printer
891:
882:
876:printing on
867:
859:
839:
835:
827:
820:
801:
784:
780:
776:
772:
768:coated paper
764:
760:
752:
743:
734:
714:
705:card printer
701:
683:These models
677:
669:
657:
641:Applications
632:
628:
624:
617:
594:
586:
584:
579:
570:
568:
563:
553:
548:
541:
532:
528:
527:
417:
278:Rotary press
178:Movable type
118:
109:
99:
92:
85:
78:
66:
54:Please help
49:verification
46:
26:
740:Print speed
717:photo booth
544:sublimation
473:3D printing
446: 1972
258:Lithography
221: 1515
206: 1440
1124:Categories
1109:2011-10-05
966:References
823:heat press
816:substrates
792:metamerism
378:Xerography
318:Mimeograph
288:Hectograph
160:Techniques
112:April 2020
82:newspapers
842:molecular
808:polyester
756:dithering
585:The term
547:known as
228:Mezzotint
1075:19 March
1042:19 March
1020:19 March
998:19 March
904:See also
898:calender
814:-coated
688:postcard
580:indirect
566:(D2T2).
248:Aquatint
878:fabrics
812:polymer
788:density
614:Process
595:without
213:Etching
96:scholar
1100:
874:inkjet
863:Konica
98:
91:
84:
77:
69:
1057:Chron
103:JSTOR
89:books
1098:ISBN
1077:2023
1044:2023
1022:2023
1000:2023
848:and
810:and
542:The
531:(or
487:1991
477:1986
467:1981
457:1972
432:1969
422:1957
412:1950
402:1949
392:1940
382:1938
372:1925
362:1923
352:1911
342:1907
332:1889
322:1885
312:1884
302:1875
292:1860
282:1843
272:1837
262:1796
252:1772
242:1690
232:1642
192:1430
182:1040
75:news
825:.
172:200
58:by
1126::
974:^
880:.
707:.
694:.
443:c.
218:c.
203:c.
1112:.
1079:.
1046:.
1024:.
1002:.
517:e
510:t
503:v
125:)
119:(
114:)
110:(
100:·
93:·
86:·
79:·
52:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
