Sublimation Printers

Sublimation printers is a type of printer for the computer which uses heat to transfer different colored dyes or inks to a specific surface such as plastic, special coated paper or even paper for posters. These dye sublimation printers are usually a several step process because one color at a time is laid down on the surface. In addition, a dye sublimation color printer does not use the CMYK color combination (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). Rather, these sublimation printers use a CMYO color combination which is the cyan, magenta and yellow along with a special clear coating that produces a laminate seal. This laminate seal protects the sublimation printer’s printing efforts from various elements.

With the booming home photo printing phenomenon, there are dye sublimation photo printers out on the retail market even for home users. You may have seen similar technology if you have ever had your photo taken at one of those photo booths in a mall. The sublimation printers are what produce those photos so quickly with a good quality.

This sublimation process occurs when heats warms up the dye used for printing. This dye does not turn into a liquid but rather a gas. This gas diffuses right onto the printing surface, cools quickly and creates a solid print image. Depending on the color scheme, the sublimation printers that use this technology may pass up to four times beneath the color ribbons.

These sublimation ink printers are different from inkjet printers. First of all, there are two different color mediums that are being worked with. The sublimation printers have their colors stored on special ribbons while inkjets have liquid ink cartridges. The sublimation process versus inkjet printers reveals that with the sublimation printers, you can immediately handle any pictures printed on them immediately. They are dry, whereas you have to wait for the inkjet printer photo to dry.

Another use of sublimation printers is on fabrics. Many t-shirts with photos go through a type of sublimation printer. Other products with a variety of surfaces also use the sublimation process. Consider one of the many sublimation printers starting to be offered to the public. They will produce wonderful pictures for you.