Hybrid Thermal Sublimation Color Laser Copier Transfers Inkjet Transfer Dry Resin Sublimation Definition of Industry Terms Dye Sublimation Dye Sublimation printers apply varying degrees of heat to generate variable tones of color, typically 256 sizes per primary color to create photorealism or continuous tone images. Due to the tight heat tolerances, which the printer must maintain, the process is much slower than other technologies. Once on paper, images from a dye sublimation printer may be transferred to other surfaces by re-heating or reactivating the sublimation dyes with a heat press. The dyes will vaporize off the paper and onto the final substrate. These images may appear fuzzy, blurry, and less vibrant.
Dye sublimation is somewhat limited in application.
Typically a special transfer paper is needed to accomplish the transfer, and it is best applied to ceramic surfaces. Wax Thermal printers utilize low temperatures to melt wax from a print ribbon onto paper. Pigments in the wax are dyes, which create colorful images. Wax thermal printers have relatively high printing speeds but generally use only 3, sometimes 4, colors. To achieve a wide spectrum of colors, or a continuous tone image, the printer uses a method called half-toning or dithering.